SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE FOR ECONOMISTS

In this course, participants are introduced to key notions and concepts evolving in sustainability science that are relevant to all, independent to one's work or field of interest. After having completed the course, participants will have a better understanding of the vocabulary used today and should demonstrate the ability to reflect critically to integrate different perspectives of environmental, social, and economic sustainability to their specific area of interest or research. Throughout the course, links are made to the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, as our current global road map towards sustainability, and how new approaches and solutions are emerging to describe, understand and address key sustainability challenges. Put simply, the overall aim is to give participants the knowledge and confidence needed to present and discuss ideas with others by applying methods, concepts and the vocabulary exemplified in the course with a more holistic view on the sustainability agenda across topics and disciplines. The course is designed as 5 modules: The first module presents essential concepts within sustainability science, and methods used to describe, frame, and communicate aspects of sustainability. We look at key questions such as what we mean with strong or weak sustainability, resilience, tipping points and the notion of planetary boundaries. We also look at some techniques used of envisioning alternative futures and transitions pathways. The second module is all about systems thinking and how systemic approaches are applied today to achieve long-term sustainability goals. Your will see what we mean with systems thinking and how systems thinking, and design is applied in practice to find new solutions. The third module touches upon drivers for a sustainable future, namely links to economy and business with an introduction to notions of a circular economy, and also policy and regulatory frameworks. We introduce the basics of transformative policy frames and how they are designed and applied through several real-case examples. The fourth module discusses the links between innovation and sustainability, highlighting approaches for technological, social, institutional, and financial innovations. Some examples (or cases) aim to show how different actors across society balance in practice the need for innovative approaches for social, environmental, and economic sustainability. The fifth and last module provides general insights on how we work with models to create various scenarios that help us identify solutions and pathways for a more sustainable world. Three main dimensions are addressed namely climate and climate change, nature and biodiversity, and the importance of data and geodata science to support spatial planning and sustainable land use.

This course is a collaboration between Uppsala University and the United Nations Development Programme. Content and learning outcomes The course aims to strengthen participants' capacity to contribute actively to the fulfilment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGs, in a complex, ever changing, global society. It will do so by clarifying the context of the SDGs in the international community, and by addressing the needed solutions from a both human and technical approach. The course consists of three modules: Module 1 will provide you with a wider background context to the SDGs and the aim is that following this module you will have gained insight into how humanity is being brought together. You will have received a basic understanding of the framework of the rules-based world order, within which the SDGs are set, how they link to this framework, as well as on how progress is maintained. Module 2 will provide you with collaborative learning tools and methods of co-creation. It will provide insights on why change fails and suggest planning tools and resources to enable transition from the current state to the desired state. It will show how you can apply some of these tools to foster collaborative innovations addressing sustainability challenges. Module 3 will provide you with current-day insights into the United Nations Development Programme, the UN body that manages and follows up the progress of the SDGs. You will be introduced to practical tools used by the organization to promote SDG fulfilment, the UNDP 7-step methodology, exemplified by a special focus on e-mobility. Course structure This online course is stand-alone and completly self paced, but it is also given as an advanced level as a five week course awarding university credits. The online course will take you about 25 h to complete. Who is this course for? The course has been created for those of you who are seeking a more in-depth understanding of the background and international context of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is for those of you who want to work hands-on with sustainable development, to strengthen this capacity, and are interested in both the human and technical side of delivering solutions. Suppose you are interested in the climate agenda and the power of collaboration, as well as curious to learn more about electrification in transportation systems. In that case, this is a course for you.        

This course is taught in Swedish. Expand your Lean toolbox with a "Green Kaizen" tool that works! We now have less than seven years to meet the 1.5 degree target based on the CO2 budget calculated by the IPCC (UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). New technologies and new environmental investments are an important part of the societal transformation needed, but equally important is changing the way we work and behave in our daily lives and workplaces to reduce our environmental impact. In this course you will get training on an environmental improvement tool that has been successfully tested in a number of companies. The tool engages co-workers and teams to reduce the environmental impact in their own workplace and also helps to accelerate the pace of improvement. The course has four main themes: Identifying waste to avoid risk of harm to people and the environment Using improvement methodology for environmental and resource efficiency improvements Analysing and developing sustainable processes Working with visions and goals for long-term sustainable development Waste is anything that is not necessary of energy, raw materials, equipment, components, land, space and working time, to meet the customer's needs. With "green Lean glasses", the risks of harm to people and the environment are the most unnecessary and in the long run the most expensive wastes, not least for the climate. Lean & Green is a refresher course in green lean tools for those who want to build and develop a sustainable organisation. We use the Green Performance Map, an improvement tool for environmental and resource efficiency that also helps to identify opportunities for a more circular economy. Course objectives After completing the course you should be able to: Use the Green Performance Map tool to identify environmental failures and engage the whole staff in the improvement process Understand how the approach could be implemented in your organisation Integrate environmental improvement work into daily lean work Course outline The course consists of 4 digital half days plus homework. These include lectures, group discussions and practical exercises, including sustainability analysis of a process within your own organisation. You will be given a homework assignment between the course days in order to deepen your knowledge of Lean & Green. The assignment is based on your own and your organisation's work with sustainable development. The course is conducted by KTH Leancentrum in Södertälje. The lecturers are researchers and practitioners from KTH and RISE IVF. Among other things, you will learn: Seeing "green" as part of lean Identifying environmental failures in the workplace Using the "Green Performance Map" tool Target group Supervisors, production managers, environmental managers and lean coordinators. See all courses that KTH Leancentrum offers

This course explores the role of intelligent sensor systems in driving sustainability and enabling the green transition. Participants will learn the fundamentals of sensor technologies and their integration into intelligent, distributed systems. Emphasis is placed on applications in energy efficiency, environmental monitoring, and sustainable automation. The course covers topics such as basic sensor technologies, embedded systems, distributed computing, low-resource machine learning approaches, and federated learning for privacy-preserving, decentralized model training across sensor nodes. Through a combination of lectures, practical examples, and hands-on project work, participants will gain experience in designing and deploying intelligent sensor systems tailored to real-world sustainability challenges. The students bring their own case study example as the background for a practical project, through which the student is also finally examined. Recommended prerequisites: At least 180 credits including 15 credits programming as well as qualifications corresponding to the course "English 5"/"English A" from the Swedish Upper Secondary School. Online meetings (estimated): 14 Oct.: Introduction11 Nov.: Project Idea16 Dec.: Project Presentation Study hours: 80 This course is given by Örebro University.

Understanding and optimizing battery performance is crucial for advancing electrification, sustainable mobility, and renewable energy systems. This course provides a comprehensive overview of battery performance, ageing processes, and modelling techniques to improve efficiency, reliability, and service life. Participants will explore battery operation from a whole-system perspective, including its integration in electric vehicles (EVs), charging infrastructure, and energy grids. The course covers both physics-based and data-driven modelling approaches at the cell, module, and pack levels, equipping learners with tools to monitor, predict, and optimize battery performance in real-world applications. Through this course, you will gain the ability to assess battery health, model degradation, and evaluate second-life applications from both technical and economic standpoints. Course content Battery fundamentals and degradation mechanisms Battery modelling Battery monitoring and diagnostics Operational strategies for battery systems Techno-economic performance assessment Battery second-life applications   You will learn to: Explain the principles of battery operation and degradation mechanisms. Develop battery performance models using both physics-based and data-driven approaches. Apply methods for State of Health (SOH) estimation and Remaining Useful Life (RUL) prediction. Analyze key factors influencing battery lifespan economics in different applications. Evaluate battery second-life potential and identify suitable applications. Target group: Professionals in energy, automotive, R&D, or sustainability roles Engineers and data scientists transitioning into battery technologies Technical specialists working with electrification, battery management systems, or energy storage

Batteries and battery technology are vital for achieving sustainable transportation and climate-neutral goals. As concerns over retired batteries are growing and companies in the battery or electric vehicle ecosystem need appropriate business strategies and framework to work with.This course aims to help participants with a deep understanding of battery circularity within the context of circular business models. You will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to design and implement circular business models and strategies in the battery and electric vehicle industry, considering both individual company specific and ecosystem-wide perspectives. You will also gain the ability to navigate the complexities of transitioning towards circularity and green transition in the industry.The course includes a project work to develop a digitally enabled circular business model based on real-world problems. Course content Battery second life and circularity Barriers and enablers of battery circularity Circular business models Ecosystem management Pathways for circular transformation Design principles for battery circularity Role of advanced digital technologies Learning outcomes After completing the course, you will be able to: Describe the concept of battery circularity and its importance in achieving sustainability goals. Examine and explain the characteristics and differences of different types of circular business models and required collaboration forms in the battery- and electric vehicle- industry. Analyze key factors that are influencing design and implement circular business models based on specific individual company and its ecosystem contexts. Analyze key stakeholders and develop ecosystem management strategies for designing and implementing circular business models. Explain the role of digitalization, design, and policies to design and implement circular business models. Plan and design a digitally enabled circular business model that is suitable for a given battery circularity problem. Examples of professional roles that will benefit from this course are sustainability managers, battery technology engineers, business development managers, circular developers, product developers, environmental engineers, material engineers, supply chain engineers or managers, battery specialists, circular economy specialists, etc. This course is given by Mälardalen university in cooperation with Luleå University of Technology Study effort: 80 hrs