FRAM-member Thomas Sterner at Stena Recycling

– There was a big interest in collaboration concerning policy instruments for a circular economy, in which materials like plastics and metals are collected, sorted and reused, says Thomas Sterner.

Several directors from different areas and subsidiaries to Stena Recycling attended the seminar.

– We were discussing principles for incentives, how to model them in an efficient way, says Thomas Sterner.

You should find a systematic approach, a reason and a logic, according to Thomas. A certain tax doesn't necessarily lead in the right direction.

– There is a tax on gravel for example. Then companys go and drill in rocks instead, which leads to emissions of metals in water.

Thomas Sterner is professor in Environmental Economics at University of Gothenburg and also a member of FRAM steering committee. His focus in FRAM is the design of policy instruments to deal with problems related to the use of chemicals that imply problems from the viewpoint of health or environmental quality.

During the seminar they also discussed how to make it profitable to buy a function instead of a product. Today it is the other way around.

– It is more expensive today to buy an electrician than a drill. The opposite would be more sustainable.
– It was very interesting and they had many good questions, says Thomas Sterner.