Development of an Environmental
Evaluation Tool in the Transport Sector
and Its Impact on Decision-Making
in the Early Stages of Design
Sergio A. Brambila-Macias, Lisbeth Dahllöf, Karin Eriksson
and Tomohiko Sakao
Abstract Due to government policies and regulations as well as customer and
societal demands, organizations around the world are looking for ways to manage
their economic, environmental and social sustainability. One of the most frequently
used standards for organizations seeking to manage their environmental responsibilities is ISO 14001. This framework, however, is generic because it can be used
by any organization irrespective of sector, activity or core values. Therefore,
implementation of generic guidelines might result in the use of alternative tools that
respond better to specific organizational needs and that provide outcomes that can
be useful for decision-making. Through case study methodology, this paper shows
how Volvo Group, a world-leading producer of transport solutions, developed an
internal environmental evaluation tool called Environmental Screening (EnvS) to
improve the environmental performance of its solutions.
1 Introduction
The degradation of the environment through resource extraction, manufacturing,
use and disposal of products, as well as the provision of services has been one of the
main drivers for societies and governments to look for more sustainable alternatives. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972 in
Stockholm was a milestone for raising awareness of the actions needed to tackle
environmental deterioration. Currently, sustainable initiatives can range from global
efforts, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals [1], to regional directives
S. A. Brambila-Macias (&) Á T. Sakao
Department of Management and Engineering, Division of Environmental
Technology and Management, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
e-mail: sergio.brambila@liu.se
L. Dahllöf
Swedish Environmental Institute, 41133 Gothenburg, Sweden
K. Eriksson
Volvo Group Trucks Technology, 41715 Gothenburg, Sweden
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_42
381
Evaluation Tool in the Transport Sector
and Its Impact on Decision-Making
in the Early Stages of Design
Sergio A. Brambila-Macias, Lisbeth Dahllöf, Karin Eriksson
and Tomohiko Sakao
Abstract Due to government policies and regulations as well as customer and
societal demands, organizations around the world are looking for ways to manage
their economic, environmental and social sustainability. One of the most frequently
used standards for organizations seeking to manage their environmental responsibilities is ISO 14001. This framework, however, is generic because it can be used
by any organization irrespective of sector, activity or core values. Therefore,
implementation of generic guidelines might result in the use of alternative tools that
respond better to specific organizational needs and that provide outcomes that can
be useful for decision-making. Through case study methodology, this paper shows
how Volvo Group, a world-leading producer of transport solutions, developed an
internal environmental evaluation tool called Environmental Screening (EnvS) to
improve the environmental performance of its solutions.
1 Introduction
The degradation of the environment through resource extraction, manufacturing,
use and disposal of products, as well as the provision of services has been one of the
main drivers for societies and governments to look for more sustainable alternatives. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972 in
Stockholm was a milestone for raising awareness of the actions needed to tackle
environmental deterioration. Currently, sustainable initiatives can range from global
efforts, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals [1], to regional directives
S. A. Brambila-Macias (&) Á T. Sakao
Department of Management and Engineering, Division of Environmental
Technology and Management, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
e-mail: sergio.brambila@liu.se
L. Dahllöf
Swedish Environmental Institute, 41133 Gothenburg, Sweden
K. Eriksson
Volvo Group Trucks Technology, 41715 Gothenburg, Sweden
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_42
381