September 2023

In the coming month of October, we look forward to the thesis defences of two Agenda 2030 doctoral candidates. Alezini Loxa, from Lund University's Faculty of Law, will defend her thesis entitled 'Sustainability and EU Migration Law: What Place for Migrants' Rights?" on 5 October.

Read more about Alezini Loxa's defence - sustainability.lu.se

On 13 October, Phil Flores from the Department of Business Administration, who is also a member of the Agenda 2030 Research School, will present his thesis entitled 'Not all Green Innovations are Created Equal: Consumer innovativeness and motivations in the adoption of shared micromobility'. These upcoming defences mark important milestones in their academic journeys and promise to bring valuable insights to their respective fields.

Read more about Phil Flores' defence - sustainability.lu.se

July 2023

New Nordic dietary guidelines take sustainability into account

Recently, new Nordic dietary guidelines were introduced, suggesting reduced meat consumption, alcohol avoidance, and increased intake of vegetarian options such as legumes. Anna Stubbendorff, an Agenda 2030 PhD student focused on sustainable nutrition and consumption, shares her perspective on these recommendations.

What do the new guidelines propose for our diet?

"The emphasis is on a predominantly plant-based diet rich in vegetables, fruits, berries, legumes, potatoes, and whole grains. Additionally, there should be ample consumption of fish and nuts, and moderate intake of low-fat dairy products. The recommended amount of red meat has been lowered from 500 grams to 350 grams per week. We should significantly limit processed meat, alcohol, and processed foods high in fat, salt, and sugar," says Anna Stubbendorff.

To what extent do the recommendations align with your research on sustainable food consumption and production?

"My research focuses on sustainable nutrition and the health effects of sustainable eating. I have observed that dietary patterns beneficial for the environment can also have positive effects on health."

How were the guidelines, known as NNR2023, developed?

"They are the result of five years of work by 400 researchers and experts in the largest and most globally recognized project of Nordic collaboration. This sixth edition of NNR provides recommendations not only on food choices for health but also for the environment, marking the first time ever. Furthermore, the reference values for nutrients in the diet have been updated, with many nutrients receiving reference values for the first time, and a greater number of food groups analyzed compared to previous editions. This makes NNR2023 the most comprehensive NNR to date."

What do you hope the new dietary guidelines will achieve?

"I hope it leads to changes in the countries involved in the collaboration and that more countries recognize the wealth of knowledge this material represents. My hope is that authorities, policymakers, and various stakeholders seize the opportunity to utilize the scientific foundation for bringing about change in different ways."

June 2023

Reduced Environmental Impact and Lower Cost with Reusable Textiles in Healthcare Settings

Linn Hemberg, a PhD student at the Department of Clinical Science in Lund, Division of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, has investigated the environmental and climate impact of items used for central venous catheter (CVC) insertions. The study is now published in Springer Nature.

What have you compared?

"We have compared disposable and reusable products in the kits used for CVC insertions at Helsingborg Hospital. These include both plastic items that can be replaced by reusable metal items and textiles that can be either disposable or reusable."

What are the main conclusions?

"We have performed a life cycle assessment, and we found that the reusable items had a lower environmental and climate impact than the disposable items. The biggest difference is the textiles, which account for 70-80 percent of the total impact, so that's the main opportunity for improvement. We observed that, in addition to the environmental benefits, reusable materials were also cheaper over the entire life cycle."

How can the research be used in the future?

"I hope that there will be more studies in this area, and that those who work with purchasing and procurement can take advantage of this knowledge, as the purchase of disposable items can look cheaper in the short term. There is also a need for an infrastructure that supports and enables the reuse of textiles for healthcare in Region Scania, for example."

April 2023

Soo-hyun Lee was the first to defend

Soo-hyun Lee has studied on three continents, worked for a handful of UN organizations, consulted for mega-corporations, and run his own business. He is the first PhD student to graduate from the Agenda 2030 Graduate School. It all started in South Korea, where his mother was a toy inventor, but a large American corporation stole her successful idea.
"I spent many hours in court as a child. It was not easy for an Asian woman to litigate against a large American corporation," says Soo-hyun Lee, who later chose to pursue law.

Read the interview with Soo-hyun Lee - sustainability.lu.se

Timothée Parrique is the winner of the Lund University Agenda 2030 Award

The prize aims to promote innovative, interdisciplinary research on sustainable development by early career researchers. The prize, worth SEK 25 000, is awarded annually by the graduate school Agenda 2030 in collaboration with the company Elis Textil Service AB.
"It is a great pleasure to announce that Timothée Parrique is the winner of the Agenda 2030 Award 2023 for his pioneering work starting with his PhD thesis, The Political economy of degrowth. The thesis breaks new ground in a fast-expanding literature, which was only marginal when he started his thesis work. He manages to draw on an impressive blend of intellectual traditions in his comprehensive thesis. Since his thesis defense, he has spent considerable efforts to make his work accessible to a wider audience through social media and by turning the thesis into a widely cited report and a book that is currently translated into several languages. A truly impressive achievement", says Kristina Jönsson, the Agenda 2030 Graduate School coordinator.

Two honorary mentions are announced to Kajsa Emilsson from the Lund University School of Social Work and to Johan Kjellberg Jensen, Centre for Environmental and Climate Science at Lund University.

Read the interview with Timothée Parrique - sustainability.lu.se