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Aligning Circularity and Climate Goals in Swedish Waste Wood Management

Ismail, Tarig Ahmed Mohammed LU (2025) In IIIEE Theses 2025 IMEM01 20251
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Popular Abstract
This study examines a policy conflict in Sweden regarding the management of post-consumer waste wood, arising from the conflicting objectives of the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). While the WFD prioritizes material recycling and reuse, Sweden’s current practice, directing approximately 90% of its waste wood to energy recovery through waste-to-energy systems, aligns more closely with the RED’s renewable energy goals. A significant gap in existing literature is the lack of a comprehensive empirical study examining how varying the proportions of recycling and energy recovery influences overall environmental performance. Specifically, it remains unclear whether simply increasing the... (More)
This study examines a policy conflict in Sweden regarding the management of post-consumer waste wood, arising from the conflicting objectives of the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). While the WFD prioritizes material recycling and reuse, Sweden’s current practice, directing approximately 90% of its waste wood to energy recovery through waste-to-energy systems, aligns more closely with the RED’s renewable energy goals. A significant gap in existing literature is the lack of a comprehensive empirical study examining how varying the proportions of recycling and energy recovery influences overall environmental performance. Specifically, it remains unclear whether simply increasing the recycling rate would enhance alignment between the two directives while simultaneously achieving the best environmental outcomes for waste wood management. To address this gap by applying life cycle assessment (LCA) to model six hypothetical scenarios that combine different recycling and energy recovery shares under current Swedish conditions.
The findings show that, under the current energy system, energy recovery provides the most favorable environmental performance for waste wood, particularly with respect to climate change and resource use. This is because the benefits of displacing the Swedish energy mix, which still includes a small share of fossil-based energy, through energy recovery, outweigh the benefits of recycling waste wood into particleboard. However, a sensitivity analysis revealed that these results depend strongly on system-wide factors such as the type of substituted energy sources and the displacement ratio between the recycled and virgin wood in the production of particleboards. As Sweden’s energy grid continues to decarbonize, the relative advantage of energy recovery is expected to diminish, while the recycling of high-quality wood fractions in a resource-efficient facility is likely to become increasingly comparable in environmental performance. Under such conditions, alignment between the WFD and RED could be achieved without compromising overall environmental performance.
These results indicate that effective waste wood management in Sweden requires a flexible, impact-based strategy that balances short-term climate benefits with long-term circular economy objectives. Overall, this study provides evidence-based guidance to support a gradual transition toward a low-carbon, resource-efficient waste management system that reconciles the objectives of the WFD and the RED. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ismail, Tarig Ahmed Mohammed LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Assessing Recycling and Energy Recovery Pathways through Life Cycle Assessment
course
IMEM01 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Waste Wood, Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economy, Waste Framework Directive, Renewable Energy Directive
publication/series
IIIEE Theses 2025
report number
2025:43
ISSN
1401-9191
language
English
id
9215399
date added to LUP
2025-11-17 13:46:29
date last changed
2025-11-17 13:46:29
@misc{9215399,
  author       = {{Ismail, Tarig Ahmed Mohammed}},
  issn         = {{1401-9191}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{IIIEE Theses 2025}},
  title        = {{Aligning Circularity and Climate Goals in Swedish Waste Wood Management}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}