Conditions for businesses to contribute to a circular economy

The election manifesto establishes that reuse and recycling of materials need to increase and wants to see products that last and can easily be reused instead of throwaway consumption. The counter-proposal's requirements for instruments that prioritise reprocessing over energy recovery and that favour repairability are the same thing in substance. The party programme also identifies the shift to a circular economy as a key part of industry's transition.

• increased recycling and reusedecisive»Återanvändning och återvinning av material behöver öka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reuse and recycling of materials need to increase.”
• durable and repairable products»produkter som håller och lätt kan återanvändas och delas istället för slit- och släng« (2022 manifesto ↗)“products that last and can easily be reused and shared instead of throwaway”
• shift to circular economy»Det är en nyckeldel i ett bredare skifte till cirkulär ekonomi och« (party programme ↗)“It is a key part of a broader shift to a circular economy and”
• instruments directing away from the dirty»Där inte teknikskiften räcker för att minska utsläppen måste konsumtionen styras bort från det smutsiga och alla ges förutsättningar att leva mer hållbart.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Where technological shifts are not enough to reduce emissions, consumption must be directed away from the dirty and everyone given the conditions to live more sustainably.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme makes the transition to circular economy an independent goal for society building and wants to move to sustainable consumption with better opportunities to repair, share, borrow and reuse. The counter-proposal's requirement for policy instruments that reward reprocessing over energy recovery and regulations that extend product lifespan is precisely that transition. The principle of the polluter pays and cooperation between research and business also supports the research component.

• transition to circular economydecisive»Omställning till cirkulär ekonomi, för bättre användning av befintliga resurser.« (party programme ↗)“Transition to circular economy, for better use of existing resources.”
• repair, share and reuse»Gå över till en hållbar konsumtion med goda möjligheter till att laga, dela, låna och återbruka mera.« (party programme ↗)“Move to sustainable consumption with good opportunities to repair, share, borrow and reuse more.”
• the polluter pays»Principen om att förorenaren betalar tillämpas fullt ut.« (party programme ↗)“The principle of the polluter pays is applied in full.”
• cooperation between research and business»Samverkan mellan forskning, näringsliv och samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Cooperation between research, business and society.”

The plan explicitly requires legal requirements that products shall be easy and cheap to repair and bans on products built to break down prematurely — precisely the regulatory design the counter-proposal seeks. It moreover states that economic instruments and legislation are needed for better stewardship of material and that the aim is closed loops, thus material recirculation before energy recycling.

• legal requirement for repairabilitydecisive»ställa lagkrav på att produkter ska vara enkla och billiga att reparera och uppdatera.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“set legal requirements that products shall be easy and cheap to repair and update.”
• instruments for resource stewardship»Vi ser att ekonomiska styrmedel och lagstiftning behövs för att uppnå bättre hushållning med energi och material.« (party programme ↗)“We see that economic instruments and legislation are needed to achieve better stewardship of energy and material.”
• extended product lifespan»förbjuda produkter som är tillverkade för att gå sönder i förtid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“ban products that are manufactured to break down prematurely.”
• closed loops»Målet är slutna kretslopp.« (party programme ↗)“The aim is closed loops.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The election manifesto states the goal that Sweden should become the world's most resource-efficient country with a more circular economy, where recycling and reuse shall be facilitated with the right support and regulatory simplifications. The counter-proposal's demand for steering instruments that prioritize processing over energy recovery and that favour repairability and longer service life is the same commitment in concrete form. The party programme's principle that it should always pay to be environmentally responsible carries the same conclusion.

• circular and resource-efficient economydecisive»Sverige ska bli världens mest resurseffektiva land och ekonomin mer cirkulär. Med rätt stöd och regelförenklingar kan vi återvinna och återbruka allt från kläder till mineral och metaller.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should become the world's most resource-efficient country and the economy more circular. With the right support and regulatory simplifications we can recycle and reuse everything from clothing to minerals and metals.”
• steering instruments that reward environmental benefit»Det ska alltid vara lönsamt att vara miljövårdande och olönsamt att agera miljöförstörande.« (party programme ↗)“It should always be profitable to be environmentally responsible and unprofitable to act in an environmentally destructive way.”
• the polluter pays»Det ska kosta mer att smutsa ner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It should cost more to pollute.”
• innovation drives transition»Företagens innovationskraft är nödvändig för att Sverige och resten av världen ska bli kvitt sitt beroende av fossil energi och övervinna klimathotet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Business innovation is necessary for Sweden and the rest of the world to rid itself of dependence on fossil energy and overcome the climate threat.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan sets as an explicit objective that basic raw materials shall circulate in the production system and that waste's environmental impact shall be reduced through reuse and recycling. It prefers general economic instruments over symbolic politics and invests in technological development and research as a solution to environmental problems. The counter-proposal's requirements for more instruments for recycling and reuse, longer product lifespan and more research therefore align with the plan.

• reuse and recyclingdecisive»Avfallets miljöpåverkan ska minskas genom fungerande återanvändning och återbruk.« (party programme ↗)“Waste's environmental impact shall be reduced through functioning reuse and recycling.”
• circular material flows»grundläggande råvaror, såsom växtnäring och mineraler, ska cirkulera i produktionssystemet« (party programme ↗)“basic raw materials, such as nutrients and minerals, shall circulate in the production system”
• economic instruments first»såsom koldioxidskatt och handel med utsläppsrätter, är det mest effektiva redskapet« (party programme ↗)“such as carbon tax and emissions trading, is the most effective tool”
• technological development solves environmental problems»Teknisk utveckling är en central del av lösningen på dagens miljöproblem.« (party programme ↗)“Technological development is a central part of the solution to today's environmental problems.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme establishes a waste hierarchy where waste shall first be prevented, then reused and material-recycled, and wants to see extended producer responsibility precisely so that goods become possible to disassemble and recycle. This is in substance what the counter-proposal demands when processing is prioritized over energy recovery and rules shall favor lifespan and repairability. The plan also identifies economic instruments and research as tools in environmental policy.

• waste hierarchy before energy recoverydecisive»Avfallshantering ska främst utgå från att förebygga avfall, sedan« (party programme ↗)“Waste management shall primarily aim to prevent waste, then”
• products shall be recyclable»ökar incitamenten att redan från början producera varor som går att demontera och återvinna.« (party programme ↗)“increases the incentives already from the start to produce goods that can be disassembled and recycled.”
• extended producer responsibility»anpassad utveckling, bland annat genom ett utökat producentansvar.« (party programme ↗)“adapted development, among other things through extended producer responsibility.”
• the polluter pays»förorenaren betalar, bör vara centrala i miljöarbetet« (party programme ↗)“the polluter pays, should be central in environmental work”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The counter-proposal requires more instruments and regulations that prioritize resource recovery before energy recovery. The plan goes in the opposite direction on precisely that point: the waste incineration tax should be abolished to increase electricity production in combined heat and power plants, and one-third of companies' regulatory complexity and administrative costs should be removed. The plan sees political instruments as effective only in combination with technical development and growth, not as expanded detailed regulation of material flows.

• waste incineration tax abolisheddecisive»Avskaffa avfallsförbränningsskatten för att öka kapaciteten i kraftvärmeverket« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Abolish the waste incineration tax to increase capacity in combined heat and power plants”
• reduced regulatory complexity for companies»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove one-third of companies' administrative costs and one-third of regulatory complexity”
• technology and growth before regulation(2022 manifesto)
• support for industry transition»Fortsätta satsa på Industriklivet som hjälper industrin att ställa om« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Continue to invest in the Industry Agreement that helps industry transition”

flags: citat_ej_verifierat

The plan's environmental policy proceeds from the most cost-effective measures that do not harm industries, and it explicitly wishes to stop symbolic politics that affects the ability to conduct industry. The counter-proposal's requirement for more policy instruments and new regulations for products' lifespan instead places new burdens on companies. The plan also states that Swedish requirements should not be stricter than the rest of the world's, because it risks eliminating Swedish industries.

• kostnadseffektiv miljöpolitikdecisive»Sverigedemokratisk miljöpolitik utgår från förvaltarskapstanken och strävar efter att hitta de mest miljöeffektiva och kostnadseffektiva metoderna, som samtidigt inte skadar näringar och landsbygd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democratic environmental policy proceeds from stewardship thinking and strives to find the most environmentally effective and cost-effective methods, which at the same time do not harm industries and rural areas.”
• stoppa symbolpolitik mot industrin»Stoppa symbolpolitik som går ut över möjligheten att bedriva industri och näring« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop symbolic politics that affects the ability to conduct industry and business”
• inga svenska särkrav»Strängare miljö- och utsläppskrav i Sverige jämfört med i omvärlden riskerar ofta att slå ut svenska näringar och få globalt kontraproduktiva resultat när det kommer till de mål kraven syftar till att uppnå.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stricter environmental and emissions requirements in Sweden compared to the rest of the world often risk eliminating Swedish industries and producing globally counterproductive results when it comes to the goals the requirements aim to achieve.”
• anpassning till EU-nivå»De svenska klimatmålen bör anpassas till den klimatlagstiftning som finns på EU-nivå för att inte kraven på andra länder ska bli lägre som en konsekvens av att vi gör mer än nödvändigt på bekostnad av vår levnadsstandard och konkurrenskraft.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish climate goals should be adapted to the climate legislation that exists at EU level so that requirements on other countries do not become lower as a consequence of us doing more than necessary at the cost of our standard of living and competitiveness.”