“We are very pleased with the quality of the winners’ theses and how they contribute with critical knowledge to support the transition, says Susanne Arvidsson, Centre Director SSCEN, Sparbanken Skåne Centre for Sustainable Enterprising. I look forward to meeting and talking more with the authors at the prize ceremony at the Southern Swedish Chamber of Commerce on 5 December when they will receive checks for 25 000 SEK each. We are also happy to highlight two more theses with honorable mentions and smaller gift vouchers for their valuable contributions to further research and practical implementation”.
Green steel market development
The winning thesis from LTH Master student LTH Constatin Johnson has the title: Assessing the effects of a revised EU ETS and CBAM on global steel decarbonization - Using a dynamic cost optimization model. The motivation of the jury:
Constantin Johnson addresses the question of how the global steel market will develop now that the EU carbon tax and carbon tax on imported products are being implemented. This is done based on a good technical understanding of steelmaking and the assumption of a cost-based market competition. There is previous research but not with this depth of technical understanding and not on a global level. The analysis shows that green steel producers will benefit greatly over the next 8-10 years, but not necessarily all European green steel producers, as green steel producers in India, Brazil, and the US would also be in a competitive position.
“The analysis of the thesis is based on a well-reasoned and clearly described model. The thesis has a clear research contribution and policy recommendations, providing a highly interesting contribution to the debate on the future of green steel”, says Lars Bengtsson, chairman of the jury.
Search for synergies of subsidiaries
The winning thesis from LUSEM Master´s students Adam Fornell & Clarissa Nadya has the title: The Search for Synergy - an Exploration of Challenges and Opportunities in Managing Sustainable Activities across Developed and Emerging Markets. The motivation of the jury:
Adam Fornell and Clarissa Nadya examine the important role of multinational company headquarters in prioritising, facilitating collaboration and ensuring compliance with subsidiaries' sustainability strategies and the use of sustainability tools and activities in both developed and emerging markets. Through studies of three Nordic multinationals, they identify several best practices that emphasise the importance of maintaining high standards of sustainability strategies and practices in all markets, and that the head office facilitates the dissemination of these strategies and practices to all subsidiaries and markets.
“The paper makes a theoretical contribution in terms of integrating an activity-based perspective to the analysis of synergies between subsidiaries in multinational companies. It also provides practical contributions to the management of sustainability in multinational companies”, says Lars Bengtsson, chairman of the jury.
Biodiversity and biofuels (honorable mention)
Anton Kvarnbäck's thesis, that is awarded an honorable mention, deals with the question of how best to handle residues from forest harvesting for use as biofuels with the aim of obtaining the highest possible energy value while preserving the biodiversity of the southern Swedish forest. The model provides a methodological contribution to research on biofuels and biodiversity as well as practical advice to both forestry companies and power companies that use biofuels for district heating or other energy production.
Anton Kvarnbäck, LTH: Biodiversity Impact Assessment of Logging Residue Removal Applying the Biodiversity Potential Method to Kraftringen’s Logging Residue Fuel.
Biodiversity and agricultural land investments (honorable mention)
Attila Mihalka´s thesis, that is awarded an honorable mention, addresses the question of whether land investments in agricultural land in South America and the Caribbean have a negative impact on local biodiversity in these countries, especially land investments made by transnational corporations. The paper provides an interesting empirical and methodological contribution to research on economic growth and biodiversity relationship between increased land investment and decreased local biodiversity.
Attila Mihalka, LUSEM: Agricultural Investments and Ecological Disruptions - The Effects of Transnational Agricultural Large-Scale Land Acquisitions on Local Biodiversity in Latin America and The Caribbean
About the SSCEN Sustainability Prize for Master´s Theses
The prize is financed by Sparbanken Skåne Centre for Sustainable Enterprising (SSCEN) at Lund University together with Sparbankens Ägarstiftelse Finn.
To be considered for the prize, the thesis should be written for obtaining a master’s degree in business studies at Lund University School of Economics and Management, LUSEM, or engineering studies at the Faculty of Engineering, LTH. The thesis should address topics related to sustainable development such as the transformation and innovation of policies, private and public organisations, value-chains, industries, technologies, and the financial system.
The jury of the prize are members of the Advisory Board of Sparbanken Skånes Center for Sustainable Enterprising (SSCEN), i.e representatives from Sparbankens Ägarstiftelse Finn, Sparbanken Skåne, LTH and LUSEM, as well as representatives from industry and the civil society sector.
