Abstract
This article examines the reclassification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) in Sweden's biofuel sector and its broader implications for the 'good economy.' Initially classified as a residue, PFAD was subject to minimal sustainability oversight, in line with the practice of transforming waste into valuable, sustainable products. However, due to its association with the controversial palm oil industry, PFAD was reclassified as a co-product, subjecting it to stricter scrutiny. Using the concept of 'de-scription,' this study explores how this reclassification alters PFAD's sustainability profile, highlighting how classification systems act as valuation tools. It also shows how a subtractive logic (ridding) can help maintain a favourable economic image. The research challenges the assumption that biofuel residues are inherently sustainable and critiques the minimalist regulatory approach of residual governance, which allows materials classified as residues to escape rigorous oversight.
Abstract
Building on research on the time and temporality of infrastructure and climate, this article focuses on permit time, or the environmental permit as a temporal form of control. Based on an analysis of three environmental permit procedures in Sweden related to the fuel transition, the article argues that the permit can be seen as a process and device for managing and synchronising different times and temporal standpoints. Permits often lead to conflict and protests among various other stakeholders, involving temporal controversies, negotiations and compromises on infrastructure and climate futures. Permit processes therefore offer a fruitful means of studying the making of timescapes, as permits have often been issued on a continuous basis, but climate timelines and carbon rhythms may be changing this situation. Uncertain futures and the “carbon timeprint” of infrastructure may explain why Swedish courts are turning towards time-limited permits.
Abstract
This article examines the nuanced dynamics of green leadership within the European Union (EU), focusing on Sweden. Sweden has long been heralded as an exemplar of environmental and climate leadership within the European Union as well as a frontrunner in the adoption of green policies, notably in the realms of bioenergy and biofuels. However, its leadership stance has come under scrutiny due to the inherent conflicts within green initiatives, often referred to as ‘green-green dilemmas’ that arise when environmental actions, despite their sustainable intentions, clash over competing interests. Drawing on a variety of sources we delve into the complexities surrounding Sweden's green leadership. The article highlights how Sweden’s enthusiastic endorsement of bioenergy and biofuels, integral to its climate action strategy, has sparked debates and raised questions about Sweden´s perceived green leadership within the European Union. Sweden's approach to navigating these conflicts, alongside its efforts to negotiate and balance economic interests with environmental ambitions, offers a compelling insight into the challenges of maintaining green leadership in the face of conflicting green agendas.
AbstractBiofuels have expanded across the globe, generating a range of concerns in the places of production. One approach to controlling the effects of biofuel production has been sustainability standards. This article takes a ‘seeing like’ approach to analyse how the EU Sustainability standard contributes to narrowing the vision of what sustainable biofuels are. Six biofuel cases in Africa are examined through the lens of the standard, using remote sensing to investigate the criteria on land use and canopy cover change. The standard view is also compared to on ground views regarding the sustainability of the projects. The effects of seeing like the EU standard are two: 1) diluted seeing, which prioritises global environmental problems over more nuanced social and institutional aspects; and 2) distributed seeing, which transforms standardised sustainable biofuels into multiple, uncertain forms because of hybrid governance. High carbon losses due to biofuel projects were detected, but at the same time, the standard simplifies and skips over wider problems related to unsustainable biofuel projects.
BOOKS
This chapter explores the Aurora case, where 636 Swedish youths challenge their nation's climate policy through the lens of posthuman intersectionality. It examines the intertwined destinies of young individuals and natural forests against the backdrop of Swedish forestry practices, which favor young, even-aged production forests at the expense of biodiverse, old-growth forests. By arguing that such practices not only diminish the country's carbon sink capabilities but also infringe upon the younger generation's rights, the chapter underscores the need for legal recognition of the complex relationships between humans and nonhumans in the pursuit of more-than-human climate justice. The youths' legal challenge, calling for Sweden to uphold its climate commitments, epitomizes a growing movement towards acknowledging the interconnected welfare of human communities and the natural environment. This analysis enriches the climate litigation literature, paving the way for legal strategies that tackle the complex challenges of our era by advocating for justice across all life forms.
This chapter examines the valuation and classification of industrial discards, specifically Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) and Crude Tall Oil (CTO), within Sweden’s biofuel industry. Using Michael Thompson's Rubbish Theory, the chapter explores how these materials shift between categories such as "Rubbish," "Transient," and "Durable" based on regulatory frameworks, economic interests, and environmental narratives. PFAD, a byproduct of palm oil, and CTO, from the pulp industry, were both initially classified as residues, benefiting from low-carbon labels under Swedish biofuel regulations. However, PFAD’s association with palm oil led to public and regulatory scrutiny, culminating in its reclassification as a high-carbon co-product and eventual exclusion from the sustainable biofuel sector. In contrast, CTO retained its residue status, protected by domestic interests. The study reveals that classification systems in biofuel policy act as tools of valuation, reshaping the market and sustainability profiles of industrial byproducts. This dynamic process demonstrates how environmental, political, and economic factors intersect, ultimately determining whether materials are integrated into or excluded from the biofuel economy. By extending Rubbish Theory, the chapter highlights the fluidity of value and the role of regulatory frameworks in creating and sustaining value within industrial discards.