Jonas Ammenberg

Heavy-duty road transport must reduce fossil-fuel dependence while maintaining reliable operations, yet complete electrification remains challenging and alternatives are rapidly emerging. For decision-makers—including policymakers, fleet operators, manufacturers, and local authorities—we assess heavy-duty truck technologies—diesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), natural gas, biomethane, hydrogen combustion, mild-hybrid diesel, battery electric (BEV), and fuel cell electric (FCEV)—using a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) with 16 indicators spanning technical, economic, environmental, and social performance. Results indicate that BEVs, despite higher upfront costs, can deliver total cost of ownership comparable to or lower than diesel, HVO, natural gas, or biomethane trucks, whereas hydrogen-based options remain substantially more costly. Biomethane trucks consistently rank among the lowest greenhouse-gas alternatives, while BEV and FCEV performance depends strongly on electricity and hydrogen production pathways. Overall, the MCA clarifies cross-technology trade-offs, highlights strengths and weaknesses, and identifies knowledge gaps where evidence remains insufficient for confident decisions when selecting technologies for heavy-duty transport decarbonization.

Freight transport has substantial negative environmental and health impacts, and buyers of transport services can make these impacts ‘greener’. This article aims at improving our understanding of transport buyers’ environmental considerations. The study was based on interviews with 11 buyers of transport services in Sweden, dealing with the motives behind their sustainability work and specific environmental requirements for freight transport, including requirements for renewable fuels. In line with previous studies, we found service reliability to be a top priority. Branding appears to be a central driver motivating companies’ environmental strategies, along with pressure from both internal and external stakeholders. The relationship between transport buyers and transport providers (carriers or freight forwarders) was found to be a potential barrier to environmental developments. Several interviewees stressed difficulties in influencing certain transport providers, and some of the buyers turned to smaller carriers to achieve more notable improvements. All participants had goals of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, but without more specific frames, this has led to the use of biodiesel. Specific requirements are needed if another energy carrier should be used, such as biomethane or electricity. Long-term contracts may be a way for transport buyers to enable the transport providers to make the necessary investments.

Many Swedish regional transport authorities want bus fleets driven on renewable fuels. However, it may be difficult to know what technology, or combination of technologies, to choose. There is a need for improved knowledge and supportive methods for sustainability assessments that can support public procurement processes. In the companion article (Part I), a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) method for assessments of public bus technologies’ sustainability was established, consisting of four key areas and 12 indicators. In this article, the purpose is to apply the method established in part I on different bus technologies by looking at a general Swedish case and assessing buses driven on diesel, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME), ethanol, natural gas, biomethane and electricity. Each technology is assessed on a scale from Very Poor to Very Good according to the indicators: technical maturity, daily operational availability, total cost of ownership, need for investments in infrastructure, cost stability, non-renewable primary energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emission savings, air pollution, noise, local/regional impact on land and aquatic environments, energy security and sociotechnical systems services. The results show the strengths and weaknesses of each technology, which are later discussed. We also critically reflect upon the usefulness and accuracy of the MCA method.

This article departs from the perspective of Swedish regional transport authorities and focuses on the public procurement of bus transports. Many of these public organizations on the county level have the ambition to contribute to a transition involving the continued marginalization of fossil fuels and improved sustainability performance. However, there are several renewable bus technologies to choose between and it can be difficult to know what alternative (or combination) is preferable. Prior research and the authors’ experiences indicate a need for improved knowledge and supportive methods on how sustainability assessments can support public procurement processes. The purpose of this article is to develop a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) method to support assessments of public bus technologies’ sustainability. The method, which was established in an iterative and participatory process, consists of four key areas and 12 indicators. The article introduces the problem context and reviews selected prior research of relevance dealing with green or sustainable public procurement and sustainability assessments. Further on, the process and MCA method are presented and discussed based on advice for effective and efficient sustainability assessments. In the companion article (Part II), the MCA method is applied to assess several bus technologies involving biodiesel, biomethane, diesel, electricity, ethanol and natural gas.

Many cities of the world are faced with multiple sustainability challenges, for example related to food and energy supply, transportation, waste management, clean air, and more. Preferably, these challenges are addressed with broad and interconnected solutions with the ambition of addressing several challenges simultaneously, in this paper referred to as multi-functional urban solutions. Implementation of multi-functional urban solutions requires well informed decisions, supported by knowledge about the potential contributions that the solutions can make to a more sustainable city as well as on issues that may hinder or facilitate their implementation. Thus, in this paper, we suggest a soft multi-criteria decision analysis method that can be used to gather and structure this knowledge. This method acknowledges the importance of incorporating local knowledge, is based on life-cycle thinking, and is flexible and open-ended by design so that it can be tailored to specific needs and conditions. The method contributes to existing practices in sustainability assessment and feasibility studies, linking and integrating potential and performance assessment with issues affecting solutions’ feasibility of implementation. This method offers a way for local authorities, researchers and exporting companies to organize and structure the diverse range of knowledge to be considered for more informed decisions regarding the implementation of multi-functional urban solutions. While the main contributions of the paper are methodological, brief descriptions of two studies that have applied this method to assess biogas solutions are shown as clarifying examples. One of these studies was performed in Chisinau, Moldova and the other in Johannesburg, South Africa.

As a result of rapid development in China and the growth of megacities, large amounts of organic wastes are generated within relatively small areas. Part of these wastes can be used to produce biogas, not only to reduce waste-related problems, but also to provide renewable energy, recycle nutrients, and lower greenhouse gases and air polluting emissions. This article is focused on the conditions for biogas solutions in Guangzhou. It is based on a transdisciplinary project that integrates several approaches, for example, literature studies and lab analysis of food waste to estimate the food waste potential, interviews to learn about the socio-technical context and conditions, and life-cycle assessment to investigate the performance of different waste management scenarios involving biogas production. Xiaoguwei Island, with a population of about 250,000 people, was chosen as the area of study. The results show that there are significant food waste potentials on the island, and that all studied scenarios could contribute to a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Several socio-technical barriers were identified, but it is expected that the forthcoming regulatory changes help to overcome some of them.