Photo: Region Örebro län/Länstrafiken.
From sustainability ambitions to procurement requirements: circular economy principles for electric buses and batteries
Electric buses reduce noise and air pollution locally, but the vehicles and their large batteries also pose environmental, social and economic risks throughout their life cycle. In procurement, procurers of public transport must therefore consider issues including raw material sourcing, battery life, reuse and recycling, as well as responsibilities, costs and residual value when contracts end. The project will analyse approximately 180 Swedish procurements of bus services from 2017 to 2025. It will examine how circular economy principles are translated into requirements, how responsibilities and risks are allocated among actors, and how public transport authorities balance sustainability ambitions with regulations, market conditions and financial constraints.