Affärsmodellsinnovation för asfalt med gummiinnehåll : Vägen mot en cirkulär ekonomi och ett hållbart samhälle

Sustainability is a keyword in society today and industries have to contribute to reduce emissions and the use of virgin resources. Every year 90 000 ton old tires are gathered in Sweden. Today mostly used for energy recovery. End-of-life tires has been used in asphalt in the US for almost 50 years and is an effective way to utilize them. There are several possible advantages for rubberized asphalt: noise reduction, higher rutting resistance, increased durability, thinner layers etc. In Sweden, the rubberized asphalt has been tested in 25 different roads, where the Swedish Transport Administration have led the development. Commercially, the product have not yet been successful. There are several different studies for the product in Sweden, but nothing on the business side. The aim in this thesis was to develop a business model for the product on the Swedish market by finding key actors in the value chain, advantages and risks for the rubberized asphalt and studying different market segments. The study has two different research questions, Is there a need for a business model innovation for rubberized asphalt? and How can a business model be created for rubberized asphalt on the Swedish market and what will be the most important factors for establishing the business model? To answer the research questions, qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 different actors in the value chain. The result of the study presents; the value chain for the rubberized asphalt in Sweden, external forces in the industry, a business model and a proposed procurement model. The first question was evaluated and the answer was that business model innovation was needed for rubberized asphalt on the Swedish market, as well as product development and technical statements. The most important factors to penetrate the Swedish market were: spread the information of rubberized asphalt, find segments for market entry, process rubber granulate, handle the product correctly, push for changes in the procurement model and for actors in the value chain to work together. The results can serve as a tool for business model innovation and may be used for other sustainable and recycled products. The report also presents several practical contributions that can be of interest for the asphalt industry