Att gräva efter hållbarhet : policyanalys av förslaget om hållbarhetsmärkning av metall och mineral

Sweden has a long history of mining and to this day minerals are an essential export. There are possibilities and intentions to extract more of the metals and minerals crucial to an increase in green technology. However, production is environmentally destructive both locally and globally. This causes a shift of environmental burden from use to production, causing a conflict within sustainable development. The Swedish growth agency Tillväxtanalys have published a report on the possibility of traceability and ecolabeling to increase the sustainability of the industry. By looking at this policy through post-structuralism and environmental governmentality using Carol Bacchis “What´s the problem represented to be” method we can identify some concerns. The consumer is presented as uninformed, and hence unable to make decisions that benefit the environment. They highlight the importance of consumers acting according to their morals, and spending more to adhere to them. Moreover, the policy is promoted by focusing on how growth in the Swedish mining industry is wanted and required for technological fixing of greenhouse gas emissions. This would shift the pollution from the products usage to the production. I argue that the policy will promote an unsustainable system and pass costs of sustainability over onto the consumers