The introduction of new waste sorting bins in Karlstad Municipality has turned into a perfect learning opportunity for students enrolled in the Master's Programme in Project Management at the School of Business.

– This project contains many fascinating elements that fit perfectly with our programme, says John Johansson, lecturer in Business Administration at Karlstad Business School.

The project is something of a dream case for project management education. It is driven by legal requirements, affects people's everyday lives, and involves extensive logistics that must be carefully planned and executed.

Many companies want to contribute to sustainable development, but their efforts often have limited impact.
– Many of the companies I studied focused, for example, on putting ‘recycled material’ on a package, says Kristin Caravelli-Svärd. Such an initiative is often very small in relation to the company’s actual impact.

In her dissertation, Un/sustainability: Why Business Sustainability Efforts Are Systemically Insufficient, Kristin Caravelli-Svärd, who recently earned her PhD in Business Administration at the School of Business and conducted research at the Service Research Center (CTF), demonstrates that many companies today actively address sustainability issues while environmental and social problems continue to worsen globally.

– Meeting others who conduct research in related fields and learning about regulatory frameworks in other countries is important for gaining new perspectives on Swedish law, says Germaine Hillerström from Karlstad Business School.

ISFL is a politically independent international organization that brings together researchers and university lecturers from more than 50 countries. In 2026, the World Conference was held in Istanbul, Turkey.

During the four-day conference, both Germaine Hillerström and Erika Sandström from the Law Department at the School of Business presented their research.

In an era marked by so-called polycrises, where climate change, energy challenges, economic uncertainty, and global conflicts influence and reinforce one another, societal resilience is becoming increasingly important. During A Sustainable Tomorrow, it was emphasized that resilience is not only about technology, stockpiles, and contingency plans.

Equally important is the ability of people and organizations to collaborate, share resources, and adapt their ways of working as circumstances change. The foundation of a resilient society is built in everyday life.

Many companies in Sweden and Norway are already testing circular solutions such as take-back systems, repair and reuse, but few succeed in scaling them up. A new project at the Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University will help companies move from pilot initiatives to viable business models.

– What is missing today is not technology, but workable business arrangements around it. When several actors need to share data, responsibilities and revenues, uncertainty arises, which prevents initiatives from being taken forward, says Mikael Johnson, senior lecturer and project leader at CTF and Karlstad Business School.

How does theory become real competence? During a teaching assignment in China, the classroom was transformed into an engaging and participatory learning environment. Through prototyping and active collaboration, students developed both knowledge and confidence.

– At Karlstad Business School we put the same approach at the centre of learning. As a student, you actively shape your own learning process, says John Sören Pettersson, professor in information systems.

During a teaching period in China, the connection between theory and practice became particularly clear in web development courses. By using prototypes and a participant-centered approach, the classroom became an active learning environment.