This thesis focuses on the issue of how to perform flow-oriented studies in order to become more useful for and adapted to local/regional authorities. Compared to traditional environmental monitoring and measurement of the state of the environment, flow-oriented studies are an attempt to broaden the approach to environmental concerns. However, until today, few studies explicitly consider the perspective of the company or authority that manages or is responsible for the stocks and flows that are being quantified. The flow-oriented studies have therefore mainly been used as inventory tools and the results are generally not applied in the process of environmental management.

This thesis present results from a case study where a cadmium inventory has been carried out from the perspective of local/regional authorities. The study was initiated from the county administrative board that had observed elevated concentrations of cadmium in sewage sludge originating from some of the municipalities in the region studied. However, the cadmium inventory showed that only a tiny share of the cadmium in the technosphere ended up in the sewage sludge, whereas the flows of cadmium to municipal solid waste was much more extensive. Only quantitative presentation of results does not necessarily provide sufficient information from a management perspective. Hence, based on the results and experiences of the case study, a tentative framework for the interpretation of results from flow-oriented studies is suggested. This open framework includes five aspects: quantities, exposure, resource economy, function and potentiality for influence. Cadmium in sewage sludge exemplifies a flow without function that is difficult for local authorities to influence by direct means.

Flow-oriented studies could most likely benefit the local/regional authorities by contributing with important knowledge for their environmental work. One way of increasing the usefulness of the studies, is considering aspects of management in the early stages of the study. Furthermore, adaptation to the condition of individual local/regional authorities in choice of system boundaries and systems components will increase the usefulness of flow-oriented studies.