Miljönyttiga

Miljönyttiga is a Swedish adjective meaning "environmentally beneficial" or "eco-friendly," often used to describe products, technologies, practices or policies that have a net positive effect on the natural environment. The term combines "miljö" (environment) and "nyttig" (useful or beneficial) and appears in both everyday and policy language in Sweden and other Scandinavian contexts.

Applications of the term range from energy-efficient appliances and low-emission vehicles to land-management practices, biodiversity-friendly agriculture and circular-economy initiatives. Assessments that qualify something as miljönyttiga commonly rely on methods such as life-cycle assessment, carbon footprinting and recognized eco-labels, which evaluate resource use, emissions, pollution, and impacts on ecosystems.

Discussions about what is miljönyttiga often include trade-offs and context-specific considerations: an intervention may reduce greenhouse gases yet harm local biodiversity, or produce benefits that are offset by increased consumption (rebound effects). The concept is also central to policy instruments promoting environmental improvement, including subsidies, regulation, taxes on pollution, public procurement criteria and green certification schemes.

Critiques of declarations that products or policies are miljönyttiga point to issues of incomplete assessment, lack of transparency and greenwashing, where environmental claims overstate benefits. Related concepts include sustainability, eco-efficiency, climate mitigation and circular economy, all of which explore different dimensions of reducing environmental harm and enhancing ecological resilience.