Energy use in buildings is a significant contributor to climate change. The purpose of this paper is to explore industrial changes towards sustainability in the Norwegian construction industry, adding to debates about transitions to sustainability and transition pathways in a traditional, low-tech sector. Empirically the paper reports a case of cumulative changes in the Norwegian construction industry over from 1998-2013. The case explores a complex innovation and diffusion process where technologies, visions, actors and policy co-evolve over time to transform an existing socio-technical regime. Findings indicate that the transition moved forward through interplay between innovations in niches, a growing constituency around green building and a string of regulative and market changes. 2 Theoretical framework 2.1 Transitions to sustainability A transition can be conceptualized as the process of moving from one stable sociotechnical regime to another. Transition studies have successfully described historical industry transformations, and increasingly describe industrial transitions to sustainability (Geels, 2005; Geels, 2006; Smith et al., 2010; Verbong and Geels, 2007). Studies of technological innovation systems have focused on the emergence of new industries-the formative phase and the difficulties new technologies meet when introduced (Bergek and Jacobsson, 2003; Bergek et al., 2008a; Hekkert et al., 2007; Suurs et al., 2010). The multi-level perspective (MLP) was adopted in this paper because focusing on the stabilizing forces in a regime fits with the aim to explore a wider industry transformation and not a specific technology. In the MLP framework, transitions are explained by dynamics between three analytical levels: niches, regimes and landscapes. The niche level denotes a place where alternative technologies are developed, such as R&D laboratories or subsidized demonstration projects. A sociotechnical regime is understood as a relatively stable structure consisting of established practices and institutional arrangements. The landscape is thought of as exogenous factors that can influence the regime-niche interaction, such as global political events and global markets (Geels, 2011). 2.2 Innovation in niches Niches are described as bubbles or protected spaces in which innovations can develop, a place where new technologies can grow, relatively free from market pressure and institutionalizing forces of the construction regime (Kemp et al., 1998; Smith and Raven, 2012). As construction is project based, niches are also referred to as niche projects or innovation projects in the following. Green buildings may vary in technological complexity, but generally they consist of well-known components combined to a new whole. This kind of innovation is in line with Schumpeter's (1934) definition of innovation as "new combinations" of new or existing knowledge, resources, or equipment. Buildings are understood as complex product systems (Dubois and Gadde, 2002; Hobday et al., 2000), and changes in the links between pro...
A transition to sustainability is a systemic shift in the way buildings are procured, produced and used, as well as how the built environment connects to the energy and mobility systems. This study focuses on the role of policy and assesses how the policy mix affects transition to green buildings. The case of the Norwegian construction industry is analyzed through a theoretical framework that cuts across policy domains, it includes a mix of policy instruments, as well as rationales for policy. Results show that the instrument mix is relatively consistent and there is a powerful self-reinforcing dynamic among financial, regulative, and information-based instruments. A small fraction of the industry drives innovation, and policy instruments target different segments of the industry accordingly. The synergies between instruments create a dynamic where policy aimed at the elite and policy aimed at lifting the bottom reinforce each other. This policy dynamic supports a transition by allowing the industry to change through cumulative incremental changes. At the same time there is a need for coordination between policy domains and different levels of governance. Conflicts arise from differences in goals and styles of governance in different policy domains. Findings show that inconsistencies and conflicts are inevitable, these aspects can be counterbalanced by consistency in implementation and by credibility and clear communication from policy makers.
The urgency of sustainability transition requires large incumbents in the food industry to implement sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI). However, the high concentration of the food sector and the complexity of the sustainability concept make its understanding and overall transition challenging and slow. Incumbents would need to drive the transition by redesigning business models and practices and acquiring new competencies to integrate sustainability into their innovation strategy. This paper has a twofold aim: (I) analyzing the evolution of sustainability understanding over time and (II) evaluating the extent of dynamic capabilities of food incumbents to foster SOI. We developed an integrated theoretical framework combining the theory of dynamic capabilities with aspects of SOI and applied it to the case of the Norwegian food industry. We interviewed eight food incumbents and one food industry association, and we reviewed their annual and sustainability reports from 2016 till 2020. Key findings show a high strategic activity in SOI, as well as a notable and industry-wide ambiguity about what sustainability means in the food sector. Most companies reveal both an adaptive and expanding behavior implementing conscious sustainability-integrated product and process innovations. Most innovations are incremental without a radical modification of business models. Some exceptions have been detected resembling transformative changes. Clear initiatives of moving away from a linear supply chain to a more systematic approach are currently happening through food system collaborations.
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