| 1. |
- Bergquist, Ann-Kristin, et al.
(author)
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Command-and-control revisited : environmental compliance and technological change in Swedish industry 1970-1990
- 2013
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In: Ecological Economics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-8009 .- 1873-6106. ; 85, s. 6-19
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper addresses the issue of environmental policy instrument choice for achieving deep emission reductions in the industrial sector. Specifically, it provides: (a) a theoretical and empirical review of the conditions under which performance standards can provide efficient incentives for deep emission reductions and technology adoption; and (b) an analysis of the design and the outcomes of the standards-based regulation of industrial pollutants in Sweden during the period 1970–1990. Our empirical findings suggest that the Swedish regulatory approach comprised many key elements of an efficient policy-induced transition towards radically lower emissions in the metal smelting and pulp and paper industries. The regulation relied solely on performance standards, thus granting flexibility to firms in terms of selecting the appropriate compliance measures. These standards were implemented in combination with extended compliance periods. R&D projects and the new knowledge that was advanced incrementally in interaction between the company, the environmental authorities and research institutions provided a direct catalyst to the regulatory process. In these ways the Swedish regulatory approach provided scope for creative solutions, environmental innovation, and permitted the affected companies to coordinate pollution abatement measures with productive investments.
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| 2. |
- Lindmark, Magnus, et al.
(author)
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Weak support for weak sustainability : Genuine savings and long-term wellbeing in Sweden, 1850 – 2000
- 2018
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In: Ecological Economics. - : Elsevier. - 0921-8009 .- 1873-6106. ; 145, s. 339-345
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study genuine savings as an indicator of long-term welfare for Sweden for the period 1850 to 2000. Sweden has developed long series of comprehensive ‘green’ national accounts for this entire period and is, therefore, interesting as a testing ground for the hypotheses linking green accounting and sustainability. We find support for the weakest of the hypotheses in the theoretical literature on weak sustainability and genuine savings, namely that genuine savings are correlated with future economic well-being. However, the stronger hypotheses in this literature are not supported: there is no one-to-one relationship between genuine savings and prosperity, there is no indication that the relationship becomes stronger for longer time horizons, or with more comprehensive savings measures. The findings suggest that genuine savings, at least as currently measured in national accounts and satellite accounts, may not be a good forward-looking indicator of future prosperity.
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| 3. |
- Söderholm, Kristina, 1973-, et al.
(author)
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The transition to chlorine free pulp revisited : Nordic heterogeneity in environmental regulation and R&D collaboration
- 2017
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526 .- 1879-1786. ; 165, s. 1328-1339
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development paths leading to the transition to cleaner bleaching technologies in the pulp industry. It devotes particular attention to the key features of the Swedish transition, but also compares this to the Finnish experiences. The empirical investigation builds on an analytical framework highlighting the conditions under which pollution regulations can provide efficient incentives for deep emission reductions at industrial plants. Existing and new archive material, including not least comprehensive license trial acts for Swedish pulp mills over an extended time period, are studied. Based on this historical analysis our findings contradict previous literature, the latter emphasizing that pressures from consumers and the public were the most significant driving forces behind the adoption ofeand innovation inealternative bleaching technologies during the late 1980s. Instead, this paper asserts, the green pulp transition was characterized by regulation-induced technological change and was made possible by long history of industry-wide cooperation in environmental R&D. Furthermore, while previous research has emphasized the leading role of the Nordic countries in green pulp innovation, we identify a number of profound differences between Finland and Sweden. These emerge from various national contexts in terms of, for instance, industry structures and strategies, political cultures, and regulatory styles. Finally, at a more general level the paper provides a few policy implications for supporting the ongoing transition towards a forest-based bioeconomy.
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| 4. |
- Söderholm, Patrik, 1968-, et al.
(author)
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Environmental Regulation in the Pulp and Paper Industry : Impacts and Challenges
- 2019
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In: Current Forestry Reports. - : Springer. - 2198-6436. ; 5, s. 185-198
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose of ReviewIn this article, we review existing research addressing how environmental regulations have influenced the pulp and paper industry. These regulations appear in different forms and designs and address air and water pollution as well as climate change. The paper devotes particular attention to how various regulations have affected sustainable technological change and the prospects for inducing deep emission reductions without jeopardizing industrial competitiveness and future investments.Recent FindingsExperiences from key pulp and paper regions, not least the Nordic countries, suggest that gradually tightening performance standards have contributed to radical reductions in emissions, e.g., chlorine compounds and biological oxygen demanding agents, and without imposing excessive compliance costs. This outcome can largely be attributed to how the regulations have been designed—and implemented—in practice, as well as to the presence of efficient and legitimate institutions. Long-term emission reduction targets, in combination with extended compliance periods and trustful firm-regulator relationships, contributed to radical technological innovation and permitted radical emission reductions without excessive compliance costs. The development of alternative bleaching technologies is an apt example. In contrast, the impact of carbon pricing schemes, including the EU emissions trading scheme, on carbon dioxide emissions reductions and related technological change in the pulp and paper industry has however been modest. Self-regulation, certification, and community pressure have exerted relatively modest influences on the environmental performance of the industry.SummaryImportant avenues for future research are identified. These include the following: (a) comparative research on how policy mixes in various countries have influenced environmental compliance and innovation; processes; (b) future studies of environmental regulations, their design and implementation, in emerging pulp and paper producing countries, not least China; and (c) research on how environmental regulations can affect ongoing restructurings in the industry towards a broader palette of products in biorefineries.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Bergquist, Ann-Kristin, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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R&D collaboration and environmental adaptation: A pilot study of the Swedish pulp- and paper industry 1900-1990
- 2010
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This paper deals with the importance of inter-firm and state-firm cooperation for environmental adaptation in the Swedish pulp and paper industry during the period 1900-1990. By sharing similar pollution problems, the industry pooled resources to collective R&D activities and could thereby share cost and the economic risks related to environmental adaptation. We conclude that the environmental issue has been a strong driver for industrial renewing in the Swedish pulp and paper industry since the 1960s. The long tradition of collective environmental R&D activities, which stared already at the beginning of the 20th century, facilitated the development and adaptation of cleaner technologies in the sector from the 1960s and onwards. Our findings suggest that environmental policies that support collaborative R&D activities might facilitate innovation processes of cleaner technologies and the speed of their diffusion.
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| 7. |
- Bergquist, Ann-Kristin, et al.
(author)
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Sustainable energy transition: the case of the Swedish pulp and paper industry 1973–1990
- 2015
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In: Energy Efficiency. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1570-646X .- 1570-6478. ; 9:5, s. 1179-1192
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- By employing historical case study methodology, this paper examines the transition towards renewable energy and increased energy efficiency in the Swedish pulp and paper industry (PPI) during the 1970s and 1980s. Between 1973 and 1990, CO2 emissions were cut by 80 % in this sector, and this was mainly achieved by substituting away from oil to biofuels in the form of byproducts from the pulp manufacturing process. The CO2 reduction was also a result of energy efficiency improvements and increased internal production of electricity through back-pressure turbine power generation. Sweden was highly dependent on oil at the advent of the first Oil Crisis in 1973, and the increased oil prices put pressure on the Swedish government and the energy-intensive PPI to reduce this oil dependency. Of central importance for the energy transition was the highly collaborative strategy of the PPI, both internally among pulp mills as well as between the sector as a whole and the corporatist Swedish state administration. The Swedish government chose a proactive strategy by emphasizing knowledge management and collaboration with the industry along with the substitution of internal biofuels for oil. The transition was also characterized by a strong focus on unutilized potentials in the PPI; a previous waste problem now could be transformed into energy savings and improved energy efficiency. Energy taxes and fees also played an important role in Swedish energy policy during the 1970s and the 1980s. All in all, the study illustrates the central role of governments and their ability to push industrial sectors into new technological pathways through a wide palette of mutually reinforcing policy instruments. The results further point at the importance of a more holistic understanding of the interplay between different policies and their impacts in the longer run.
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| 8. |
- Bergquist, Ann-Kristin, 1972-, et al.
(author)
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Transition to greener pulp : regulation, industry responses and path dependency
- 2015
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In: Business History. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0007-6791 .- 1743-7938. ; 57:6, s. 862-884
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although the dioxin alarm broke at the same time in Sweden and the US in the mid-1980s, Swedish pulp and paper (P&P) firms led the way towards the new market for low-chlorine and chlorine-free P&P products. This study explores the transition in the Swedish P&P industry and contrasts the Swedish case to the US experience. We highlight the importance of already established technological paths to deal with pollution, paths which were strongly formed by the different national environmental policies since the 1970s. Thus while US P&P firms were technologically locked-in when the dioxin alarm broke, the strategy of Swedish P&P firms to proactively collaborate in environmental research and development (R&D) together with a national policy that favoured process integrated abatement technology, helped Swedish firms take technological leadership. This article particularly stresses the implications of technological path-dependency and different national regulatory styles in understanding the evolution of different modes of corporate environmental strategies.
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