Legitimising technologies for a circular economy: Contested discourses on innovation for plastics recycling in Europe

IF 5.7 2区 经济学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Inese Zepa , Vivian Z. Grudde , Catharina R. Bening
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The European Commission aims to increase the recycling of plastic packaging to 60% by 2025, requiring fundamental changes towards a more circular economy. Pathways for this transition require policy support that largely depends on their legitimacy in the public discourse. These normative aspects remain poorly understood for ‘in-between’ technologies, i.e., technologies that are no longer novel but struggle to move to the growth phase within the technological innovation system. Therefore, we ask: How do discourses shape technology legitimacy for in-between technologies? Drawing on the empirical example of chemical recycling, the analysis renders two principal findings. First, legitimising and delegitimising storylines present contesting views on in-between technologies regarding their technological aspects, environmental and social impacts, and economic and policy implications. Second, how discourses contribute to technology legitimacy depends on the actors and interests that drive the prevalent storylines in particular contexts.

循环经济技术的合法化:关于欧洲塑料回收创新的争论
欧盟委员会的目标是到 2025 年将塑料包装的回收率提高到 60%,这就要求从根本上改变经济,使之更加循环。实现这一转变的途径需要政策支持,而政策支持在很大程度上取决于其在公众讨论中的合法性。对于 "介于两者之间 "的技术,即不再新颖但在技术创新体系中难以进入成长阶段的技术,人们对这些规范性方面的了解仍然很少。因此,我们要问:对于 "介于两者之间 "的技术,话语是如何塑造其技术合法性的?以化学品回收为例,分析得出了两个主要结论。首先,合法化和非合法化的故事情节提出了对介于两者之间的技术在技术层面、环境和社会影响以及经济和政策影响方面的争议观点。其次,论述如何促进技术的合法性取决于在特定情况下推动流行故事情节的参与者和利益。
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来源期刊
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions Energy-Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
CiteScore
13.60
自引率
19.40%
发文量
90
审稿时长
56 days
期刊介绍: Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions serves as a platform for reporting studies on innovations and socio-economic transitions aimed at fostering an environmentally sustainable economy, thereby addressing structural resource scarcity and environmental challenges, particularly those associated with fossil energy use and climate change. The journal focuses on various forms of innovation, including technological, organizational, economic, institutional, and political, as well as economy-wide and sectoral changes in areas such as energy, transport, agriculture, and water management. It endeavors to tackle complex questions concerning social, economic, behavioral-psychological, and political barriers and opportunities, along with their intricate interactions. With a multidisciplinary approach and methodological openness, the journal welcomes contributions from a wide array of disciplines within the social, environmental, and innovation sciences.
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