How to decarbonise energy-intensive processing industries?: Survey and conceptualisation of their specific innovation systems

Abstract

Energy-intensive processing industries (EPIs) such as iron and steel, aluminum, chemicals, cement, glass, and paper and pulp are responsible for a large share of global greenhouse gas emissions. To meet 2050 emission targets, a transition to low carbon, often radical innovations is required, but this process is going slow. Insights from sociotechnical and innovation systems perspectives are therefore needed to facilitate and steer this transition process. The transitions literature has so far however, neglected EPIs. This paper characterises the sociotechnical and innovation systems of EPIs in terms of stylized facts, identifying similarities and differences between the individual industries. These stylized facts are recognized through an iterative process that builds on the authors’ expertise on EPIs and a review of available literature and documentation. Building on the limited body of available literature, it subsequently explores how these stylized facts may influence low carbon transition processes and identifies literature gaps from which a first agenda to further transitions research on EPIs is sketched. Insights obtained through such research would not only benefit policy recommendations, but may also lead to theoretical enrichment, as the unique EPI characteristics are likely to result in for example new transition dynamics or lock-in mechanisms. The paper is concluded with some implications for policy.