88 A. Klitkou et al.
a vast range of wood- related chemical products. Such path creation has been
made possible by the long- term innovation strategy of the firm, directed
towards the production of high value- added goods from Norwegian forest
resources. An in- house research centre, active in international networks as
well as collaborating extensively with knowledge organisations within the
region, has indeed enabled the invention of competitive products from
underutilised resources, and guaranteed an optimisation of industrial processes. Industrial symbiosis has thus been reached within the firm, by colocating or integrating different processes pertaining to different business
lines.
Summing up our findings from the three cases analysed, it seems that
forest- based waste valorisation often originates with the co- location of activities belonging to different value chains. Such activities can be performed by a
firm operating in different lines, or by different firms, possibly belonging to
different sectors. In both cases, the presence of a strong and innovative private
actor in a region raises the region’s chances for waste valorisation. Innovation
could be directed explicitly towards the development of high- performance
products, whose production lines can be harmonised for waste- reducing purposes. On the other hand, a persistent incremental process innovation within
traditional business lines could bring waste valorisation about indirectly, by
shaping the right regional environment for attracting firms into the region
and for creating industrial symbioses. An extension of the traditional regional
path would then lead the way to a path renewal, characterised by collaborations with industries new to the region for the purpose of waste valorisation.
Note
1 Beside our main funder, the Bionær-programme at RCN, the research was partially
funded by the Nordic Green Growth Research and Innovation Programme in
cooperation with NordForsk, Nordic Innovation and Nordic Energy Research,
Grant 83130 – Where does the green economy grow? The Geography of Nordic
Sustainability Transitions (GONST). Specifically, we would like to acknowledge
the GONST project for funding the empirical case work on Norske Skog Skogn
and Biokraft.
References
Bauer, F., Coenen, L., Hansen, T., McCormick, K. & Palgan, Y. V. (2017). Technological innovation systems for biorefineries: A review of the literature. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 11(3), 534–548.
Bjørkdahl, J., & Börjesson, S. (2011). Organizational climate and capabilities for
innovation: A study of nine forest- based Nordic manufacturing firms. Scandinavian
Journal of Forest Research, 26(5), 488–500. doi:10.1080/02827581.2011.585997.
Borregaard Exilva. (2018). Exilva. Retrieved from www.exilva.com.
CEPI. (2013). CEPI Sustainability Report 2013. European Paper Industry – Advancing the
Bioeconomy. Summary. Retrieved from www.cepi- sustainability.eu/uploads/short_
sustainability2013.pdf.
a vast range of wood- related chemical products. Such path creation has been
made possible by the long- term innovation strategy of the firm, directed
towards the production of high value- added goods from Norwegian forest
resources. An in- house research centre, active in international networks as
well as collaborating extensively with knowledge organisations within the
region, has indeed enabled the invention of competitive products from
underutilised resources, and guaranteed an optimisation of industrial processes. Industrial symbiosis has thus been reached within the firm, by colocating or integrating different processes pertaining to different business
lines.
Summing up our findings from the three cases analysed, it seems that
forest- based waste valorisation often originates with the co- location of activities belonging to different value chains. Such activities can be performed by a
firm operating in different lines, or by different firms, possibly belonging to
different sectors. In both cases, the presence of a strong and innovative private
actor in a region raises the region’s chances for waste valorisation. Innovation
could be directed explicitly towards the development of high- performance
products, whose production lines can be harmonised for waste- reducing purposes. On the other hand, a persistent incremental process innovation within
traditional business lines could bring waste valorisation about indirectly, by
shaping the right regional environment for attracting firms into the region
and for creating industrial symbioses. An extension of the traditional regional
path would then lead the way to a path renewal, characterised by collaborations with industries new to the region for the purpose of waste valorisation.
Note
1 Beside our main funder, the Bionær-programme at RCN, the research was partially
funded by the Nordic Green Growth Research and Innovation Programme in
cooperation with NordForsk, Nordic Innovation and Nordic Energy Research,
Grant 83130 – Where does the green economy grow? The Geography of Nordic
Sustainability Transitions (GONST). Specifically, we would like to acknowledge
the GONST project for funding the empirical case work on Norske Skog Skogn
and Biokraft.
References
Bauer, F., Coenen, L., Hansen, T., McCormick, K. & Palgan, Y. V. (2017). Technological innovation systems for biorefineries: A review of the literature. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining, 11(3), 534–548.
Bjørkdahl, J., & Börjesson, S. (2011). Organizational climate and capabilities for
innovation: A study of nine forest- based Nordic manufacturing firms. Scandinavian
Journal of Forest Research, 26(5), 488–500. doi:10.1080/02827581.2011.585997.
Borregaard Exilva. (2018). Exilva. Retrieved from www.exilva.com.
CEPI. (2013). CEPI Sustainability Report 2013. European Paper Industry – Advancing the
Bioeconomy. Summary. Retrieved from www.cepi- sustainability.eu/uploads/short_
sustainability2013.pdf.