296 A. Klitkou et al.
possibly with the intermediation of national state authorities. The connection
between small- scale actions with large- scale challenges – “think global, act
local”, as the motto goes – can translate into the multi- level types of governance necessary to achieve the coordination of different geographic areas
towards common goals. Actors able to take the appropriate actions, in order
to promote waste valorisation in the face of global challenges, can indeed
often be found by authorities through a small- scale search: in this way, the
authorities can determine the potential for small- scale regions to develop specific valorisation pathways. But private companies can also explore the possibility of detecting and following leading actors located in their own region:
they could connect to, establish partnerships with and provide intermediate
goods for innovative leading firms in the region which have already implemented valorisation processes. Many different types of relations can occur
between firms at a municipal or regional scale. Input–output relations can be
established within a region, to give rise to industrial symbiosis, or even to
generate non- priced interactions for waste valorisation: the case of breweries
giving spent grain free to local farmers may be an example. The extent and
success of the interactions between regional actors will also depend on the
institutional background of the region: formal and informal institutions will
define whether new interactions are possible, and whether old interactions
can serve new functions towards environmental goals. Moreover, the skillbase to which firms can resort when restructuring themselves towards waste
valorisation may also be searched within their region: new valorisation pathways can then take place if the skills present in the region are sufficiently flexible to accommodate such evolution. However, competences not available at
regional, or even at national, level can sometimes be reached by crossing
national borders: R&D consortia may, for instance, help to create bridges
towards different types of knowledge, while imports can contribute to the
acquisition of foreign knowledge as embedded in machinery for waste transformation. Exports, on the other hand, can increase a firm’s market size,
which in turn would translate into firm revenues, to be used for investments
in side- stream valorisation.
Understanding how agreements on international trade affect the potential
for waste valorisation, for the countries involved as well as for the world in
general, constitutes an important line of future research. Tariffs, sanctions and
other forms of trade restrictions have been shown, in this book, to have
exerted a strong influence of the firms’ choices towards valorisation. The
compliance with EU regulations is another international element that has
been mentioned and could be the topic of further study, together with the
alignment of national and regional policies with supranational decisions. In
order to tune environmental policies according to the regions and sectors
involved, further research should be devoted to studying the institutional
idiosyncrasies of regions and sectors, bringing institutional theory insights
deeper into economic geography and industrial organisation subjects. At the
same time, LCA, enriched with social elements and with insights from
possibly with the intermediation of national state authorities. The connection
between small- scale actions with large- scale challenges – “think global, act
local”, as the motto goes – can translate into the multi- level types of governance necessary to achieve the coordination of different geographic areas
towards common goals. Actors able to take the appropriate actions, in order
to promote waste valorisation in the face of global challenges, can indeed
often be found by authorities through a small- scale search: in this way, the
authorities can determine the potential for small- scale regions to develop specific valorisation pathways. But private companies can also explore the possibility of detecting and following leading actors located in their own region:
they could connect to, establish partnerships with and provide intermediate
goods for innovative leading firms in the region which have already implemented valorisation processes. Many different types of relations can occur
between firms at a municipal or regional scale. Input–output relations can be
established within a region, to give rise to industrial symbiosis, or even to
generate non- priced interactions for waste valorisation: the case of breweries
giving spent grain free to local farmers may be an example. The extent and
success of the interactions between regional actors will also depend on the
institutional background of the region: formal and informal institutions will
define whether new interactions are possible, and whether old interactions
can serve new functions towards environmental goals. Moreover, the skillbase to which firms can resort when restructuring themselves towards waste
valorisation may also be searched within their region: new valorisation pathways can then take place if the skills present in the region are sufficiently flexible to accommodate such evolution. However, competences not available at
regional, or even at national, level can sometimes be reached by crossing
national borders: R&D consortia may, for instance, help to create bridges
towards different types of knowledge, while imports can contribute to the
acquisition of foreign knowledge as embedded in machinery for waste transformation. Exports, on the other hand, can increase a firm’s market size,
which in turn would translate into firm revenues, to be used for investments
in side- stream valorisation.
Understanding how agreements on international trade affect the potential
for waste valorisation, for the countries involved as well as for the world in
general, constitutes an important line of future research. Tariffs, sanctions and
other forms of trade restrictions have been shown, in this book, to have
exerted a strong influence of the firms’ choices towards valorisation. The
compliance with EU regulations is another international element that has
been mentioned and could be the topic of further study, together with the
alignment of national and regional policies with supranational decisions. In
order to tune environmental policies according to the regions and sectors
involved, further research should be devoted to studying the institutional
idiosyncrasies of regions and sectors, bringing institutional theory insights
deeper into economic geography and industrial organisation subjects. At the
same time, LCA, enriched with social elements and with insights from