The scale of food waste across Europe is alarming, and its reduction has recently been identified as an important public policy issue. However, effective solutions require initiative and action both from the government and the food industry. What are the drivers of industry self‐regulation in this area? We provide an in‐depth analysis of the emergence and evolution of Norway's food waste reduction governance. In 2017, food sector companies signed a Voluntary Industry Agreement on food waste reduction, but as of 2021, a shift towards a binding law is increasingly likely. With outcome‐explaining process tracing, we test three hypotheses, identifying causal factors and mechanisms that explain the emergence of the Agreement, and apply a typology of (self‐)regulation to show how different actors and mechanisms played an important role in different phases of the process. We find that, initially, food waste reduction governance was clearly industry‐led. However, societal and political pressure was necessary for institutionalizing self‐regulation and its timing. We also note that despite Norway's tradition for co‐regulation, in the wake of the Agreement, lawmakers continued to pressure the government for a binding law, with a clear move from initial industry self‐regulation towards state‐steered regulation.

This study explored incumbents’ roles in the transition towards the bioeconomy by examining what goes on inside firms, what strategies they practiced, and how these affected the way incumbents engaged in the transition, as well as their ability to innovate. The study focused on the Norwegian meat-processing sector, investigating how dynamic capabilities affected incumbent firms in the transition process, and the management strategies adopted in response to external pressures (local and global) and to innovation opportunities. The analytical approach builds on two theoretical pillars: Multi-level perspective and dynamic capabilities. The findings showed that the incumbent exercised different modes of behavior—first-into-niche and follow-into-niche—in response to innovation pathways during the transition, mobilizing various dynamic capabilities—learning, financing, and organizational restructuring. The study sheds light on the underlying business dynamics of incumbent firms within a given regime and on intra-regime dynamics concerning innovation opportunities, and notes the proactive roles of incumbents in the sustainability transition.

Feeding the world’s growing population in ways that are effective, ethical and socially just, and protect the natural systems on which all life depends is one of the greatest challenges facing huma...

The Norwegian innovation and action project SirkTRE is halfway through. In recent years, it has been increasingly recognized that circular wood solutions for construction solutions are often technically feasible; this is particularly underscored by the SirkTRE project (2022–2025). However, the scaling up of these solutions and their interaction with various barriers underscore the necessity of systemic approaches. This chapter delves into selected circular systemic solutions derived from the project. This collaborative autoethnography, drawing insights from observations and reflections on own experiences, takes an evolutionary approach to selected SirkTRE solutions. The case studies within SirkTRE include solutions at the manufacturing level, the architectural product-system level, and the building-site level and strategies engaging municipalities to supply and utilize reclaimed timber in (especially public) buildings. These examples illustrate not only the successes but also the challenges, including how economic, political, technological, and strategic decisions can impact the scaling up/out or ending. To catalyze a true revolution, or ‘circulution’, it is imperative to integrate governance, and business models, to foster interactions in the emerging system.