TY - JOUR
T1 - Buyer-driven Greening?
T2 - Cargo-Owners and Environmental Upgrading in Maritime Shipping
AU - Taudal Poulsen, René
AU - Ponte, Stefano
AU - Lister, Jane
PY - 2016/1
Y1 - 2016/1
N2 - In this article, we examine the relations between global value chain governance and environmental upgrading in maritime shipping. Drawing from interviews with global shipping companies and major buyers of shipping services (cargo-owners), we reveal the key issues and challenges faced in improving the environmental performance of maritime transportation. Contributing to the Global Value Chain (GVC) literature, we compare and analyze the influence of three main external drivers on environmental upgrading in the tanker, bulk and container shipping segments: regulation, cooperation and buyer demands. Our findings suggest that environmental upgrading is more likely to occur when global value chains are characterized by unipolar governance and where the lead firms are consumer-facing companies with reputational risks. Furthermore, environmental upgrading in shipping is not likely to materialize without clear and enforceable global regulation and stronger alignment between regulation and voluntary sustainability initiatives.
AB - In this article, we examine the relations between global value chain governance and environmental upgrading in maritime shipping. Drawing from interviews with global shipping companies and major buyers of shipping services (cargo-owners), we reveal the key issues and challenges faced in improving the environmental performance of maritime transportation. Contributing to the Global Value Chain (GVC) literature, we compare and analyze the influence of three main external drivers on environmental upgrading in the tanker, bulk and container shipping segments: regulation, cooperation and buyer demands. Our findings suggest that environmental upgrading is more likely to occur when global value chains are characterized by unipolar governance and where the lead firms are consumer-facing companies with reputational risks. Furthermore, environmental upgrading in shipping is not likely to materialize without clear and enforceable global regulation and stronger alignment between regulation and voluntary sustainability initiatives.
KW - Environmental upgrading
KW - Global value chains
KW - Sustainability
KW - Corporate environmental responsibility
KW - Maritime shipping
U2 - 10.1016/j.geoforum.2015.11.018
DO - 10.1016/j.geoforum.2015.11.018
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0016-7185
VL - 68
SP - 57
EP - 68
JO - Geoforum
JF - Geoforum
IS - jan
ER -