Policy Transitions Towards a Circular Wood (Bio)economy
Biomass and wood in particular are becoming increasingly important as a substitute for fossil materials in the endeavour of decarbonising the economy to mitigate climate change. As the demand for natural resources grows, their applications diversify and the supply will, induced by climate change, fluctuate, the need for resource-efficient wood utilisation becomes increasingly crucial. Resource efficiency could be achieved by fostering a transition towards a circular (bio)economy and enhancing wood cascading, both concepts that have been found to be very promising in that regard, however, are poorly implemented in Switzerland. This thesis hence aimed to investigate how a transition could be fostered and where the barriers to cascade use of wood are located respectively how they can be characterized. To answer these questions, fifteen interviews with stakeholders and experts of the wood value chain were conducted. As a theoretical basis served a conceptual framework, that I created by crossfertilizing the Multi-Level Perspective of Geels (2002) and the Governance Dimensions of Hacker & Binz (2021). I could demonstrate that fostering a transition towards a circular (bio)economy is a highly intricate and complex undertaking. Barriers to the cascade use of wood persist on the regime level in all governance dimensions and are present across every stage of wood processing along the value chain. On the niche level promising innovative technologies exist, however are insufficiently applied, or integrated into the regime. Therefore, to drive meaningful change, effective policy interventions are needed to target the numerous actor groups that shape and impact these barriers. Due to the diversity and interdependency of the identified barriers a comprehensive policy framework must consist of regulatory, economic, informational, and procedural instruments that address all barriers simultaneously. This thesis serves as a cornerstone in identifying and characterizing the most significant barriers to wood cascading. Moreover, it sets the stage for future research on policy frameworks and strategies to overcome these barriers in Switzerland and beyond.
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Valentin Tippmann graduated in 2024 as part of MainWood in the group of Prof. Dr. Eva Lieberherr, associated to focus group WPF on Swiss Wood Bioeconomy Policies.
