Towards sustainable production in industrial clusters

Abstract

To deal with the challenges of global warming and the loss of biodiversity, industrial companies must respond to stakeholder pressure for producing and delivering their products in a more sustainable way. This can be achieved through transformation of production processes, logistics and business models. Companies manage their operations based on their culture and the traditions in which these organizations operate. These can be seen as barriers to radical change towards sustainable production. However, through collaboration and knowledge sharing industrial networks can assist companies in meeting the transition to sustainability. In this qualitative study of a maritime cluster in the county of Møre and Romsdal, we investigate how small and medium-sized companies in a regional cluster respond to the need for sustainability development. The findings show that the cluster companies possess a unique knowledge and expertise resource that can be transformational and create a new path of development. However, diversification in the cluster may weaken integrity between the companies and consequently reduce communication between them and weaken their ability to innovate. Keywords: industrial cluster, sustainability transition, drivers and barriers