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Abstract

In recent years, increased attention has been paid to sustainability in manufacturing. The sustainability concept is fuzzy, however, which, according to previous studies, may hamper the changes needed to address the urgent challenges of global warming and reduced biodiversity. In this study, we aimed at investigating how companies in the maritime industry in North West Norway interpret and operationalize the sustainability concept. The study suggests that companies’ understandings and operationalizations of sustainability are linked to formal regulations, customer demand, and voluntary initiatives intended to gain legitimacy from stakeholders. Companies’ efforts to disclose information on sustainability performance have increased and supply chain sustainability initiatives are attracting attention, while the cluster organization developing a common vision of becoming a zero-emission industry. Among approaches to addressing sustainability issues, the focus on technology is dominant, which can be related to the industry-specific context. Other initiatives are largely in line with economic considerations. This study argues that more comprehensive changes are needed to address the two other dimensions of sustainability, to accelerate the transition towards sustainable manufacturing operations.

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Correspondence to Lise Lillebrygfjeld Halse .

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Klymenko, O., Halse, L.L. (2023). Understanding Sustainability: Cases from the Norwegian Maritime Industry. In: Alfnes, E., Romsdal, A., Strandhagen, J.O., von Cieminski, G., Romero, D. (eds) Advances in Production Management Systems. Production Management Systems for Responsible Manufacturing, Service, and Logistics Futures. APMS 2023. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 692. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43688-8_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43688-8_19

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