| Title | Locked in unsustainability: Understanding lock-ins and their interactions using the case of food packaging |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 24036 |
| Authors | Simoens, MC; Leipold, S; Fuenfschilling, L |
| Title | Locked in unsustainability: Understanding lock-ins and their interactions using the case of food packaging |
| Year | 2022 |
| Published | |
| Abstract | Lock-in mechanisms are major hurdles to sustainability transitions. Scholars identified various types of lock-ins; however, their dynamics and interactions remain underexplored. Using the case of food packaging, this study enhances the conceptual understanding and empirical analysis of lock-ins and their interactions from a socio-technical perspective. We analyze the material, institutional, behavioral, and discursive configuration and the shallow and deep lock-ins reinforcing the persistent dominance of single-use over reusable food packaging in Germany. Additionally, we explore the lock-in interactions both within and between the socio-technical elements. Hence, we introduce archetypical interlock-ins and lock-in clusters pointing to core trends of resistance towards reusable packaging alternatives. This study advances the lock-in concept for future socio-technical analyses while guiding the illumination of the complex dynamics of stability, the assessment of current sustainability transition interventions, and the search for potential unlocking strategies to enable change. |
| https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2022.08.005 |
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