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ABSTRACT
Ecological modernization (EM) is often presented as a suitable way to make societies, and the key industries on which they are dependent, environmentally and economically sustainable. This article focuses on the underlying factors that contribute to EM in the shipping industry. The theoretical perspective used stems from critical EM and corporate social responsibility research. The analysis aims to prove unrealistic assumptions of EM in political terms and thereby to contribute to understanding the potential barriers to EM projects. The empirical results presented in this article are based on content analysis of Finnish and Danish maritime strategy documents and interviews conducted in Finland in 2014–2016. The analysis of the policy documents shows linkages between weak EM and strong technological framing of maritime sustainability in Danish and Finnish maritime policies. Analysis of the interviews demonstrates how, in a time of economic downturn, the positive prospects of EM, highlighted in Danish and Finnish maritime strategy documents, become contested at company level due to economic obstacles. The article ends with conclusions which stress that achieving sustainable maritime transport requires enlarging the scope of sustainability beyond emission control and into the role of transport in society, taking into account how maritime business transactions are carried out in specific places around the globe.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the editors of Geografiska Annaler Ser B Human Geography and two anonymous referees for constructive critique and helpful advice regarding how to improve my paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 This is usually called short sea shipping.
2 This includes navigation aids, oceanographic, hydrographic and meteorological services, search and rescue services, incident and emergency responders, port facilities, trade facilitation measures, and cargo handling and logistics systems.
3 Cleantech refers to products, services and processes that promote the sustainable use of natural resources and reduce emissions to the environment (Ministry of Employment and Economy Citation2014, 59).
4 These fuels include LNG, methanol and biofuels. LNG is methane that is acquired from oil and gas fields, or can be produced from shale gas. Biofuels and methanol can be produced from biomass produced from wood or crop biomass, industrial wastes (e.g. food waste) and by-products. Biofuels and methanol are listed as prioritised energy sources for transport in the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Climate Issues, ‘Energy and Climate Roadmap 2050’, because they are domestic, carbon neutral and reduce dependency on imported energy (Ministry of Employment and Economy Citation2014).