REBALANCE: Towards economic, environmental, and social sustainability in the Norwegian salmon farming industry

Project summary

The grand challenges of climate change and social justice mean that industrial food systems should not only strive tobecome economically sound but also environmentally and socially viable. This project examines interdependenciesbetween the economic, environmental, and social dimensions in the Norwegian salmon farming industry. Thisindustry is economically well off with high profitability (especially in the last decade) but has been confronted withseveral (and mounting) environmental issues (sea lice, ocean floor waste, escape of fish, feed ingredients). It has alsobeen criticized for a lack of contribution to value creation and value capture both locally and nationally. Tostrengthen its legitimacy, the industry needs to reduce its (negative) environmental impact and increase its (positive)societal impact. This project will elaborate on how the Norwegian salmon farming industry can grapple withenvironmental issues that currently hinder expansion and growth, and at the same time contribute to societal well-being. The project will identify barriers and drivers for ongoing transition processes, investigate dilemmas associatedwith rebalancing the economic, environmental, and social dimensions, analyze how the industry can ensurelegitimacy, and explore the role of policy for these transition processes. The study will be based on a combination ofregister data, case studies of selected salmon farming hubs, stakeholder interviews, socio-technical configurationanalysis (STCA), and Discrete Choice Experiments (DCE). The project will develop new knowledge about how thesalmon farming industry can develop onwards in ways that are not environmentally harmful, and that contribute tovalue creation and value capture both locally and nationally. Our combination of economic geography, socio-technical transition studies, and the literature on sustainable business models provide new insights into how theplethora of transition opportunities is materialized.