The Role of Environmental Regulations on Green Transition: The Case of Swedish Electronics Industry

Sammanfattning: From the simplest items we use to the most complex ones, electronics are everywhere and in everything. However, the escalating demand for electronics has a serious toll on the environment. Thus, the electronics industry has been the focus of legislation for a long time. As a matter of fact, electronics are among the seven priority key value chains identified by the European Union on the way to becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. In this sense, this thesis aims to investigate the role of environmental legislation in the green transition of the electronics industry by trying to understand how companies operating in this industry evaluate the measures introduced by the legislation. This was done through both in-depth interviews with representatives from 11 different companies of all sizes (large, medium- and small-sized, and start-up companies) and 2 regulatory agencies, and also group discussions with experts and managers in the field. Although the research started from a point of evaluating the legislation either a driver or a barrier in green transition, the empirical findings indicated that environmental regulations are too complex tools to be considered only in terms of these aspects. Results showed that considering regulations as a driver or barrier is directly related to the size of the companies and the opportunities they have. However, the solution to the challenges faced by the companies is often beyond their own capabilities, and related to external factors, mostly legislators. All companies interviewed within the scope of the study agree that environmental regulations can contribute to green transformation. One thing is certain, however, that the way to ensure this effectiveness is through a transparent and inclusive communication between the lawmakers and the industry.