Technological Change as Historical Process: The Case of the U.S. Pulp and Paper Industry, 1915–1940

Technological changes in the U.S. pulp and paper industry between 1915 and 1940 are chronicled, and three patterns—evolutionary bias, output-increasing innovation in response to technological disequilibria, and differences in the timing of innovations between the 1920s and 1930s—are identified and explained by means of a theoretical framework for induced innovation. The framework conceptualizes technological change as a means for growth-seeking firms to overcome barriers to accumulation and provides a general explanation of induced innovation that is situated in historical time.

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Capital Deepening and Technological Change: The Canadian Pulp and Paper Industry 1940–1960

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x71-021 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 159-166 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

G. H. Manning ◽

G. Thornburn

Keyword(s):

Technological Change ◽

Production Function ◽

Chemical Industry ◽

Paper Industry ◽

Pulp And Paper Industry ◽

Plant Size ◽

Pulp And Paper ◽

Capital Deepening ◽

Forest Industries ◽

Pulp And Paper Industries

The pulp and paper industry is generally considered the most technologically progressive of the forest industries. A study employing Solow's method indicated a rise in the index of technological change of 50% between 1940 and 1960. This compares with a 547% increase for the chemical industry. Derivation of the capital production function for the pulp and paper industries shows that all increases in productivity, 1940–1960, were due to change in technology. There is also some indication that optimal plant size has been reached.

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The World Eucapulp Industry and its Impact on the Northern U.S. Pulp and Paper Industry

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/njaf/7.4.158 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 158-163

Author(s):

Jeffrey C. Stier

Keyword(s):

Paper Industry ◽

Pulp And Paper Industry ◽

World Market ◽

Pulp And Paper ◽

Annual Rate ◽

Structural Shift ◽

The North ◽

The World ◽

Evolutionary Pace ◽

The U.S

Abstract Eucalyptus woodpulp (eucapulp) emerged as a significant force in the world market for paper grade pulp approximately a decade ago, and since 1976, production has increased at a compound annual rate of growth exceeding 20%. Recently, the closure of a Wisconsin pulpmill was associated with imports of eucapulp, and fears that a rapid influx of eucapulp would destroy local pulpwood markets spread throughout the northern U.S. forestry community. Eucapulp is an ideal fiber furnish for production of tissue and printing and writing papers, both of which are mainstays of the pulp and paper industry in the North. Eucapulp represents a major structural shift in the world pulp and paper sector, and it is likely to have a continuing impact on the U.S. industry, especially in the North. However, imports of eucapulp and of papers made from eucapulp are expected to increase in the future at an evolutionary pace and not to pose an immediate threat to the regional industry. North. J. Appl. For. 7:158-163, December 1990.

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Environmental Regulation in the Pulp and Paper Industry: Impacts and Challenges

Current Forestry Reports ◽

10.1007/s40725-019-00097-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 185-198 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patrik Söderholm ◽

Ann-Kristin Bergquist ◽

Kristina Söderholm

Keyword(s):

Technological Change ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Environmental Regulations ◽

Paper Industry ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Pulp And Paper Industry ◽

Pulp And Paper ◽

Emission Reductions ◽

Compliance Costs ◽

The Impact

Abstract Purpose of Review In this article, we review existing research addressing how environmental regulations have influenced the pulp and paper industry. These regulations appear in different forms and designs and address air and water pollution as well as climate change. The paper devotes particular attention to how various regulations have affected sustainable technological change and the prospects for inducing deep emission reductions without jeopardizing industrial competitiveness and future investments. Recent Findings Experiences from key pulp and paper regions, not least the Nordic countries, suggest that gradually tightening performance standards have contributed to radical reductions in emissions, e.g., chlorine compounds and biological oxygen demanding agents, and without imposing excessive compliance costs. This outcome can largely be attributed to how the regulations have been designed—and implemented—in practice, as well as to the presence of efficient and legitimate institutions. Long-term emission reduction targets, in combination with extended compliance periods and trustful firm-regulator relationships, contributed to radical technological innovation and permitted radical emission reductions without excessive compliance costs. The development of alternative bleaching technologies is an apt example. In contrast, the impact of carbon pricing schemes, including the EU emissions trading scheme, on carbon dioxide emissions reductions and related technological change in the pulp and paper industry has however been modest. Self-regulation, certification, and community pressure have exerted relatively modest influences on the environmental performance of the industry. Summary Important avenues for future research are identified. These include the following: (a) comparative research on how policy mixes in various countries have influenced environmental compliance and innovation; processes; (b) future studies of environmental regulations, their design and implementation, in emerging pulp and paper producing countries, not least China; and (c) research on how environmental regulations can affect ongoing restructurings in the industry towards a broader palette of products in biorefineries.

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