The technological transition to chlorine free pulp bleaching technologies: lessons for transition policies

This paper reviews existing approaches to the study of technology diffusion. It finds that they generally lack a proper consideration of the role social problem definitions play in the initial stages of the diffusion of new technologies. It is argued that these factors determine the perception of opportunity by firms and therefore play a crucial role in the adoption of new technologies. It corroborates these arguments with a detailed case study on the differences in the transition to and diffusion of chlorine free pulp bleaching technologies in the Nordic countries and the U.S.A.