Manufacturer decision-making factors and the role of environmental NGOs in the commercialization of non-halocarbon domestic refrigerators in Japan and Germany

• Matsumoto, Yasuko

Abstract

As new actors in environmental policy, environmental NGOs have come under analysis in the fields of policy science and political science. This paper discusses how technological innovation, which plays a vital role in solving global environmental problems, is stimulated and deployed in the market by the activities of environmental NGOs. Specifically described are the decision-making factors of Japanese and German manufacturers in developing and commercializing ozone- and climate-friendly (hydrocarbon) refrigerator technology ― a technological breakthrough currently sold on the world market brought about by Greenpeace Germany in collaboration with German manufacturers. The concept of “strategic bridging” is used to analyze, through a Japan-Germany comparison, the role of environmental NGOs in technological innovation and its deployment, and their influence on business and industry, whether direct or through the mobilization of public opinion. The Matsushita Refrigeration Company is highlighted for analysis in the Japanese context as the first company in Japan to make the commercialization of ozone- and climate-friendly domestic refrigerators an objective. Matsushita Refrigeration was also the main strategic target of Greenpeace Japan’s refrigerator campaign.

Journal

• SANSAI : An Environmental Journal for the Global Community

  SANSAI : An Environmental Journal for the Global Community 2 31-51, 2007-03

  Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University

Keywords

• NGO
• strategic bridging
• ozone depletion
• climate change
• technological innovation
• hydrocarbon refrigerators

Details

• CRID: 1050282677276668928
• NII Article ID: 120001981951
• ISSN: 1349872X
• HANDLE: 2433/108253
• Text Lang: en
• Article Type: journal article
• Data Source:
  • IRDB
  • CiNii Articles
  • KAKEN