As Greece pursues rapid decarbonisation and energy system transformation, green hydrogen is increasingly positioned as a cornerstone for achieving ambitious climate and energy targets. Nowhere are these dynamics more apparent than in Western Macedonia — the country’s primary lignite region — which is undergoing profound economic and social restructuring as coal is phased out. This thesis critically examines the justice dimensions of Greece’s green hydrogen transition, focusing on procedural, distributive and recognition justice in Western Macedonia. To examine the identified research objectives, this study utilised a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative content analysis of documents that provide information about the policies and legislative framework that have been adopted to support energy transition through green hydrogen. In addition, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders among industry experts, policy advisors, energy community members and researchers. Findings show participation remains largely symbolic, decision-making centralised, and benefits unevenly shared, with vulnerable groups bearing burdens and limited acknowledgement. Implementation faces high costs, funding gaps and regulatory shortcomings. Despite rhetoric, justice principles are weakly operationalised. The study recommends co-design with communities, support for energy communities, transparent governance and accountability, targeted reskilling, and clearer policy guidance to embed justice in practice and ensure fairer, legitimate transition pathways. ... Read more

Inland waterway transport (IWT) is an integral part of today's society. Similar to other transport sectors, however, it has to transition away from fossil fuels. Regulations are tightening, but barges have a largely varying operational profile, making it difficult to find one suitable alternative to contemporary diesel. There are many alternatives available, yet none of them can fully replace diesel in the short term without impeding the sector too much. It seems that a mix of alternative energy carriers (AECs) is needed throughout the transition. Hardly any of the alternative energy carriers are being applied in IWT and when they are, it is typically still on a very small scale. This leaves the question why this is the case. This research is aimed at finding the determinants for the large-scale introduction of AECs to IWT.

Energy carriers in IWT can be seen as a system around a technology. To analyze their shortcomings for large-scale introduction to the sector, it is important to understand the necessities for the large-scale introduction of such a system in the first place. The framework from Ortt and Kamp (2022) for technological innovation systems (TIS) characterizes exactly this. Therefore, to analyze the determinants for the large-scale introduction of AECs to IWT, this framework is used. This framework consists of seven building blocks. These are product performance & quality, product price, production system, complementary products and services, network formation, customers, and innovation-specific institutions. These seven building blocks split up the aspects of large-scale introduction into smaller parts which are analyzed individually.

To gather data on why AECs are not being applied in IWT currently, seven different AECs are analyzed. These energy carriers all have a potential to be implemented on a larger scale in the sector. They are diesel, LNG, hydrogen, methanol, ammonia, batteries, and flow batteries. The data is gathered by interviewing experts in IWT who have experience with AECs. A total of eight interviews were conducted with ten interviewees in total. These experts vary in their position in the sector. Types of actors and stakeholders who have been interviewed were representatives for a barge owner, shipyard, energy carrier supplier, component supplier, classification society, terminal, and a researcher. The results from the interviewees have been coded using ATLAS.ti. The first step was to code all observations in interviews to a corresponding building block from the TIS framework. Once all the observations had been split up into building blocks, the building blocks could be analyzed individually. At this point, the determinants could be extracted from the observations per building block. This has resulted in a total of 23 determinants. Any determinant can be used to analyze an AEC. Analyzing a determinant can show whether a factor is aiding or blocking, or whether there is a barrier or opportunity for a particular AEC.

The 23 determinants can be viewed through three different scopes. The first scope, the intra-barge scope, contains the determinants of the first three building blocks; production system, product performance & quality, and product price. The second scope, the intra-fleet scope, contains the determinants of the next two building blocks; complementary products & services, and customers. The third and last scope, the actor-based scope, contains determinants of the last two building blocks; network formation & coordination, and innovation-specific institutions. The three scopes can be used to analyze whether the three scopes align for an AEC. This occurs when the mix of determinants in every scope is equally ready for implementation. When the three scopes align for an AEC, it is ready for implementation in IWT.

This framework with three scopes and their 23 determinants can be applied to any AEC, so not only the ones which were used in this research. It can be used by any actor or stakeholder in the sector to analyze which AECs are ready for implementation by them. Similarly, it can also be used to analyze where specific AECs are misaligned between scopes. ... Read more

Problem introduction Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been extensively used in the food packaging industry due to their exceptional water and oil repellency, providing essential barrier protection for products like pizza boxes, fast-food containers, and microwave popcorn bags. However, PFAS are highly persistent in the environment and have been linked to significant health risks, including bioaccumulation in humans and wildlife. The widespread contamination and toxicity concerns have prompted regulatory actions, notably the European Union’s (EU) proposed comprehensive ban on PFAS. Despite this regulatory pressure, transitioning to PFAS-free alternatives in the food packaging and food contact materials industry presents complex challenges. Research objective and main research question The objective of this study is to identify and analyze the key technical, regulatory, economic, and social barriers hindering the adoption of PFAS-free alternatives in the food packaging industry. The main research question guiding this thesis is: What are the key challenges for implementing PFAS-free alternatives in the food packaging & food contact materials industry? Methods To address this, the research applies the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) framework, which analyzes the dynamics of innovation processes and the roles of various actors, networks, and institutions. Data collection involved a comprehensive literature review, analysis of scientific reports, examination of the annex of the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) PFAS ban proposal, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (including manufacturers, regulators, NGOs, and industry representatives), and analysis of stakeholder responses during the ECHA’s public consultation process. Qualitative content analysis and thematic coding were employed to interpret the data and identify systemic problems within the TIS. Results The results highlight systemic barriers across multiple dimensions: manufacturers exhibit a lack of entrepreneurial activity and struggle to effectively utilize available knowledge and resources, while institutional challenges such as the absence of clear incentives, fragmented regulations, and regulatory ambiguities further hinder the transition. Additionally, weak coordination and mismatched priorities among stakeholders exacerbate the difficulty of creating alignment and legitimacy for PFAS-free alternatives. The study emphasizes that these barriers can be effectively addressed through the implementation of the comprehensive PFAS ban combined with collaborative efforts from key stakeholders. Strategies such as financial and technical support for innovation, harmonization of EU-wide regulations, and the creation of platforms for knowledge sharing and stakeholder alignment offer realistic and feasible pathways to guide the industry toward PFAS-free alternatives. These measures not only address the systemic problems but also build a foundation for sustainable innovation and market formation. Discussion This study contributes new knowledge by providing critical insights into the implementation of the proposed PFAS ban and its practical implications. The discussion highlights the positive relevance of the findings, as the results suggest that nearly all identified systemic barriers can be overcome through targeted regulatory measures and stakeholder collaboration. The practical relevance of this research is underscored by its demonstration that the current obstacles are surmountable with realistic interventions, offering actionable recommendations for the food packaging industry to transition toward PFAS-free solutions. Future research Future research should focus on evaluating the long-term performance and socio-economic impacts of alternatives while exploring mechanisms to scale their adoption across the industry. ... Read more