This study compares the discourse surrounding bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) across two media: social media and academic literature.Through an automated content analysis of Twitter/X posts (n = 11,314) and peer-reviewed articles (n = 140), we identified significant differences in the prevalence of techno-optimism, techno-skepticism, and engagement with critical issues related to socio-environmental impacts and technological uncertainty for these bioproducts.The findings reveal that social media content is generally more optimistic and less critical of these technologies compared to the academic literature, with a notable lack of discussion on the potential social and environmental consequences.Furthermore, our analysis highlights a greater polarization of views in relation to BECCS, with both techno-optimism and techno-skepticism being more prominent across both media.The study emphasizes the importance of effective science communication, balanced evaluations of risks and benefits, and closer collaboration between academia and businesses to foster a more informed and nuanced discourse on disruptive technologies in the bioeconomy.Our findings also emphasize the need for scholars and businesses operating in the biomaterials and bioproducts industry to adopt a critical approach to media literacy.
Plastic waste is known as the worst pollutant to our environment, with single-use plastic shopping bags perceived as the biggest cause of this issue. However, despite massive actions undertaken by environmentalists and government agencies to promote the adoption of biobased shopping bags, human behavior towards single-use plastic shopping bag consumption continues to persist and unfortunately, is soaring. To address this issue, we propose that consumer personality traits significantly influence this behavior. Therefore, we apply motive disposition theory (MDT) and institutional theory to examine consumers’ motives, specifically focusing on the power motive and the institutions that influence them. By employing an online survey and moderated mediation analysis, a sample of 207 individuals was engaged to investigate the influence of consumers’ power motives on green consumption towards biobased shopping bags. The results indicate that this relationship is contingent upon the mediating role of consumer environmental concern. Additionally, it has been observed that the level of adoption is even stronger when consumers perceive that knowledge supporting environmentally friendly behavior is accessible to them.
An examination of hardwood lumber prices in the eastern United States adjusted for inflation and regional differences in forest composition found declines in aggregate (combined species) prices across all regions. The greatest declines occurred in the Northeast and Lake States regions with smaller declines occurring in the Central, Southern, and Mid-Atlantic regions. With the exception of white oak and walnut, prices of high-value species declined more than prices of low-value species. For most of this century, the Northeast region has had the highest aggregate prices for lumber products. However, the Central region had the highest price for high-quality lumber since 2017. While lumber prices have declined, prices for industrial hardwood products increased. In 2020, the price of pallet cants exceeded the price of lower quality hardwood lumber for most species, and crosstie prices exceeded that of aggregate mid-quality lumber. The declines in hardwood lumber prices were the result of reduced domestic demand and insufficient increases in exports to offset this decrease. While increased domestic and export demand will result in increased prices, the prolonged period of low lumber prices may reduce the expected returns to timber management.
The wood products industry is facing increasing challenges from global competition, and automation of manufacturing can greatly help companies in the industry to handle such challenges. Investments in automation of manufacturing are more likely to succeed if they are the expression of informed and systematic decisions. This paper aims to increase the knowledge on the process leading to investment decisions on automation of manufacturing in the wood products industry, as well as on the aspects considered in such processes. A real-time case study was conducted at a large Swedish wood manufacturing company to gain in-depth understanding of decisions related to automation investments. The findings demonstrate that mainly representatives from manufacturing and marketing functions were involved throughout the investment project's length. This could be a contributing factor to the narrow view on automation of manufacturing when decisions are made, where focus is placed on financial and technological aspects. The findings further show a limited knowledge regarding automation of manufacturing, which resulted in a tendency to heavily rely on the technical supplier’s recommendations. This paper identifies the weak points related to decisions on automation of manufacturing in the wood products industry and provides insights on how to support the decision process.
