Institutionalisation of environmental innovation: Joint development of standards, technologies and actor networks in the European heavy duty vehicles sector

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Emission standard requirements for toxic air pollution (NOx/PMs) from heavy duty vehicles (HDVs) have been sharply reduced over the past few decades. This paper seeks to explain how such significant reduction has taken place in the European HDV sector. Based on the sectoral systems of innovation framework, this paper sheds light on the commercial vehicles sector, one that is often overlooked in existing literature. The analysis suggests that extensive periods of network formation, coordination and negotiation in the early stages of regulatory process enabled consensus, which in turn made it possible to obtain acceptance for technology-forcing requirements at the industry level. This facilitated enactment and implementation of further stringent emissions standards in later phases. It also explains why OEMs did not resist stringent environmental measures in this sector. © 2016 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.