Abstract
Radical technological innovations are needed to achieve sustainability, but such innovations confront unusually high barriers, as they often require sociotechnical transitions. Here we use the theoretical perspectives and methods of Science and Technology Studies (STS) to demonstrate ways that existing theories of innovation and sociotechnical transitions, such as the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), can be expanded. We test the MLP by applying STS methods and concepts to analyze the history of aircraft composites (lightweight materials that can reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions), and use this case to develop a better understanding of barriers to radical innovation. In the MLP, "radical innovation" occurs in local niches—protected spaces for experimentation—and is then selected by a sociotechnical regime. The history of composite materials demonstrates that radical innovation could not be confined to "niches," but that the process of scaling up to a wholly new product itself required radical innovation in composites. Scaling up a process innovation to make a new product itself required radical innovation. These findings suggest a need to refine sociotechnical transitions theories to account for technologies that require radical innovation in the process of scaling up from the level of sociotechnical niche to regime.
Highlights
On October 26 2011, the Boeing 787 made its first commercial flight on a route from Tokyo to Hong Kong, and set a new standard for fuel efficiency
We argue that transition theories in general, and the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) in particular, could be refined by more systematically applying methods drawn from science and technology studies (STS)
We suggest that closer attention to technological specificity can address the MLP’s acknowledged need for a more complete understanding of how niches and regimes interact to cause sociotechnical transitions (Schot and Geels, 2008)
Summary
On October 26 2011, the Boeing 787 made its first commercial flight on a route from Tokyo to Hong Kong, and set a new standard for fuel efficiency. The 787 “Dreamliner” achieves the highest efficiency among mid-sized airliners by using several innovative technologies, including lightweight composite materials that account for approximately 50% of the aircraft’s weight. Launch customer All Nippon Airlines reported that the aircraft is 21% more fuel-efficient than its predecessor. Boeing’s decision to build the Dreamliner has triggered a broader shift in aircraft manufacturing. As orders for the Dreamliner began pouring in, Boeing’s arch rival, Airbus, promised that its direct competitor to the 787, the A350, would boast 53% composite construction (Wall, 2008). One business aircraft, the Beechcraft Starship, was built entirely from composites in 1985, and remains operational today, a decade after the manufacturer decided to decommission it (Scherer, 2010). Why has commercial aviation adopted composite materials so slowly, and what policies might enable greater use of weight-saving materials?
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