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This study investigates the international Photovoltaic Supply Chain (PVSC) from the perspective of the recent literature on Strategic Dependencies and Technological Sovereignty. In so doing, the paper fills existing literature gaps by providing: i) a fine-grained long-term analysis of the PVSC, considering all its segments and integrating production and technology dimensions; ii) detailed evidence of the changing hierarchical relationships within the supply chain; iii) an analysis of the drivers of strategic dependencies in the PVSC in different economic areas. Focusing on China, the EU, Japan, South Korea, and the US over the 2007–2021 period, the empirical evidence highlights the existence of strong strategic dependencies in the EU, especially in the mid and downstream segments of the PVSC. A similar, and in some cases even worse, situation is found in the US, although some diversification of the portfolio of suppliers, especially in the downstream, has been emerging in more recent years. These results have relevant implications in terms of policy theory with specific reference to EU and US initiatives in the field of industrial policies for sustainable transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impacts of carbon pricing policies on firms' greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We include two carbon pricing policies: carbon tax and emission trading scheme (ETS) at national and sub-national (province) levels, measured as policy existence (binary variable) and carbon price (continuous variable). Firms' GHG emissions are measured as total emissions and emission intensity. Using unique recent firm-level data from 2010 to 2021 from three East Asia countries (Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the People's Republic of China (PRC)), we obtain the following key findings. First, the national carbon pricing policy significantly reduced firms' GHG emissions and GHG emission intensity in Japan and the ROK. The greater the carbon price, the greater the impact. Second, the subnational carbon pricing policies implemented in two provinces of Japan (Saitama and Tokyo) decreased firms' GHG emissions. Third, heavy industry sectors such as energy, utilities, and industrials experienced a substantial decrease in GHG emission intensity due to the carbon pricing policy. Finally, our main results are robust to different model specifications and various measures of firms' GHG emissions. Although literature studying the ex-post impact of carbon pricing on emissions at country and sector-level is abundant, this paper contributes to the existing literature providing empirical evidence of the impact of carbon pricing policies on firms' emissions using firm-level data, which is highly limited especially in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing international trade is likely to become a major obstacle in reducing carbon emissions. Research that estimates trade-related emissions and analyzes the sources will be important to overcoming this obstacle. With this in mind, the current paper investigates carbon emissions embodied in South Korea's trade during 2000–2014. Using multi-regional input-output analysis, we find large increases in emissions embodied in exports (production-based emissions) and imports (consumption-based emissions) which drove increases in Korean emissions. Over time, Korea's net carbon exports grew alongside its net value-added exports, implying a greater trade-off between the environmental costs and economic benefits of trade. However, emission intensities of exports and imports both fell which suggests improvements in emission efficiencies at home and abroad. Analysis of bilateral trade shows that growth in trade with China accounted for the largest share of increases in Korea's embodied emissions. Analysis at the sectoral level shows high levels of emissions relative to value added in basic materials and transportation services but low levels of emissions relative to value added in electronic and mechanical equipment and transportation equipment. Lastly, structural decomposition analysis indicates that improvements in emission intensities limited growth in emissions, while rising levels of final demand expanded growth in emissions. As the first extensive study to analyze the drivers of changes in Korea's carbon emissions embodied in multilateral exports and imports, this paper recommends various abatement policies to effectively reduce emissions. [Display omitted] • CO 2 emissions embodied in Korea's trade during 2000–2014 were estimated. • Production-based and consumption-based CO 2 emissions were measured. • Multi-regional input-output and structural decomposition methods were applied. • Korea's net CO 2 emissions exports increased considerably during 2007–2014. • The scale of final demand contributed most to the rise in Korea's emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the frequent coastal activities of human beings, tens of thousands of tons of floating marine plastics pose a serious threat to marine ecosystems and human survival. This paper studies the feasibility of regional marine plastic garbage management, taking the Northwest Pacific as the research object. According to the Cobb-Douglas utility function of the costs and benefits of plastic processing in China, Japan and South Korea, the Shapley value method was used to analyze it. The study found that the data were substituted into the Shapley value model of cooperative game for calculation, and the results showed that any country joining the triple alliance U would create greater benefits, and obtain higher benefits than the sub alliance. It is a triple win situation for China, Japan and the South Korea to jointly manage marine plastic in the Northwest Pacific. The results of the model confirm that the three countries are willing to maintain long-term cooperation on marine plastic governance, this method can be used to solve the trans-national marine governance innovatively and promote regional ocean cooperation governance. At the same time, by comparing the Northwest Pacific Plan with other action plans, China, Japan and South Korea should abandon political controversy, seeking common ground while putting aside differences, to cooperate fully to curb the growing trend of plastic waste problem in the Northwest Pacific, and contribute to the sustainable development of regional marine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korea is suffering from high concentrations of particulate matters in the air caused by domestic and foreign influences, and the government is attempting to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in the transportation sector, which could be causing secondary generation of these emissions. This paper presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) on the six base fuels and finally produced results for WTW NOx emissions for internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) (gasoline), ICEVs (diesel), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) through LCA based on electric power generation sources and hydrogen production methods. For the tailpipe emissions of ICEVs, the real driving emission (RDE) NOx emission data from previous studies supported by the Ministry of Environment in South Korea were considered, in addition to the NOx emissions based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test procedure. As a result, the WTW NOx emissions of ICEVs (gasoline), ICEVs (diesel-euro6), and ICEVs (diesel-euro6d-temp) were calculated at 0.113, 0.776 and 0.154 g/km, respectively, when considering the RDE NOx emissions. In addition, for BEVs, coal, natural gas and power generation mixes were calculated at 0.113, 0.059, 0.065 g/km, respectively, depending on the power generation source. In the case of FCEVs, naphtha cracking (NC), steam methane reforming (SMR with natural gas), SMR (with landfill gas), electrolysis, and production mixes were calculated as 0.088, 0.080, 0.030, 0.254, 0.088 g/km, respectively, according to the hydrogen production method. It was noted that the WTW NOx emissions from the most recent diesel-fueled ICEVs (euro6d-temp) was similar to those of FCEVs and ICEVs (gasoline), although pre-euro6d-temp diesel vehicles suffer from significantly high WTW NOx emissions, mostly from tailpipe emissions under real driving conditions. In this study, it is possible to analyze the life cycle from the actual operational data in a uniform perspective for all vehicle types. In addition, it is able to derive WTW results for alternative fuel vehicles according to various power generation sources and hydrogen production methods and to understand the effect of upstream energy sectors. • Well-to-wheel (WTW) NOx emissions are conducted for ICEVs and AFVs. • Real driving emission and facilities' actual data are used. • Various electric power generation fuels and hydrogen production pathways are considered. • BEVs have the lowest WTW NOx emissions, and FCEVs and ICEVs (gasoline) are on a similar level. • Pre-euro6d-temp diesel vehicles suffer from high WTW emissions under real driving conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the existing literature on green innovation has little focus on the mediation role of open innovation, we aimed to explore how intellectual property rights and government support affect green innovation through open innovation. Drawing upon open innovation literature, this paper aims to investigate, at the firm level, the structural causality between internal and external resources and examine the role of open innovation on green innovation divided into green process and green product innovation. We attempt to suggest a structural model comparing open innovation's direct and mediating role using data from manufacturing sectors in South Korea from 2014 to 2016. The methodology was based on the partial least square structural equation method (PLS-SEM) with 1203 samples. The results revealed that a firm's intellectual property rights and government support significantly affect open innovation, green process innovation, and green product innovation while open innovation played a mediating role between each. Additionally, we provide a supplementary analysis using the sample-split test by comparing the sensitivity to partner selection and the multigroup test by firm size. This study proposes several implications emphasizing the mediating role of open innovation in enhancing green process innovation along with the direct and indirect effect of intellectual property rights and government support on green innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental impacts of delivery food packaging waste pose an increasing threat as the delivery industry is growing rapidly worldwide. Possible effects include soil, water and air pollution, increased CO2-emissions and death of aquatic organisms. Previous research has demonstrated the environmental advantages of distributing reusable food containers, rather than single-use or bio-degradable. Therefore, this research examines the possibility of introducing a city-scale reusable food container system for delivery platforms in Seoul, South Korea, based on a contingent valuation survey that examined the consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) additionally in order to get a reusable container when ordering delivery food. If the container has to be returned to a facility within 500m, the WTP was found to be USD 1.92; if the container will be picked up at the point of delivery, the WTP is USD 2.18. The cost analysis suggests that it is feasible to offer reusable food container option for companies that have at least 25% market share in South Korea, with which a 114% return of investment can be achieved after one year. Based on the results, policy recommendations are made to support the introduction of reusable food containers for delivery platforms and a pilot project in areas with high population density is suggested. • It can be economically feasible for food delivery companies to introduce a reusable food container system. • Citizens are willing to pay an additional USD 1.92–2.18 per order. • WTP increases slightly for home pick-up of used containers, especially for younger respondents. • Between 108 and 152 t CO 2 -equivalent could be saved with a reusable food container system each day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]