Abstract for:Dynamics of change – the transition to a bio-based economy in the Norrköping region

The bio-based economy is attracting considerable interest due to its proposed ability to help address multiple societal challenges, such as the dependency on finite, fossil-based resources, a lack of employment and economic activity in rural areas, and negative environmental impacts caused by the production of goods, chemicals, and energy. The emergence of a bio-based economy involves change in complex systems, cutting cross societal and knowledge domains. This work examines the development of a bio-based economy cluster in Norrköping, Sweden, often presented as a successful case of a transition to a sustainable bio-based economy on a regional scale. Previous studies on the Norrköping cluster has mainly focused on understanding interdependencies in terms of material- and energy flows, or the financial viability of individual actors in the network. The aim of the present paper is to contribute to a more integrated and dynamic understanding of the developments in the region, through the use of system dynamics modelling. The expected results include an assessment of the sustainability performance of the cluster, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of similar developments occurring on a national scale.