Beyond conventional corporate responses to climate change towards deep decarbonization: a systematic literature review

Johnson, Ma hew P.; Rö zel, The esa S.; F ank, B igi e A icle — Published Ve sion Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds deep deca boniza ion: a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew Managemen Re iew Qua e ly P o ided in Coope a ion wi h: Sp inge Na u e Sugges ed Ci a ion: Johnson, Ma hew P.; Rö zel, The esa S.; F ank, B igi e (2023) : Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds deep deca boniza ion: a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew, Managemen Re iew Qua e ly, ISSN 2198-1639, Sp inge In e na ional Publishing, Cham, Vol. 73, Iss. 2, pp. 921-954, h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s11301-023-00318-8 This Ve sion is a ailable a : h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/312846 S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen: Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den. Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen. So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen (insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en, gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e. Te ms o use: Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal and schola ly pu poses. You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public. I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence. h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ Managemen Re iew Qua e ly (2023) 73:921–954 h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s11301-023-00318-8 Abs ac O e he pas 20 yea s, he li e a u e on co po a e esponses o clima e change has o e ed a as a ay o heo e ical and p ac ical insigh s in o o ganiza ional e o s o educe business- ela ed ca bon emissions. Howe e , i emains unclea whe he hese e o s will esul in signi ican educ ions o ca bon emissions. P esen ly, i becomes c ucial o unde s and, i , why, and how companies can e ec i ely espond o he cu en challenges o deep deca boniza ion, de ined as he p ocess o emission educ ion down o, o close o, ze o o limi global wa ming. By means o a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew wi h 370 iden i ied pape s, we a e able o ca ego ize he main indings o he li e a u e acco ding o he ou mos common a eas o in es iga ion, including d i e s, ac ions, ba ie s, and acili a o s. Addi ionally, we conduc a compa a i e analysis o he li e a u e along hese ou a eas o in es iga ion acco ding o wo ca ego ies: con en ional esponses and deep deca boniza ion esponses. The esul s show ha he li e a u e on con en ional esponses o clima e change (n = 321) ex ensi ely co e s all ou a eas o in es iga ion; howe e , i only ouches on he desc ip i e (i.e., ‘wha ’) aspec s o deca boniza ion. The ecen and eme ging li e a u e on deep deca boniza ion esponses (n = 49) p o ides no el insigh s on he p esc ip i e (i.e., ‘why’ and ‘how’) aspec s o deep deca boniza ion. Howe e , his li e a u e is es ic ed o mos ly egional and indus ial oci, and i does no connec d i e s, ba ie s, and acili a o s in a sys ema ic way. Thus, we highligh key implica ions o u u e esea ch and p ac ice in o de o e ec i ely add ess co po a e deep deca boniza ion. Keywo ds Ca bon emissions · Co po a e esponses · Clima e change · Deca boniza ion · Low ca bon · Sys ema ic e iew Recei ed: 30 Sep embe 2022 / Accep ed: 5 Janua y 2023 / Published online: 16 Janua y 2023 © The Au ho (s) 2023, co ec ed publica ion 2023 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds deep deca boniza ion: a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew Ma hew P.Johnson1· The esa S.Rö zel1· B igi eF ank1 Ma hew P. Johnson ma hew[email p o ec ed] 1 Cen e o Ea h Sys em Resea ch and Sus ainabili y, Uni e si ä Hambu g, G indelbe g 5, 20144 Hambu g, Ge many 1 3 M. P. Johnson e al. 1 In oduc ion To a oid he wo s possible scena ios o global wa ming, including li e- h ea ening s o ms, d ough s, and looding as well as he disas ous ipple e ec s on economies and socie ies, many global ac o s a e s essing a d as ic dec ease in ca bon-equi alen emissions (hence o h abb e ia ed as CO2e; as indica ed by he IPCC 2022). The u gency and legi imacy o clima e change ha e aken cen e s age in global poli ics, wi nessed by he unanimous adop ion o he Pa is Ag eemen in 2015 (UNFCCC 2015) and p og essi e de elopmen a he UN Con e ences o he Pa ies, mos ecen ly COP27 in Sha m El Sheikh, Egyp . Since companies emain p ima y con ibu o s o CO2e (G i in and Heede 2017), hey ha e inc easingly been pushed o espond o poli ical and socie al demands o signi ican ly educe CO2e h ough a ious manda o y (e.g., EU ETS) and olun a y ini ia i es (e.g., Science Based Ta ge ini ia i e; hence o h abb e ia ed as SBTi). These coe ci e and no ma i e policies emphasize he need o companies o aim o deep deca boniza ion, de ined as educing CO2e down o, o close o, ze o emissions, wi h he goal o limi ing global wa ming o 1.5° C abo e p e-indus ial le els (Åhman e al. 2017; Wesseling e al. 2017). While p e ious academic a icles and li e a u e e iews ha e ad anced heo ies and empi ical insigh s ela ed o co po a e esponses o clima e change, including poli ical shi s and de elopmen s (Wimbadi and Djalan e 2020), managemen heo ies ela ed o clima e change (Daddi e al. 2018), bibliome ic analyses o he mos common au ho s and ending concep s (Díaz Tau i a e al. 2022), and d i e s and ba ie s o low-ca bon ope a ions (Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al. 2019), he li e a u e s ill has no g asped i co po a e e o s will lead o signi ican educ ions o CO2e, e e ed o as deep deca boniza ion in his pape . Fu he mo e, no sys ema ic e iew has ye paid close a en ion o he use o language dealing wi h signi ican CO2e educ ions. Ra he , he li e a u e commonly o e s a mo e gene ic iew o a ious co po a e mi iga ion e o s wi h li le associa ion o deep deca boniza ion. Thus, we conduc a sys ema ic e iew o he academic li e a u e o in es iga e wha has been eco ded abou co po a e esponses o clima e change o e 20 yea s (2001–2022), paying pa icula a en ion o deep deca boniza ion and associa ed concep s, including absolu e educ ion, ca bon neu ali y, low ca bon, and ne ze o. In o de o dis inguish be ween con en ional esponses o clima e change and deep deca boniza ion esponses, we conduc an addi ional compa a i e analysis be ween he li e a u e on con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change and he li e a u e ela ed o deep deca boniza ion. The mo i a ion behind his compa a i e analysis is o e alua e he ex en o which deep deca boniza ion is p oposed, s udied, and e idenced in he exis ing li e a u e. Addi ionally, compa a i e analyses can de ec mino a ia ions e en when simila concep s a e applied. When conduc ing his compa a i e analysis, we a e mo i a ed o compa e co po a e mi iga ion e o s be ween none and ela i e educ ions on he one hand, and absolu e CO2e educ ions on he o he hand (Slawinski e al. 2017). To e ine he scope o his sys ema ic e iew, we concen a e on ou a eas o in es iga ion iden i ied as mos commonly men ioned in he li e a u e, including d i e s behind co po a e esponses, ac ions ha companies execu e as esponses, 1 3 922 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… ba ie s explaining why companies ail o adop ac ions o s all in emission educ ions, and acili a o s ha can o e come ba ie s and p omo e mi iga ion s a egies. These ou a eas a e in e ela ed, o ming a na a i e o co po a e esponses o clima e change. Addi ionally, hese ou a eas enable he compa a i e analysis be ween he li e a u e on con en ional esponses o clima e change and he li e a u e on deep deca boniza ion esponses. Inspi ed by a p e ious e iew (Wimbadi and Djalan e 2020), he li e a u e on deep deca boniza ion esponses was aided by he inclusion o addi ional sea ch e ms, including absolu e educ ion, ca bon neu ali y, low ca bon, and ne ze o. This pe mi ed he syn hesis and compa ison o a as amoun o academic li e a u e in a concise way. A key ad an age o conduc ing a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew is he abili y o p o ide addi ional pe spec i es and concep ualiza ions ha he indi idual a icles could no achie e on hei own (Rousseau e al. 2008). This sys ema ic e iew makes se e al con ibu ions o he exis ing li e a u e on co po a e esponses o clima e change. Fi s , he e iew p o ides an o e iew o ou commonly men ioned and in e connec ed a eas o in es iga ion on co po a e esponses o clima e change (e.g., Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al. 2019; Oke eke 2007). Second, i p o ides a compa ison o he li e a u e be ween con en ional esponses o clima e change and deep deca boniza ion. Hence, esea che s and p ac i ione s can easily ecognize he p ac ical di e ences and esea ch gaps be ween he li e a u e on con en ional esponses and he li e a u e on deep deca boniza ion esponses. In he academic li e a u e on con en ional esponses o clima e change (n = 321), we ind a s ong connec ion be ween all ou a eas o in es iga ion; howe e , his li e a u e ouches mos ly on desc ip i e (i.e., ‘wha ’) aspec s o deca boniza ion wi hou p o iding any e idence o signi ican educ ions. Finally, we a e able o enhance he g owing body o academic li e a u e by demons a ing he p esc ip i e (i.e., ‘why’ and ‘how’) aspec s o deep deca boniza ion (n = 49). As a esul , we a e able o iden i y and highligh key CO2e educ ion d i e s, ac ions, ba ie s and acili a o s. Ne e heless, we do ecognize ha he e exis se e al esea ch gaps in he academic li e a u e on deep deca boniza ion, which p o ides limi ed implica ions o only a ew indus ies. In o de o help con ibu e o subs an ial CO2e educ ions by co po a ions and o he academic discou se on co po a e esponses o deep deca boniza ion, he academic li e a u e mus emb ace new heo e ical pe spec i es and b oade empi ical insigh s (Geels e al. 2017). In a simila ashion o A ms ong and G obbelaa (2022, p. 3), we can ela e hese in e connec ed a eas o in es iga ion (i.e., d i e s, ac ions, ba ie s, and acili a o s) o a ious componen s ha a e “dis inc , he e ogenous, and ye insepa able”, and s ess ha hey should no be examined in isola ion, as co po a e ac ions may only be as e ec i e as he d i e s and incen i es ein o cing hem. Fu he mo e, ba ie s migh eme ge du ing implemen a ion as well as in he long- e m planningconside a ions, and a concen a ion on se e al key acili a o s may help o o e come hese ba ie s. As he li e a u e on deep deca boniza ion is s ill eme ging, we sugges ha co po a e esponses should be examined unde bo h c i ical heo e ical amewo ks, such as symbolic e sus subs an i e e o s (e.g., Dahlmann e al. 2019) as well as mul ile el analyses (e.g., Slawinski e al. 2017). Fu he mo e, u u e esea ch could concen a e on compa ing ac ions be ween a ious indus ies 1 3 923 M. P. Johnson e al. and how hey can be syn hesized o con ibu e o deep deca boniza ion. Thus, we highligh signi ican esea ch gaps and a eas o u u e esea ch. 2 Backg ound: om o ganiza ional inac ion owa ds deep deca boniza ion To mee he 1.5° C limi se by he Pa is Ag eemen , i is ag eed ha undamen al changes a e equi ed in many indus ies, including ag icul u e, ene gy, cons uc ion, p oduc ion, and anspo a ion (Bö che and Mülle 2015; Geels e al. 2017). Due o mul i-decade in es men cycles in key indus ies, he ansi ion o low-ca bon de elopmen mus begin immedia ely o a oid u he lock-in e ec s and s anded asse s (Le in e al. 2012). Thus, he li e a u e has been inc easingly in e es ed in how and why co po a ions espond o hese inc easing challenges o clima e change om mul iple on s, including physical, ins i u ional, and o ganiza ional isks and oppo uni ies (W igh and Nybe g 2017). The majo i y o indus ies and ma ke s whe e businesses ope a e a e based on he dominan logic o sho - e m p o i maximiza ion a he han unc ioning wi hin sa e, long- e m plane a y bounda ies (W igh and Nybe g 2017). Thus, his cons ains companies om in es ing oo many esou ces owa ds p oac i e en i onmen al s a egies and managemen beha io (Bha and Ghuman 2022), which also includes ba ie s o clima e change ac ion (Oke eke 2007). This highligh s he issue o o ganiza ional inac ion o clima e change, de ined as “ he ailu e o educe absolu e g eenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due o a lack o e ec i e measu es” (Slawinski e al. 2017, p. 254). Acco ding o Slawinski, co po a e mi iga ion ac ions ha p oduce no o ela i e emission educ ions a e conside ed o ganiza ional inac ion. We adop his concep o o ganiza ional inac ion o explain con en ional esponses o clima e change as hose ac ions ha do no lead o CO2e educ ions o only limi ed o ela i e educ ions o CO2e. E en when companies make since e clima e mi iga ion e o s in hei business p ac ices, hese s a egies and s uc u es can dissol e o e ime, leading companies back o con en ional pe o mance measu es wi hou subs an ial p og ess (W igh and Nybe g 2017). Companies mus ind a way o o e come hese icious ci cles o o ganiza ional inac ion, desc ibed as con en ional co po a e esponses leading o no o ela i e CO2e educ ions, in o de o mi iga e he wo s -case scena io o an h opocen ic clima e change (Slawinski e al. 2017). To p esen an al e na i e o he con en ional pe spec i e, he li e a u e p esen s he e m deep deca boniza ion (Geels e al. 2017). In his pape , deep deca boniza ion is de ined as educing CO2e down o, o close o, ze o emissions wi h he goal o limi ing global wa ming o 1.5° C abo e p e- indus ial le els (Åhman e al. 2017; Wesseling e al. 2017). Deep deca boniza ion can be obse ed on ins i u ional (Geels e al. 2017), indus ial (e.g., Fal e e al. 2020), and o ganiza ional le els (Liu 2014). Key socie al d i e s, including consume p e e ences, in e go e nmen al policies, social mo emen s, and knowledge ans e , will ha e o wo k in andem wi h co po a e esponses, aligning in complemen a y, acili a i e ways o os e a ansi ion owa ds a low-ca bon socie y by 2050 a he la es (Geels e al. 2017; S amme e al. 2021). Thus, his pape aims o answe he 1 3 924 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… ollowing esea ch ques ion: To wha ex en does he li e a u e discuss he co po a e esponses o clima e change, especially hose ela ed o deep deca boniza ion? 3 Me hodology 3.1 Conduc ing he sys ema ic li e a u e e iew To answe he esea ch ques ion and o de elop e idence-based knowledge, we examined he li e a u e on co po a e esponses o clima e change wi h a pa icula ocus on deca boniza ion. The goal was o de e mine ac o s eme ged in his speci ic li e a u e dealing wi h how companies deal wi h clima e change, especially on mi iga ion e o s, o e he pas wo decades (i.e., om Janua y, 2001 un il No embe , 2022). This a icle used sys ema ic li e a u e e iew p oposed by T an ield e al. (2003). Acco ding o T an ield e al. (2003, p. 214), he e a e i e key in e ela ed phases in a sys ema ic e iew: (1) iden i ica ion o he main esea ch ocus; (2) selec ion o s udies in ele an academic da abases; (3) quali y assessmen o li e a u e; (4) da a ex ac ion and collec ion; and (5) da a syn hesis and epo ing o main indings. In he i s phase, we iden i ied he main esea ch ocus by conside ing he li e a u e in he business, en i onmen al and social sciences ha deals wi h co po a e esponses o clima e change and deca boniza ion. Nex , we conside ed a sea ch s a egy o iden i y keywo ds in se e al academic sea ch engines and da abases, inspi ed by a ecen e iew on he subjec o clima e change and o ganiza ions (Díaz Tau i a e al. 2022). I was impo an ha keywo ds e lec co po a e esponses o clima e change and deep deca boniza ion, which makes i di e en om p e ious e iews. The esea ch eam ag eed on he mos commonly used e ms in he academic li e a u e and de eloped he ollowing sea ch s ing in h ee pa s – e ms associa ed wi h co po a e, hose associa ed wi h a esponse, and hose associa ed wi h ca bon and clima e. A e se e al ounds o discussions, he inal sea ch s ing was es ablished: (compan* OR co po a * OR business* OR en e p is* OR o ganiza ion) AND (s a eg* OR espons* OR mi iga * OR adop *) AND (ca bon* OR deca boni$a ion OR “g eenhouse gas” OR ghg OR emission OR clima e). This sea ch s ing sequence was en e ed he exac same way in o ou p ominen esea ch da abases using he ad anced sea ch unc ion, including EBSCO Business Sou ce Comple e, Else ie ScienceDi ec , JSTOR, and Cla i a e Web o Science. The p ocess o using he ad anced sea ch unc ion ollows simila e idence-based e iews in he managemen li e a u e (e.g., Rousseau e al. 2008). Ou e iew was inalized in No embe , 2022, and he sea ch p oduced 32,384 pape s o he en i e ime ame. The second phase o he sys ema ic e iew selec ed he mos ele an pape s h ough a ca e ul sc eening o all en ies using he well-es ablished PRISMA Flow Diag am (Page e al. 2021), including se e al inclusion and exclusion c i e ia (see Fig. 1). In he iden i ica ion s age, we we e able o emo e 6,695 duplica es, i.e., 1 3 925 M. P. Johnson e al. double-en y a icles be ween he ou da abases, as well as 15,205 pape s acco ding o jou nal ineligibili y. This esul ed in 21,900 pape s al eady emo ed be o e he nex s age – sc eening. In he sc eening s age, we scanned i les, abs ac s and keywo ds o 10,484 pape s. O his amoun , 9,508 pape s could be emo ed because hey we e no ela ed o he co e ocus o his sys ema ic e iew. Fo example, se e al pape s would men ion clima e change, bu only on a coun y le el and ailing o men ion co po a ions o business o ganiza ions. Thus, we aimed o e ie e 976 pape s; howe e , 2 pape s we e no a ailable, so we emo ed hem om he inal coun . This esul ed in a p e- inal collec ion o 974 pape s. We ho oughly ead hese pape s o de e mine whe he hey con ained he esea ch ocus o his sys ema ic e iew, and we e able o emo e an addi ional 604 pape s ha men ioned se e al Fig. 1 PRISMA Flow Diag am o Sys ema ic Li e a u e Re iew 1 3 926 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… keywo ds bu did no co e any o he ou hema ic a eas o in es iga ion. This esul ed in a inal lis o 370 pape s o he sys ema ic e iew (see Fig. 1). This p ocess was epea ed o con ol o consis ency and eliabili y o esul s. This eplica ion con i med he consis ency o ou inal lis o 370 pape s o he sys ema ic e iew. 3.2 Da a analysis To s eng hen he quali a i e and compa a i e analyses, we highligh ed and coded he pape s using a combina ion o Mic oso Excel and MaxQDA, which appea s a common app oach in ecen sys ema ic li e a u e e iews (Heidings elde and Beckmann 2020). Fi s , we used Mic oso Excel o ini ial ca ego iza ion and so ing o pape s. Once he ini ial quali a i e da a was ga he ed, a gene al ca ego iza ion was made wi hin each a ea o in es iga ion ia hie a chical da a s uc u ing and pa e n-ma ching (Langley 1999). Pa e n-ma ching is a me hod ha complemen s hie a chical da a s uc u ing o sea ch o and loca e b oad ma ches in he gi en da a (Yin 1994). Second, we conduc ed a u he quali a i e analysis o all pape s men ioning hese ou e ms ela ed o deep deca boniza ion. Fo his s ep, we en e ed all pape s in o MaxQDA o conduc lexical sea ches – one ound o each e m. When conduc ing his lexical sea ch, we ocused on he ollowing: (1) pinpoin ing he selec ed pape s in he sys ema ic e iew ha men ion one o mo e o hese e ms ela ed o deep deca boniza ion, and (2) disce ning how hese e ms a e used in he ex , including hei associa ion wi h he ou hemes o in es iga ion, i.e., d i e s, ac ions, ba ie s, and acili a o s. Fo example, we sea ched o whe he deep deca boniza ion was men ioned in combina ion wi h d i e s, ac ions, ba ie s, and acili a o s. The esul s o all lexical sea ches iden i ied 211 pape s (i.e., o e hal he en i e sample) ha men ion a leas one o he ela ed e ms. Upon u he e iew, howe e , we ound ha 49 pape s om he en i e sample we e he e ms used in combina ion wi h one o mo e o he ou key a eas o in es iga ion. These esul s a e highligh ed in Sec . 5. Al hough he li e a u e on business esponses o clima e change om he las 20 yea s has been ela i ely ague conce ning deep deca boniza ion, we ha e been able o disce n clea indica ions o co po a e esponses. To help pinpoin hese esponses, ou sys ema ic e iew in eg a es ou addi ional e ms ela ed o deep deca boniza ion when sea ching o concep ual and empi ical cla i y on hese issues: absolu e educ ion, ca bon neu ali y, low ca bon, and ne ze o. These e ms ep esen esponses conside ed essen ial o con ibu ing o signi ican educ ions in co po a e ca bon emissions (Bö che and Mülle 2015; Dahlmann e al. 2019; Slawinski e al. 2017). A ecen sys ema ic li e a u e e iew used simila e ms (Wimbadi and Djalan e 2020) co e ing he poli ical and egional de elopmen s o deca boniza ion and low ca bon ansi ion. Howe e , he p esen pape ex ends he keywo ds o e lec he dis inc e minologies used o explaining deca boniza ion. Absolu e educ ion en ails a dec ease in a company’s o al CO2e educ ions i espec i e o g ow h, me ge s/acquisi ions, and any luc ua ions o p oduc ion due o dis up ion o elie . Absolu e educ ion should be pe manen (Slawinski e al. 2017), hus i should no be e e sed ia u u e ebound e ec s (De S e ano e 1 3 927 M. P. Johnson e al. al. 2016). Absolu e educ ion can be clea ly dis inguished om ela i e educ ion and in ensi y a ge s, which a e connec ed o some ype o economic measu e, e.g., annual e enue, p oduc s, ull- ime employees, e c. (Dahlmann e al. 2019). Ca bon neu ali y can be desc ibed as he balance be ween emi ing ca bon and abso bing ca bon emissions om ca bon sinks. Acco ding o he IPCC (2022), ca bon neu ali y can lead o lowe ca bon emissions when “an h opogenic CO2e emissions a e balanced globally by an h opogenic CO2e emo als o e a speci ied pe iod.” Ne ze o is simila o ca bon neu ali y, bu goes u he by conside ing all g eenhouse gases (i.e., CO2e in his pape ). Acco ding o SBTi (2021), ne ze o has been ecen ly eclassi ied o companies, which now co e s all emission scopes. Finally, low ca bon can be de ined as ela i ely mino ne emissions o CO2e in o he a mosphe e, such as low-ca bon ope a ions, low-ca bon p oduc ion, and low-ca bon logis ics (Bö che and Mülle 2015). The ollowing sec ion will p esen he ini ial quan i a i e esul s o he 370 pape s. The ollowing sec ion will p esen he quali a i e indings acco ding o he ou a eas o in es iga ion, spli be ween gene al indings and speci ic indings on deep deca boniza ion. 3.3 Ini ial quan i a i e esul s The s a is ics om he selec ed pape s p o ide an o e iew o he ini ial quan i a i e indings om he 370 publica ions e iewed, including he numbe o publica ions pe yea and ype o jou nal along wi h names o exempla y jou nals on he opic. Fi s , he publica ion yea s demons a e a s eady inc ease o a icles o e he pas wo decades (Fig. 2). Nex , an o e iew o academic jou nal ypes (Table 1) highligh s ha mos pape s a e in jou nals ocused on Sus ainabili y & E hics (176). Wi hin his jou nal ype, h ee jou nals ha e a la ge numbe o publica ions: Jou nal o Cleane P oduc ion (57 Fig. 2 Numbe o publica ions by yea (2001–2022) 1 3 928 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… mi iga ion, bu can also suppo s ic e o ms o mi iga ion policies (Åhman e al. 2017). ●Public ela ions and ma ke ing a e o en communica ed much as e han epo ing, and a ge a ious s akeholde s ia p ess eleases, social media, p in ads, e c., ei he h ough in e nal (i.e., co po a e websi es) o ex e nal channels (e.g., hi d-pa y news p og ams) (He old and Lee 2019). Simila o epo ing and poli ical ac i i ies, PR and ma ke ing can be used o suppo clima e mi iga ion, bu can also “in ol e he p esen a ion o ce emonies o pe suade s akeholde s ha he company’s ope a ions a e legi ima e” (He old and Lee 2019, p. 66). 4.2.4 Collabo a i e ac ions ●Company pa icipa ion ela es o membe ship in business ne wo ks, public- p i a e pa ne ships, and o he olun a y mul i-s akeholde p og ams (e.g., he UN’s “Race o Ze o” in Luo and Tang 2021) o exchange knowledge and ini ia e collabo a ion, bo h wi hin and ou side an indus ial ocus. In addi ion o o he ac ions (e.g., ene gy e iciency), To and Rüdige (2020, p. 10) sugges including “mo e comp ehensi e poli ical app oaches o comba clima e change in collabo a ion wi h global ins i u ions like he UN, as well as go e nmen s and ci il socie y pa ne s.” ●Supply chain coo dina ion conside s collabo a i e e o s and join ac i i ies o measu e and educe ca bon emissions ac oss he en i e supply chain, and, i possible, inding low-ca bon solu ions. Acco ding o Lee and Klassen (2016, p. 580), “ o educe CO2 emissions ac oss he en i e supply chain, he ocal i ms needs o i s calcula e he accu a e ca bon emissions […] and second le e age his da a o design and de elop less ca bon-in ensi e p oduc s and p ocesses.” ●Ca bon ading co e s bo h manda o y ading schemes (e.g., EU ETS), whe e high-emi ing companies a e equi ed o cap emissions h ough buying o selling o allowances (i.e., ca bon ce i ica es), as well as olun a y ca bon ma ke s, whe e companies bene i by selling hei ca bon c edi s (i.e., a oided ca bon) and ea n p o i s o hei ca bon sa ing ac i i ies (Cadez and Cze ny 2016). Ne e heless, he li e a u e c i ically poin s ou ha emissions ading migh be a symbolic a emp o mi iga e clima e change, as Cadez and Cze ny (2016, p. 4140) indica e ha “ his p ac ice does no di ec ly educe CO2 emissions”. ●Ca bon o se ing deals wi h paymen s made o a ce i ied uni o emission educ ion o emo al ca ied ou by a hi d-pa y ac o (Kolk and Pinkse 2004; Li lewood e al. 2018). In his sense, “companies a e able o achie e educ ions o GHG emissions…[by joining] an o se p ojec ” (Kolk and Pinkse 2004, p. 311). 1 3 935 M. P. Johnson e al. 4.3 Ba ie s associa ed wi h co po a e esponses o clima e change The ba ie s a e mos ly classi ied as ex e nal ba ie s (e.g., egula o y unce ain y) o in e nal ba ie s (e.g., lack o awa eness). A small numbe o ba ie s could no be g ouped in o ei he o hese ca ego ies, so we c ea ed a hi d ca ego y addi ional ba ie s o cap u e as many impo an ba ie s as possible. 4.3.1 Ex e nal ba ie s ●Regula o y unce ain y e e s o companies’ unce ain y ega ding clima e egula ions, policy amewo ks, and go e nmen al ac ion, which in u n limi s he ange o s a egic decisions o mi iga e clima e change (e.g., Oke eke 2007; Slawinski e al. 2017). Fu he mo e, he pe cei ed unce ain y may be used as jus i ica ion o delayed co po a e esponses and may e en be ein o ced by he companies hemsel es h ough poli ical lobbying (Bumpus 2015). ●Lack o p essu e and incen i es can o en be a ibu ed o ex e nal ac o s, such as go e nmen s and policy make s (e.g., Chen e al. 2018; H asky 2012). This is he case o Scope 3 emissions in pa icula , which a e o en no subjec o egula ion. Hence, companies lack incen i es o educe hese emissions (Wang 2017). In addi ion, a lack o ma ke incen i es may delay co po a e e o s o engage in emission educ ions (Chen e al. 2018). ●Complexi y ac s as a ba ie in wo di e en ways. Fi s , companies a e embedded in a complex social sys em o in e ac ions wi h a ious ac o s and ins i u ions (Liu 2014). As Pinkse and Kolk (2012, p. 338) no ed o mul ina ional en e p ises (MNEs): “In iew o he global ele ance o he issue, he mul iple le els in ol ed and he a ie y in policy app oaches o clima e change, MNEs canno app oach i on a coun y-by-coun y basis”. Second, clima e change i sel is a complex issue, and possible solu ions o mi iga e clima e change may appea o be complex o de elop and implemen uni o mly (Chen e al. 2018). ●Consume esis ance is, o example, e lec ed in consume s’ pu chasing decisions, whe e p ice sensi i i y esul s in a eluc ance o buy mo e sus ainable p oduc s (Mo gan e al. 2018). Accep ance o g een p oduc s may also a y by indus y o ma ke , hus companies ha do no adap o inno a e hei p oduc s’ a ibu es may ace ejec ion by p ospec i e consume s (De S e ano e al. 2016). Fu he mo e, businesses in end o in luence consume beha io o achie e emission educ ions. Howe e , he s udy o Mo gan e al. (2018) on laund y p ac ices sugges s ha despi e huge e o s, business ini ia i es ailed o change consume p ac ices o he ex en ha hey would esul in subs an ial emission educ ions. 1 3 936 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… 4.3.2 In e nal ba ie s ●Lack o awa eness and commi men among employees and manage s is he mos equen ly men ioned in e nal ba ie in he li e a u e. Am an e al. (2016) linked he lack o awa eness o he limi ed abili y o poli ical egimes o en o ce clima e change egula ions. E en i manage s a e awa e o clima e change issues, he li e a u e inds a lack o commi men o be a majo ba ie . Top managemen and employees may exhibi esis ance o suppo ing o implemen ing mi iga ion measu es (Ba ano a and Meadows 2017). ●Lack o knowledge and expe ise ela es o a lack o knowledge abou possible clima e change mi iga ion op ions (Bö che and Mülle 2015) bu also o a lack o in o ma ion abou clima e change in gene al (Kihiko and Kino i 2016). This ca ego y is closely ela ed o he lack o esou ces, as knowledge can be ega ded as a esou ce when i comes o he implemen a ion o mi iga ion p ac ices (Bö che and Mülle 2015). ●Lack o esou ces is mainly ied o inancial esou ces. Companies pe cei e ha hey lack – o hey do in ac lack – hese esou ces o implemen clima e change measu es (e.g. Bö che and Mülle 2015; Mis age and Bilo a 2018). ●Sho - e m planning is o en p io i ized ins ead o pu suing long- e m solu ions (e.g., Slawinski e al. 2017). This also includes he demand o sho payback- pe iods o in es men in o ca bon educ ion ac ions o a ocus on immedia e p o i s. ●Cos ac o deals wi h high cos s o mi iga ion ac ions, which impede ac ion o educe emissions o wo k owa ds deca boniza ion (e.g., Zhang e al. 2012). This is closely ela ed o sho - e m planning and lack o esou ces. ●Technological cons ain s e e o he a ailabili y and a o dabili y o echnologies ha could enhance emission educ ions in he u u e. Howe e , a p esen , companies may be p e en ed by exploi ing oppo uni ies due o echnological cons ain s (Oke eke 2007). 4.3.3 Dimensional ba ie s ●Tempo al ba ie s en ail a misma ch be ween p esen and u u e planning, whe e u u e impac s a e no included in p esen decisions ela ed o clima e change. This disconnec ed iew is ela ed o a lowe ole ance o unce ain y, hus companies a oid se ing long- e m a ge s and may he e o e delay clima e- ela ed decisions (Slawinski and Bansal 2012). ●Spa ial disconnec e e s o he egula o y and physical e ec s o clima e change, which a e deemed oo a away om cen al business ope a ions (Slawinski and Bansal 2012). Fu he mo e, supply chains co e ing ope a ions in a ious coun ies inc ease he isk o ca bon leakage, as “emissions a e displaced om a egula ed o a non- egula ed sou ce o a ea” (Roese and Jackson 2002, p. 52). 1 3 937 M. P. Johnson e al. 4.4 Facili a o s o o e come ba ie s The las a ea o in es iga ion ocuses on acili a o s o o e come ba ie s ha impede e ec i e co po a e esponses o clima e change. Again, we ound many di e se acili a o s, and we o ganized hese in o se e al ca ego ies. We used common hemes p oposed in he li e a u e, including o ganiza ional change (Slawinski e al. 2017), o ganiza ional capabili ies (Lee and Klassen 2016), and ex e nal suppo (Ba ano a and Meadows 2017). 4.4.1 O ganiza ional change Fo o ganiza ional change, we ound wo main acili a o s, including op managemen commi men and le el o ambi ion. ●Top managemen commi men deals wi h he awa eness and communica ed engagemen o C-sui e manage s and he boa d o di ec o s ha ini ia es o ganiza ional change owa ds deca boniza ion. Fo example, Aldy and Gian a e (2019, p. 97) emphasize ha “Ge ing he business ca bon- eady equi es eal commi men and a cul u al ans o ma ion ha should s a wi h he boa d and op managemen .” ●High ambi ion may be a sou ce o highe CO2e educ ion, e.g., by se ing absolu e a he han in ensi y emission a ge s (Ca i e e al. 2015). Howe e , i is no equen ly men ioned as a acili a ing c i e ion. O he acili a o s mainly ocus on s uc u al changes, such as es uc u ing o he boa d (e.g., Galb ea h 2010) o he o ma ion o c oss- unc ional eams (Le y and Kolk 2002). 4.4.2 O ganiza ional capabili ies ●Knowledge and lea ning acili a e he e icien and e ec i e use o esou ces and he an icipa ion and p e en ion o isks (e.g., Pinkse and Gasba o 2019). I can also lead o quick adap a ion o changes in egula ions (e.g., Delmas e al. 2016) and o os e ing inno a ion (e.g., Le y and Kolk 2002). ●Sha ed ision e e s o he ex en ha a manage ’s ision and commi men is accep ed as wo hwhile and suppo ed by many employees. This suppo may be incen i ized using mone a y ewa ds (e.g., Aldy and Gian a e 2019). ●R&D / Inno a ion en ails he abili y o de elop and implemen p oduc inno a ions and p ocess imp o emen s, which a e necessa y o e ec i e clima e change mi iga ion (e.g., Lee and Klassen 2016). ●Long- e m ocus e e s o he shi om sho - e mism o long- e m s a egic planning and in es men s in long- e m p ojec s o ensu e sa e u u e p ac ices (e.g., Slawinski e al. 2017; W igh and Nybe g 2017). ●S akeholde engagemen deals wi h he abili y o es ablish us -based collabo a i e ela ionships wi h a wide a ie y o s akeholde s, which is conside ed a c ucial 1 3 938 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… elemen o co po a e deca boniza ion (e.g., Esen and Caliskan 2016) and acili a es o e coming ba ie s o low-ca bon p ac ices (e.g., Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al. 2020). 4.4.3 Ex e nal suppo ●Public policies a e na ional and in e na ional policies aimed a educing emissions ia he inc ease o enewable ene gy and o he mi iga ion ac ions (e.g., Pa k 2020). Howe e , o e ec i e and a - eaching policies, “sys ema ic and con inuous e alua ions a e equi ed” (Sp engel and Busch 2011, p. 362). ●Syne gis ic ela ionships (con ac ual o non-con ac ual) be ween o ganiza ions gene a e syne gies, including sha ed knowledge, esou ces and echnologies, cos sa ings, educed isks, e c. (e.g., Kihiko and Kino i 2016). ●Public g an s and esou ces a e inancial, angible, and in angible esou ces (e.g., awa eness aising and knowledge) ha local and na ional go e nmen s p o ide o accele a e he ansi ion o a low-ca bon socie y (e.g., Bumpus 2015; Zhang e al. 2012). 5 Compa a i e analysis be ween con en ional and deep deca boniza ion esponses In o de o make signi ican con ibu ions o educing he h ea o global wa ming abo e 1.5 °C, d as ic educ ions o CO2e a e necessa y, which we call deep deca boniza ion esponses in his pape . In his second pa o ou indings, we compa e he selec ed li e a u e be ween con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change and esponses ela ed o deep deca boniza ion, including he e ms absolu e educ ion, ca bon neu ali y, low ca bon, and ne ze o. Ou in-dep h in es iga ion e eals ha mos o he sampled pape s we e only using deca boniza ion and ela ed e ms in a e y supe icial way. Fo example, he concep s o a “low-ca bon economy” and a “low-ca bon socie y” we e equen ly men ioned (e.g., Cadez and Ce ny 2016; Cadez and Guilding 2017; Pa k 2020); howe e , he li e a u e did no make speci ic e e ences o any speci ic d i e s, ac ions, ba ie s, o acili a o s associa ed wi h deep deca boniza ion. Thus, he li e a u e is na owed down o 49 pape s (ci ca 13%) o he en i e sample ha p o ide g ea e insigh s in o deep deca boniza ion esponses acco ding o he ou a eas o in es iga ion. Table 3 p o ides a summa y o he compa a i e analysis be ween con en ional esponses o clima e change and deep deca boniza ion esponses. We e iew bo h li e a u e s eams again acco ding o he ou a eas o in es iga ion, which allows us o make a side-by-side compa ison. 1 3 939 M. P. Johnson e al. Ca ego ies Con en ional esponses o clima e change Deep deca boniza ion esponses To al sample 321 pape s (ca. 87% o he en i e sample) 49 pape s (ca. 13% o he en i e sample) Yea ange Spans he en i e ime ange – 2001 (e.g., Kolk and Le y 2001) o 2022 (e.g., Zhang e al. 2022) Mo e ecen – 2014 (e.g., Liu 2014) o 2022 (e.g., Zhu e al. 2022) D i e s (o e all) Expansi e li e a u eon all d i e s. D i e s a e also o en di ec ly associa ed wi h co po a e esponse ac ions. In pa icula … Limi ed li e a u eon d i e s, which is ba ely connec ed wi h co po a e ac ions. The ew indings hin a … Ins i u ional …go e nmen al egula ions and s akeholde p essu es as well as inancial ma ke s in e es ed in ope a ional isks om clima e change (Hi sch 2019). …a need o s ic e egula o y p essu es ia policy-d i en cons ain s (i.e., ca bon p icing ei he ia axes o ETS) and s ong incen i es o deca boniza ion in pa icula indus ies. Less equen ly ocused on inancial ma ke s (excep ions include Ba ano a and Meadows 2017; Bui & de Villie s, 2017; T inks e al. 2022; Viei a e al. 2022) O ganiza ional …o ganiza ional mo i a ion o cos sa ings leads o ene gy e iciency and p ocess imp o emen s. …cos -sa ing mo i a ions associa ed wi h low-ca bon ope a ions. Also, isks and epu a ion, bu e y li le connec ion wi h d i e s o ac ions. Indi idual … isiona y leade s ( op-down) and e hical mo i a ions o en lead o adminis a i e ac ions (e.g., a ge se ing). …leade ship ia ision s a emen s (e.g., being a “ca bon neu al company” o “a ca bon indus y leade ” in Bui and de Villie s 2017). Ac ions (o e all) Ex ensi e lis o ac ions, including all ou ca ego ies, bo h in gene al and indus y-speci ic. Howe e , li le indica ion abou how hese ac ions lead o deep deca boniza ion. The mos equen ly men ioned ac ions include … Limi ed li e a u eon ac ions di ec ly associa ed wi h deep deca boniza ion and associa ed e ms. Main ac ions men ioned a e in he ca ego ies o adminis a i e and applica i e, such as: Communica i e … epo ing and poli ical ac ion o hwa cos ly, in ensi e co po a e esponses o clima e change. La e s udies e eal how ma ke ing and PR a e necessa y o engage impo an s akeholde s (i.e., acili a o s → s akeholde engagemen ). … epo ing, which is deemed essen ial o encou age knowledge and lea ning as well as sha ed ision ( acili a o s→ capabili ies). Collabo a i e …company pa icipa ion, ca bon ading, and supply chain coo dina ion; limi ed ocus on lowe ing ca bon- in ensi e p ac ices in supply chains (e.g., g een p ocu emen and logis ics) …highligh supply chain ac ions, such as low-ca bon p ocu emen and logis ics (e.g., Bö che and Mülle 2015; Janipou e al. 2022). Table 3 Compa a i e analysis be ween con en ional esponses and deep deca boniza ion esponses 1 3 940 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… Ca ego ies Con en ional esponses o clima e change Deep deca boniza ion esponses Adminis a i e … a ge se ing, da a collec ion and moni o ing, and managemen sys ems. A combina ion o hese ac ions o en conside ed as a comple e ca bon managemen sys em (CMS). … ocus a ge se ing, in e nal ca bon p icing (ICP), and da a managemen . Pape s highligh di e ences be ween subs an i e and symbolic ac ions in a ge se ing (e.g., Dahlmann e al. 2019), bu also subs an ial imp o emen s, which can be ein o ced by ICP (Aldy and Gian a e 2019; Kuo and Chang 2021; Zhu e al. 2022). Applica i e …ene gy e iciency, p oduc inno a ion, p ocess imp o emen , and enewable ene gy, especially he la e o lowe ing ca bon emissions in p oduc ion p ocesses (Scopes 1 and 2). …emphasize ene gy e iciency, enewable ene gy, p ocess imp o emen s, and p oduc inno a ion. While i is unclea how ene gy e iciency leads o deep deca boniza ion (O sini and Ma one 2019), o he s udies ocus on subs i u ion o ossil uels h ough low ca bon ene gy and enewables by he elec i ica ion o indus ies, such as anspo , buildings, and o a small ex en manu ac u ing (Bis line 2021; Campbell e al. 2022). Ba ie s (o e all) Many di e se ba ie sa e men ioned, bu no necessa ily excusing why companies do no educe ca bon emissions. The cen al ocus o ba ie s is implemen a ion o ac ions wi h li le associa ion o deca boniza ion. The main ba ie s include… Few ba ie s ela e o deep deca boniza ion, mos ly o high-emi ing companies and indus ies, as ca bon lock-in and s anded asse s p esen high ans o ma ion cos . I emains unseen i hese pa icula ba ie s p ohibi companies om achie ing deep deca boniza ion. Ne e heless, he mos common ba ie s a e… Ex e nal … egula o y unce ain y, complexi y, and he lack o ex e nal incen i es. The as amoun o li e a u e on egula o y unce ain y shows ha al hough clima e legisla ion may ha e inc eased, e.g., EU ETS, laws and egula ions a e inconsis en and no uni e sal. … egula o y unce ain y and lack o incen i es a e wo main ex e nal ba ie s, especially associa ed wi h ailu e o implemen low-ca bon ope a ions (e.g., Fu lan Al es e al. 2019; Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al. 2020). In e nal …lack o knowledge as well as lack o esou ces. The lack o expe ise may p e en i ms om engaging in mi iga ion, as po en ial bene i s a e no ecognized. Lack o addi ional capi al o R&D emains p oblema ic o i ms (Mis age and Bilo a 2018). …lack o knowledge and awa eness as well as ca bon lock-in e ec s in high- emi ing companies, which ac as ba ie s ia high ansi ion cos s owa ds low- ca bon ope a ions, p ac ices, and supply chains (Baue e al. 2022; Janipou e al. 2022; Zhu e al. 2022). Dimensional … empo al and spa ial ba ie s, bu o a limi ed ex en . Thus, compa ed o in e nal and ex e nal ba ie s, hese ba ie s do no appea o inhibi co po a e ac ion o a g ea ex en . …no e e ences o empo al and spa ial ba ie s wi h ega d o deep deca boniza ion, which shows ha hey ha e no ye been conside ed in connec ion wi h deep deca boniza ion esponses. Facili a o s (o e all) Comp ehensi e examina ion o acili a o s o o e come he ba ie s. The main acili a o s include… Few acili a o s owa ds deca boniza ion. Se e al excep ions include… Table 3 (con inued) 1 3 941 M. P. Johnson e al. 5.1 Compa ison o d i e s be ween con en ional and deep deca boniza ion esponses The en i e ange o d i e s is ex ensi ely co e ed in he li e a u e on con en ional esponses o clima e change. The mos o he li e a u e discusses ins i u ional d i e s, especially poli ical and egula o y p essu es ha e eal how go e nmen al egula ions o ce business o ganiza ions o espond o clima e change (Jin e al. 2014; Le y and Kolk 2002). The li e a u e highly ci es manda o y policies, such as he EU ETS (Engau and Ho mann 2009; Jeswani e al. 2008). Ano he equen ly ci ed ins i u ional d i e is inancial ma ke s (Busch and Ho mann 2011; Kolk and Pinkse 2008). The mos equen ly ci ed o ganiza ional d i e s include cos sa ings (Bui and de Villie s 2017; Cadez and Guilding 2017) and isk educ ion (Busch and Ho mann 2011). On he indi idual le el, isiona y leade s (Jeswani e al. 2008; Jiang e al. 2020; Sub amaniam e al. 2015) and e hical mo i a ions (Oke eke 2007; W igh and Nybe g 2012) a e he mos equen ly ci ed. By con as , he li e a u e on deep deca boniza ion esponses only p o ides us wi h a limi ed se o d i e s. The mos equen ly iden i ied d i e is poli ical and egula o y p essu es, which mani es in he o m o s ic e ca bon policies, e iciency s anda ds, and manda o y ca bon ax schemes (Bows-La kin 2015; Lagou a dou e al. 2020; Zhou and Wen 2020). Less commonly discussed in he li e a u e is how inancial ma ke s and in es o s may suppo companies’ deep deca boniza ion e o s, al hough se e al excep ions can be ound (Ba ano a and Meadows 2017; Bui and de Villie s 2017; T inks e al. 2022; Viei a e al. 2022). Ne e heless, hese p essu es and incen i es can be conside ed missing o ce ain egions and indus ies, such as in e na ional a ia ion and o e seas shipping, as hey a e no cu en ly co e ed by na ional clima e policies (Bows-La kin 2015). Howe e , i appea s mos d i e s a e Ca ego ies Con en ional esponses o clima e change Deep deca boniza ion esponses O ganiza ional change …. awa eness and op managemen commi men . Leade ship can play a c ucial ole o inc easing he awa eness among employees and encou aging ac ion (e.g., Ca i e e al. 2015). …awa eness and op managemen commi men can aid in o e coming ba ie s o low-ca bon ope a ions (e.g., Aldy and Gian a e 2019). Howe e , u he c i e ia o achie e deep deca boniza ion is no p o ided. O ganiza ional capabili ies …key o ganiza ional capabili ies, including knowledge, R&D imp o emen s, and s akeholde engagemen o easily ad ance mi iga ion e o s (Luo and Tang 2021; Pinkse and Kolk 2012). … aining and educa ion o employees (Bui and de Villie s 2017) as well as s akeholde engagemen can be conside ed impo an acili a o s o achie ing ex ensi e emission educ ions (Ba ano a and Meadows 2017). Ex e nal suppo …public policies and syne gis ic ela ionships. Rega ding ela ionships, Finke e al. (2016, p. 94) emphasize “collec i e ac ion [being] key…. No indi idual company alone has he necessa y esou ces and capabili ies o ackle he unp eceden ed challenge o clima e change.” …public policies and a ac ing long- e m in es o s. Public-p i a e pa ne ships can ac as a b idge be ween companies and go e nmen s, especially use ul in collec i e ac ion and sha ing esou ces, knowledge and expe ise (Janipou e al. 2022; Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al. 2020). Table 3 (con inued) 1 3 942 Beyond con en ional co po a e esponses o clima e change owa ds… no impac ul enough o embolden d as ic ca bon educ ions, such as cos sa ings (Fu lan Al es e al. 2019) and inno a ion (Bö che and Mülle 2015; Fal e e al. 2020) on he o ganiza ional le el. Se e al esea ch gaps eme ge when compa ing he wo se s o esponses, including missing in o ma ion on inancial ma ke incen i es o deep deca boniza ion, cos educ ion and p o i inc eases, new ma ke s, and epu a ion inc eases on he o ganiza ional le el, as well as bo om-up employee ini ia i es demanding deep deca boniza ion on he indi idual le el. 5.2 Compa ison o ac ions in he wo li e a u e s eams Fo con en ional esponses o clima e change, he ac ions mos equen ly ci ed include epo ing and poli ical ac ion (i.e., communica i e ac ions), supply chain managemen and ca bon ading (i.e., collabo a i e ac ions), a ge se ing, da a collec ion and moni o ing, and managemen sys ems (i.e., adminis a i e ac ions), and ene gy e iciency and p ocess imp o emen s (i.e., applica i e ac ions). Se e al ac ions ac as in e aces and ca alys s o addi ional ac ion. Fo example, ca bon managemen sys ems d aw oge he a ious manage ial and ope a ional ac i i ies o a desi ed ou come (Sulli an 2010). Fu he mo e, p ocess imp o emen combines he implemen a ion o ene gy e iciency in ope a ions and p oduc ion as well as he inc eased use o enewable ene gy sou ces. Howe e , p ocess imp o emen is no a one-size- i s-all app oach. Fo example, p ocess imp o emen s in high-emi ing indus ies equen ly include majo in es men s in ene gy-e icien echnologies (Kolk and Pinkse 2004), while in low-emi ing indus ies (e.g., se ice-o ien ed) hey ocus on he implemen a ion o ene gy conse a ion p og ams (Galb ea h 2010; Kolk and Pinkse 2004;). When examining he li e a u e on ac ions o deep deca boniza ion esponses, i appea s ha ac ions a e a he limi ed o mos ly adminis a i e (i.e., a ge se ing and in e nal ca bon p icing – e.g., Aldy and Gian a e 2019; Kuo and Chang 2021; Zhu e al. 2022) and applica i e ac ions (i.e.,, ene gy e iciency, p ocess imp o emen s, and p oduc inno a ions – e.g., Bö che and Mülle 2015; Dahlmann e al. 2019; Schneide e al. 2020) and mo e concen a ed on sec o -speci ic solu ions, such as o he au omo i e (Bö che and Mülle 2015), cons uc ion (O sini and Ma one 2019), o shipping indus ies (Bows-La kin 2015; Schneide e al. 2020). This sugges s ha ac ions owa ds deep deca boniza ion should de ini ely conside sec o -speci ic solu ions, such as ocused p oduc inno a ion and p ocess imp o emen s; howe e , i should conside he abili y o ce ain ac ions o ac as ca alys s o u he ac ion. The main di e ences be ween he li e a u e s eams ega ding co po a e ac ions is he ocus and combina ion o ac ions. The con en ional li e a u e ocuses on all ou ac ions a eas, whils deep deca boniza ion esponses is a he ocused on he in e nal aspec s (i.e., adminis a i e and applica i e ac ions). Addi ionally, we ind ha he deep deca boniza ion esponses a ely conside mul iple co po a e ac ions in comp ehensi e esponses, such as managemen sys ems. Ne e heless, he sys ema ic e iew highligh s ha se e al manage ial measu es in pa icula lend hemsel es o being in eg a ed wi h o he ac ions, including a ge se ing (Gouldson and Sulli an 2013; Rie be gen e al. 2015), managemen sys ems (Liou 2015; Sub amaniam e al. 2015), and da a collec ion and moni o ing (Kolk and Pinkse 2008; Zhang e al. 1 3 943 M. P. Johnson e al. 2012). Fu he mo e, he li e a u e hin s ha companies conside ing a coo dina ed se o in e nal and ex e nal ac i i ies may be able o achie e a mo e p og essi e and subs an ial esponse o clima e change (Dame e al. 2017; Jeswani e al. 2008; Weinho e and Ho mann 2010), bu his should be es ed in speci ic con ex o deep deca boniza ion. 5.3 Compa ison o ba ie s in he wo li e a u e s eams The mos ci ed ex e nal ba ie s o con en ional esponses o clima e change include egula o y unce ain y (Engau and Ho mann 2009; Oke eke 2007), complexi y (Pinkse and Kolk 2012; Roese and Jackson 2002), and lack o ex e nal incen i es (Chen e al. 2018; Wang 2017). In addi ion, a ious ex e nal ac o s ac as a ba ie o co po a e esponses o clima e change. One example includes he absence o a uni ied s anda diza ion o epo ing (Busch e al. 2022). These ba ie s ha e a - eaching implica ions, as de ini ions and s anda diza ion can be conside ed p econdi ions o scalable ac ions and compa abili y be ween co po a e mi iga ion e o s. Lack o knowledge and expe ise as well as lack o esou ces ep esen he mos p essing in e nal ba ie s o companies acco ding o he e iewed li e a u e (e.g., Mis age and Bilo a 2018). Su icien unding o co po a e ac ions emains p oblema ic o i ms. Fu he mo e, he lack o expe ise may e en p e en some i ms om engaging in mi iga ion, as he pe cep ion o ade-o s o e shadows he ecogni ion o po en ial bene i s (Am an e al. 2016). The ba ie s o deep deca boniza ion a e ewe , concen a ing on a ew issues, including egula o y unce ain y (Bows-La kin 2015; Dahlmann e al. 2019) and lack o esou ces (Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al. 2019; O sini and Ma one 2019). While i may appea ha egula o y p essu e has in ensi ied in ecen yea s, especially in some egions, e.g., Eu ope’s s ic e ca bon policies o epo ing, impo s, and ope a ions (e.g., Fi o 55, EU ETS), many go e nmen s a ound he globe con inue o s all o backslide on exis ing policy measu es (Bows-La kin 2015; Lopes de Sousa Jabbou e al. 2020). Policies and go e nmen al suppo go beyond simple he o ic o push o low-ca bon inno a ion, bu poli ical and inancial s abili y lead o many na ions o ha e ine ec i e policies (Lagou a dou e al. 2020). 5.4 Compa ison o acili a o s in he wo li e a u e s eams Fo he li e a u e on con en ional esponses, a comp ehensi e examina ion o acili a o s sugges s an abili y o o e come ba ie s o implemen ing ac ions o igh clima e change (Esen and Caliskan 2016; Finke e al. 2016; Kihiko and Kino i 2016). Top managemen commi men leads o u he capabili ies, including knowledge and lea ning, as well as sha ed ision (Aldy and Gian a e 2019). Addi ionally, s akeholde engagemen ma ched wi h go e nmen al suppo can help companies make p og ess on clima e mi iga ion (Esen and Caliskan 2016). As o deep deca boniza ion esponses, only ew e e ences a e made o acili a o s. The mos equen acili a o s include inc eased aining and educa ion as well as s akeholde engagemen . 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