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A meso-political economy of how climate issues impact regulation: the case of the wood industry in France

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Abstract

This article sets out to analyse how and why the wood industry in France has recently responded to various calls for its economic models to fit better with the demands of climate change and ecological transition. By adopting a ‘politics of industry’ approach to the linkages between business practices and their regulation by the European Union, the state, and regional authorities, it unpacks the structuration of this industry, then examines the political work undertaken either to change or conserve it. The study draws upon interviews with public, private, and collective actors from throughout the industry, documentary analysis, and observation of stakeholder meetings. First, we show that in this industry, access to markets and to its factors of production (natural and financial capital) has indeed become increasingly driven by environmental criteria and practices of ecological planning. Second, however, the industry is still struggling to make its productive models fit with an institutional order that has only partially transitioned in this direction. In endeavouring to make productive models and this institutional order match up, key actors in the industry are still working politically to reach three objectives that are often contradictory: (i) build cohesion within the industry aligned with decarbonization ambitions, (ii) re-organize value chains that respond to calls for more national sovereignty for wood, and (iii) maintain ties between a productivist model that has taken on board ecological constraints and another, essentially conservationist, one which still resists change to the very definition of the overall objectives of the industry.

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Notes

  1. A productive model is considered as a dominant mode of management for firms in an industry to deal with uncertainties of market, labor, and profit extraction, in order to generate long term sustainability (Boyer et al., 2002; Montalban and SakinÇ, 2011).

  2. Forest and wood national dialogue. Synthesis of the work. 2022.

  3. I4CE publication: Grimault, J., Tronquet, C., Bellassen, V., Bonvillain, T., & Foucherot, C. (2022). Carbon sinks: is France’s ambition realistic? https://www.i4ce.org/en/publication/carbon-sinks-is-france-ambition-realistic-climate/.

  4. Data from UCFF (Union des cooperatives forestières françaises) https://lescooperativesforestieres.fr/chiffres-cles/.

  5. See report by CGAAER (Ministry of Agriculture): Moreau, F., Piveteau, V. (2022). The development of supply contracts in the wood industry. Report n° 21,081-P. 2022.

  6. Juillot, M. D., 2003, The French wood industry: competitiveness, a challenge for sustainable development. Research report for the Ministry of agriculture.

  7. As of 1 January 2013, auctioning has become the main method of allocating CO2 allowances in the European carbon market system (EU ETS). The revenue from these auctions is paid back to the states. The implementation of Directive 2003/87/EC on the EU ETS stipulated that a minimum of 50% of the revenue generated by the auctioning system should be used to address climate change.

  8. This fund has been created within the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture (endowed in 2014 with €25 million). It entails the reallocation of resources internal to the “Forest” budget, the payment of compensation for land clearing and part of the additional tax on unbuilt land (TATFNB).

  9. In 2022, France launched a huge investment plan for innovation and technological development (€54 billion) — “France 2030” — including ambitious actions for the forest-based sector. Target 6 of France 2030 provide “support for forest renewal, with a view to sustainable management and preservation of biodiversity, optimize the use of wood resources and support the competitiveness of the sector (450 M€)”.

  10. CGAER (Ministry of agriculture). The wood industry. Report synthesis, by C. Demolis, C. Dereix and M. Vallance, January 2015.

  11. Got P. and Abad D., For better economic development of the wood industry in France, Information report for the National Assembly, October 14, 2015.

  12. Houpert A., Botrel Y., Making the wood industry an asset for France, Information report no. 382 (2014–2015) on behalf of the Finance Commission. Senate. April 1, 2015.

  13. Press Pack of the professional organization of the sawmill industry (FNB) entitled “Crisis: The growing export of raw oak is ruining the French processing industry, which appeals to the President of the Republic.” https://www.fnbois.com/la-voix-de-la-fnb/dossier-dactualite/

  14. This label compels member companies to transform, or have transformed within the EU, all oaks purchased during the "labeled oak" sales.

  15. Proposal for a regulation. Net Zero Industry Act. COM(2023) 161. March 16, 2023.

  16. Press article: Wood manufacturers warn of lack of oak trees. Les Echos. February 6, 2018. https://www.lesechos.fr/2018/02/les-industriels-du-bois-alertent-sur-le-manque-de-chenes-983742.

  17. Canopée/FERN/Les amis de la Terre, Gestion Forestière et changement climatique: une nouvelle approche de la stratégie nationale d’atténuation, Report, 2020.

  18. The Italian group Florian has 17 industrial sawmills in Italy and Eastern Europe where it employs 1000 people. It is a specialist in hardwood processing from sawing to finished products in oak and beech for parquet, stairs or furniture.

  19. Sawmill by-products are the co-products of the sawing activity and represent almost 50% by volume of the raw material.

  20. Instead of supplying the paper mills, sawmills by-products are used to produce energy (heat and/or electricity).

  21. In 2017, 5% of the 1450 French sawmills are industrial type companies; they produce 54% of the production. In Germany, five firms produce the equivalent of the French sawmill production (8 Mm3/year) — Chalayer, M., 2019, Le Bois International, no. 35, Press article.

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Funding

Arnaud SERGENT has received funding from the French government (Ministry of Agriculture).

This study received financial support from the French government in the framework of the University of Bordeaux's IdEx "Investments for the Future" program / RRI Tackling Global Change.

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  1. Inrae Nouvelle-Aquitaine Bordeaux – UR ETTIS, 50 Avenue de Verdun, Gazinet, F-33612, Cestas, Cedex, France

    Arnaud Sergent

  2. Centre Emile Durkheim, Sciences Po Bordeaux, Pessac, France

    Andy Smith

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Sergent, A., Smith, A. A meso-political economy of how climate issues impact regulation: the case of the wood industry in France. Rev Agric Food Environ Stud (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41130-024-00209-w

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