Intermediaries in Sociotechnical Transitions to Sustainability: An Analytical Model Grounded on Corporate Strategy, Niche Technologies, and ESG

Contemporary society faces global socio-environmental challenges due to climate change, natural resource scarcity, pandemics, and the need for poverty alleviation. Recent studies on transitions to sustainability show that intermediaries play an important role in accelerating this process. The objective of this study is twofold. First, we aim to analyze the impact of intermediaries in sociotechnical transitions to sustainability on the biogas technological innovation system (TIS) in Parana state, Brazil, in light of strategies and niche technologies employed, as well as environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) and, second, to contribute to studies on sociotechnical transitions. To accomplish these objectives, a case study was conducted on CIbiogas (International Center for Renewable Energy Biogas), created with support from the United Nations. Hereby, 27 in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed on the connection between transitions and strategy, niche technologies, and ESG, and then triangulated with an analysis of archival documents. Preliminary results suggest that intermediaries can contribute to sociotechnical transitions by interacting with actors, networks, and institutions, and building trustworthy relationships. The main contribution of this chapter is an analytical model that can help other researchers in the development of studies about the role of intermediaries in accelerating transitions to sustainability.