Business appreciation of global atmospheric change: the United Kingdom refrigeration industry

From the perspective of an external observer there appears to be good reaso n for business managers in industries affected by global atmospheric change to engage with the science that underpins the issues of stratospheric ozon e depletion and global warming. In part, this reflects the potential compet itive advantages that follow from keeping abreast of emergent environmental concerns that might require change in an industry's products or processes. Scientific understanding has long been seen as positively linked to econom ic performance. Increasingly, however, more specific environmental knowledg e is argued to make good business sense. Indeed, the Ecological Modernizati on Theory presents the environmental challenge facing business as a major s timulus to innovation and future profitability. There are now many case stu dies-frequently involving large corporations-and extensive surveys that cla im to provide evidence of a strengthening and mutually beneficial partnersh ip between economic and environmental interests. Yet there are far fewer st udies that offer a detailed exploration of the ways in which individual bus iness managers and decision-makers view the environment. And we know little about the role that science and scientific uncertainty play in business li fe and the assessment of environmental issues. This paper is part of a growing effort to create a more empirically grounde d understanding of business and the environment. It draws upon semi-structu red interviews with managers in the United Kingdom refrigeration industry, a sector particularly affected in recent years by concerns about global atm ospheric change. An initial reflection upon the impact that ozone depletion and global warming have had on the refrigeration industry is followed by c onsideration of interviewees' understanding of emergent environmental conce rns and the role that science has played in informing their opinions. This reveals that neither science nor the environment per se play a central role in business planning. Where scientific arguments or environmental evidence are used they are often only selectively quoted in ways that bolster estab lished commercial needs. The way in which science is used may explain the a pparent lack of any impulse towards ecological modernization in the sectors of the refrigeration industry explored here. It is also evident, however, that companies' relationships with customers and suppliers also shape a som ewhat passive response to environmental and technical challenges. By contra st, environmental legislation appears to be a major motivating force. Legis lation not only enforces, but also legitimates, attention to specific envir onmental issues. At the same time, however, this regulatory certainty forec loses scientific discussion. Where clear legislation does not exist-as is t he case with global warming-interviewees saw its introduction as a more eff ective route to reducing uncertainty than any societal investment in scient ific research or environmental action. While legislation has established st andards that promote specific instances of environmental good practice, the re is little evidence of the creation of any wider momentum for organizatio nal change. Thus, additional industrial response to environmental concerns may require continued extension and refinement of the regulatory framework.