Advances in the social construction of energy management and energy efficiency in industry

Energy efficiency is essential for climate change mitigation. Energy management, shaped by both technical artefacts and social constructions, can overcome barriers and achieve greater emission reductions than technology-focused approaches alone. Nine social constructions of energy management emphasize the need for a broader view that includes operations, processes, and knowledge creation and diffusion. By adopting these strategies, corporations and policymakers can substantially reduce industrial energy use and emissions. We estimate that effective energy management policies and voluntary initiatives could cut at least 5% of global industrial fossil CO₂ emissions.

Thollander, P., M. Andrei, N. Jalo, P. Rohdin, J. Palm, A. Sannö, J. Colding, S. Barthel, G. Salah Uddin, and B. M. Xavier. 2025. Advances in the social construction of energy management and energy efficiency in industry. Nature Communications 16:4075.