Navigating Trade-Offs : Industry Organizations, Sustainability, and Legitimacy in the Plastics Sector

Sammanfattning

Abstract This thesis examines how an industry organization within the plastics industry can develop its structures, membership model, and communication strategies to promote sustainability, transparency, and social responsibility, thereby strengthening legitimacy and public trust. The study focuses on the Swedish Plastics Industry Association (SPIF) and its ongoing organizational transformation, including the integration of Svensk Plast into a broader organizational structure. Using qualitative case study design, the research is based on ten semi-structured interviews with representatives from SPIF, member companies, and external stakeholders connected to the plastics value chain. The empirical material was analyzed through thematic analysis, supported by organizational legitimacy theory, collective action theory, meta-organization theory, and stakeholder theory. The findings show that sustainability challenges within the plastics industry are systemic and interconnected, requiring coordination and collaboration across the value chain. The study highlights the role of industry organizations as coordinating actors that facilitate sustainability efforts, communication, and legitimacy building. SPIF´s broader membership model and organizational transformation were perceived as important steps toward increased inclusiveness, coordination, and collective responsibility, although they also create tensions related to governance and representation. The thesis contributes to existing research by demonstrating how sustainability transitions within contested industries involve not only technological change, but also organizational transformation, stakeholder coordination, and legitimacy-building processes. _________________________________________________________________________ Key words: Plastics industry, sustainability, industry organizations, organizational legitimacy, collective action, circular economy, meta-organization, sustainability governance.