Bridging Global Mandates and Local Realities: A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Upgrading of Salmon Global Value Chains

This study examines the role of multinational enterprise (MNE) subsidiaries in facilitating environmental upgrading in value chains, with a specific focus on the salmon aquaculture sector. Addressing the critical challenge of Scope 3 emissions, this research investigates the dynamics between a French food MNE’s UK subsidiary (Company X) in UK, acting as a Tier 1 supplier, and its lower-tier suppliers in Scotland and Norway. We explore how do multinational enterprise subsidiaries act as bridging mechanisms to mediate sustainability mandates and local institutional contexts, driving environmental upgrading and addressing Scope 3 emissions in the context of salmon value chains. Through qualitative analysis of interviews and secondary data, the findings highlight the subsidiary’s bridging role in reconciling global corporate mandates with local institutional pressures. Institutional context plays a defining role in shaping subsidiary’s bridging strategy with divergent implications for Scottish and Norwegian suppliers environmental upgrading.