Interviews concerning Responsible Innovation in biobased value chain

We conducted interviews with members of a R&D group (AB) in a biobased company . Primary data was gathered through semi-structured interviews at AB. The interview questions were grouped into five sets. First, respondents were asked to describe AB, their motivations and concerns regarding the project. Second, they were asked how they understood corporate responsibility and what wider societal and environmental impacts they envisioned would result from the project – both positive and negative. Third, the interviewees outlined the current stage of the project and what it was like to make decisions at that stage. Fourth, it was queried to what extent wider societal and environmental impacts were taken into consideration in the decision-making process. Finally, respondents were asked to identify AB’s stakeholders and describe the collaboration with them. There were 13 interviewees in total. To gain a diverse perspective on the project, the interview group included 7 team members (project managers, technology experts, and trainees), 4 external consultants (3 from business and marketing, 1 academic), and 2 internal stakeholders from other units of the company (1 sustainability expert, 1 upper management member). The interviews were recorded, then translated and transcribed into English.