Beyond industrial decarbonisation strategy: Lessons from the bottom-up policy mix in the United Kingdom, 2021–2023

Industrial decarbonisation (ID) is a new challenge in the transition to net zero. The ID challenge is complicated because it covers a wide range of industries and processes, and therefore a policy mix approach is appropriate. Because of multiple interactions with existing areas of regulation, the bottom-up policy mix, as defined by Ossenbrink et al. (2019), is likely to be particularly important for the successful implementation of ID policy. In this article we build on the policy mix literature by positing how bottom-up policy instrument mixes may fail to be consistent and comprehensive not only because of conflicting goals and missing instruments but also due to missing information. We also consider how integrating policy functions centrally may help top-down policy mix coherence, but work against bottom-up coherence processes. We illustrate our argument through a case study of the first detailed examination of industrial decarbonisation policy and regulation for a major OECD country, i.e., the UK. Utilizing a robust and extensive original dataset of 118 expert interviews, we show how the top-down policy mix, focused on supporting innovation in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, is layered on top of a range of policies and regulations, including spatial planning, environmental pollution regulation, health and safety rules, gas standards and skills policy. Solving problems of inconsistency and a lack of comprehensiveness in instruments is slowed by insufficient coordination and resources. • Bottom-up policy mix will be important for delivering industrial decarbonisation. • Statutory regulations pose particular risks of inconsistency. • Missing information a likely cause of lack of comprehensiveness in instrument mix. • The UK industrial decarbonisation policy mix analysis illustrates the challenges.