Information
Eco-innovation
| Eco-innovation ¹ is the process of developing new products, processes or services which provide customer and business value but significantly ² decrease environmental impact (James, 1997). |
| Eco-innovation is any form of innovation aiming at significant and
demonstrable progress towards the goal of sustainable development, through reducing impacts on the environment or achieving a more efficient and
responsible use of natural resources, including energy. Competitiveness and Innovation Framework (2007 to 2013) Official Journal of the European Union (9/11/06) |
It is widely recognised that eco-innovation will play a critical broad role in sustainable development through contributing to more sustainable forms of consumption and production. It will also play a critical specific role in addressing environmental problems such as climate change.
Eco-innovation may include incremental environmental improvements. However, to sustainably meet the needs of a growing world population will require radical, stepwise or ‘factor x' improvements in eco-efficiency. New technology³ must be part of the solution although innovation may also include organisational marketing and other changes by a company and wider system changes affecting use of the product.
Eco-innovation can be applied in any product, process or service area leading to environmental benefits but core (related) areas of need are in ‘dematerialisation' (materials reduction/efficiency) and ‘decarbonisation' (low carbon/energy efficiency).
Eco-innovation offers major opportunities for businesses and for regional and national economies in emerging global markets for more eco-efficient products and services.
Notes: 1. The term eco-innovation is often used interchangeably with ‘sustainable innovation' (SI). SI may be used either in the sense of environmental innovation contributing to sustainability or in the sense of having social and ethical benefits. In practice, most sustainable innovation is environmentally oriented since the drivers are generally stronger and the issues can be more readily managed in product/service design and development 2. In practice, radical eco-innovation is rare and still mainly confined to niche or pilot products. Most eco- innovation is presently at the level of incremental environmental improvements to existing products and services. There is no well-defined distinction between radical and incremental eco- innovation. 3. The importance of new technology in sustainable development (and role of factor x) is illustrated by the I =PxAxT (or IPAT) equation where I is the environmental impact of a population P consuming at a level A per capita (representing affluence) and employing technology T. Globally P may double over the next 50-100 years but A could increase many times more in line with the compounded growth of the world's economy as living standards rise for many, both rich and poor. Estimates vary in how much PxA may increase but comparable reductions in the T factor will be needed to offset the PA increase. |
General sources
Arthur D. Little, 2004. How leading companies are using sustainability-driven Innovation to win tomorrow's customers http://www.adl.com
Centre for Sustainable Design: Proceedings and other documentation relating to the Sustainable Innovation series of conferences and associated events.
http://www.cfsd.org.uk/events/tspd12/index.html
Centre for Sustainable Engineering: Promotes collaboration between business, universities and others in developing innovative sustainable technologies.
http://www.cseng.org.uk
EnvironWindows platform for environmental knowledge sharing, including eco-innovation.
http://www.ewindows.eu.org/
Euractiv media portal for EU environmental affairs: Includes European Commission developments in eco-innovation. http://www.euractiv.com/en/environment
European Commission: Innova: The European Commission's (DG Enterprise and Industry) project begun in 2006 to promote eco-innovation.
http://www.europe-innova.org/index.jsp
European Commission: Environmental Technology Action Plan including eco-innovation initiatives and a conference on eco-innovation 19-20 April 2005.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/index_en.htm
European Commission: Eco-indicators workshop at the European Environment Agency, September 2005.
http://www.ewindows.eu.org/industry/innovation/indicators/eea_ecoinnovationpe
European Commission: Speech to the European Business Summit on the eco-innovation challenges for European business. by Given by the European Commissioner for the Environment March 2006. http://www.europa.eu/rapid/PressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/06/175
European Eco-Innovation Forum: A forum of experts whose first conference was 21-22 November 2006.
http://www.envitech-net.org/ecoinnovation/
Eco-Innovation Invest: European Platform on 2007 financial support for eco-innovation.
http://www.epe.be/2007/EPEcalendar07.pdf
Global Environmental Management Initiative. 2000 conference Eco-innovation: New pathways to economic growth. http://www.gemi.org/docs/conf2000
UK Materials Knowledge Transfer Network ( UK ): Stakeholder partnership in innovation.
http://www.matuk.co.uk/KTN.htm
National Industrial Symbiosis Programme: UK business-led initiative to improve resource efficiency and create business opportunities through waste exchange between industries.
http://www.nisp.org.uk
Nordic Innovation Center : Collaboration between Nordic countries on innovation in environmental technology. http://www.nordicinnovation.net
Resource Efficiency Knowledge Transfer Network ( UK ): Stakeholder partnership in innovation. http://ren.globalwatchonline.com
Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI). SERI contributes to European initiatives on eco-innovation.
http://www.seri.at
UK government site for advice and support on sustainable innovation.
http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/advice/business/innovations.htm
Technium Sustainable Technologies: Environmental innovation hub supported by the EU and Welsh Development
http://www.wda.co.uk/index.cfm/wda_home/technium/technium_centres/sustainable_technologies_technium/en4518
UK Government: Environmental Innovation Advisory Group: Vision, meeting minutes and other documents. http://www.dti.gov.uk/sectors/environmental/environmentaleiag
UK Government: Market Transformation Programme supporting sustainable consumption and production, including policies supporting innovation.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/mtp/index.htm
UK Government. UK ETAP Roadmap: United Kingdom National Roadmap for Implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (2005)
http://www.defra.gov.uk
UK Government. 2003 Innovation Report. Competing in the Global Economy: the innovation challenge .
http://www.dti.gov.uk/innovationreport
Waste and Resources Action Plan: Promoting and supporting waste reduction including supporting innovation. http://www.wrap.org.uk
World Environment Foundation: Golden Peacock eco-innovation award.
http://www.wem.net
Journals and other publications
Centre for Entrepreneurship, Oslo : Hellstrom T, Dimensions of Environmentally Sustainable Innovation.
http://www.sfe.uio.no
Green marketing: Eco-innovation references including ‘Driving eco-innovation: A breakthrough discipline for innovation and sustainability' by Fussler C and James P, Pitman Publishing, London 1997.
http://www.greenmarketing.com
Hart SL. 2005. Capitalism at the Crossroads: The unlimited business opportunities from solving the world's most difficult problems, Wharton School Publishing, Pennsylvania.
http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/sge/hartbooks.html
Institut für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung gGmbH. 2000. Greening of the Innovation System? Opportunities and Obstacles for a Path Change towards Sustainability: The Case of Germany Diskussionspapier des IÖW 47/00.
http://www.ioew.de/
International Journal of Environmental Technology vol 2 No 4/2002: Foster C and Green K, Environmental innovation in industry: The importance of environmentally driven users
http://inderscience.metapress.com
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design (online journal). Includes papers on eco-innovation. http://www.cfsd.org.uk/journal/index.html
Kemp R and Anderson M, Strategies for Eco-Efficiency Innovation: Report for the Dutch Presidency of the EU, 2004. http://www2.vrom.nl/docs/internationaal/RegonalResearch02.pdf
Technopolis BV.2004. Policy Instruments for Sustainable Innovation
http://www.technopolis-group.com/
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