Sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation anne gerlach centre for sustainability management csm, university of lueneburg this paper aims to systematise existing conceptual approaches of sustainable entrepreneurship and to outline the role sustainable entrepreneurs can play for the implementation of innovations in the con. Sustainable innovation involves bringing into common usage of ideas, concepts, practices and products that contribute to the ecological environment, social cohesion and economic viablity. Innovative startups were defined by the italian government as any. Innovation in the context of agriculture in the americas certain basic elements can contribute to a better understanding of the scope of the concept of innovation. In the 21st century, it refers generally to the capacity for the biosphere and human civilization to coexist. Sustainable development has economic, environmental, and social dimensions harris et al. Pdf what is and how to develop sustainable innovation. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In the past, innovation had a tendency to merely focus on the economic dimension and sustainable innovation adds the environmental and social perspectives to the concept of innovation hansen et al. To describe what a sustainable innovation is and how it is developed, the following definitions are proposed.
The concept of sustainability and sustainable innovation. Case studies and summary of findings 21 danone group 22 interface inc. The defining challenge of sustainable innovation may just be achieving economic growth despite declining resources. Sustainable frugal innovation the connection between frugal. The evolution of business models places sustainable innovation at the heart of organizations strategic agendas 2,4.
In this light, sustainable innovation serves god and humans by preserving our home for future generations. Making progress aim status in 2018 net revenue from more sustainable products by 2020 18. It is time to envision and design the plane of sustainable agriculture and dream of it really flying. Sustainability is the ability of a system to exist constantly at a cost, in a universe that evolves towards thermodynamic equilibrium, the state with maximum entropy. Defining a new paradigm in 1987 the world commission on environment and development sought to address the problem of conflicts between environment and development goals by formulating a definition of sustainable development. He teaches courses on csr and sustainable competitiveness at the undergraduate, mba and executive education levels. A sustainability innovation by the center for sustainable organizations march, 2011 draft 8. Sustainable innovation in the cosmetic industryobstacles.
Definition and importance of sustainable innovation. Brief for gsdr 2015 the concept of sustainable development. Throughout the booklet, although illdefined sustainable innovation is used as a shorthand to denote both broader sustainabilitydriven innovation and environmentallydriven innovation ecoinnovation. A bioeconomic perspective manish anand, the energy and resources institute teri, new delhi1 1 email. Sustainable innovation examples institute for management. Department of housing and urban development september 2011.
Sustainable innovation attempts to tackle some of societys biggest environmental concerns, but only in a way that makes a lasting impact for the future. Sustainability innovation is about defining economic development as the creation of private and social wealth to ultimately eliminate harmful impacts on ecological systems, human health, and communities. This implies that if companies want to do something about or with sus. Innovation activities are all scientific, technological, organizational, financial and commercial steps which actually, or are intended to, lead to the implementation of innovations. Rationale and specific strategies for each component are discussed in details. An attempt to reconceptualize lecture presented at nias. The academy for sustainable innovation is a gamechanging new initiative to train and certify a generation of professionals to lead canadas transition to a lowcarbon economy. Penn iur white paper series on sustainable urban development sustainable urban development indicators for the united states report to the office of international and philanthropic innovation, office of policy development and research, u.
The paper shows actual directions in marketing and management of ecoinnovations that are due to several important barriers less marketdriven than other innovations. The production and dissemination of knowledge will be central to solving. Better design and new technologies provide the means to act smarter and more. Ecoinnovation the key to europes future competitiveness ecoinnovation is any innovation resulting in significantprogress towards the goal of sustainable development, by reducing the impacts of our production modes on the environment, enhancing. Disruptive innovation disruptive innovation, a term of art coined by clayton christensen, describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors. A related definition of an innovation ecosystem is given by estrin 2009. Four levels of environmental innovation in the design path towards. It is essential that our products are designed and produced in a way that maximises the benefit to those who use them while minimising impacts on the environment. Planet, people, profit elkington within innovations enhance the people component in the. Stiglitz columbia university and brooks world poverty institute, manchester university abstract we live in a knowledge economy.
Unless otherwise stated sustainable innovation is also used in the context of the creation and development of technologies, products and services. The most widely used definition of sustainability is the one defined by the brundtland commission. New innovation approaches to support the implementation of. Studying the literature on the topic leads to the conclusion that there is no precise or established definition of sustainable innovation, sustainability and sustainable development. Sustainable innovation requires overcoming obstacles both existential and logistical. Brief for gsdr 2016 update innovation and sustainable development. Then in chapter 4, implementing successful customer education, creating sustainable company image and building strategic alliance are identified to help sustainable cosmetic companies achieve longterm success. The african union commission auc and the food and agriculture organization of the united nations fao view agricultural mechanization in africa as an urgent matter and an indispensable. There are way to make your offices coffee habits more sustainable. One of the broadest definitions of innovation states that it.
Little 2004 defined sustainabilitydriven innovation 204 as the creation of new market space. Pdf sustainable innovation management researchgate. Intellectual property, dissemination of innovation and. Many examples of sustainable innovation show this conviction. In practice, sustainable development requires the integration of economic, environmental, and social objectives across sectors, territories, and generations. Sustainable innovations emerge all over the world in ecoinnovation business, in design, in peertopeer practices, in policymaking. Sustainable urbanization strategy undps support to sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities in the developing world entrepreneurs, infrastructure, knowledge and capital are clustered. Does social innovation contribute to sustainability. Innovation 15 sustainable innovation 16 the framework for this research project 17 research design 18 chapter 2. The sustainable development goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. A systematic approach to innovating business models can help identify new business models that encourage sustainable use of products and services, or facilitate wider. Why do we need new innovation approaches for the sustainable development goals. Therefore, sustainable development requires the elimination of fragmentation.
Pdf sustainable innovation, business models and economic. Sustainable innovation, building on sustainable development, on corporate sustainability, and on systems thinking, can help us understand and solve complex and serious problems. Third, we understand that there seems to be a positive relationship between sustainability and innovation, which, al though it is extremely difficult to define and. Sustainable innovation in the cosmetic industryobstacles, contributing factors, and strategies a thesis submitted to the faculty of. This means that competitiveness is no longer the sole driving factor. Sustainable development wbcsd believes that this can be achieved by addressing innovative opportunities that. Social sustainability is a proactive way of managing and identifying business impacts on employees, workers in the value chain, customers, and local communities. A framework for africa vii sustainable agricultural mechanization can redeem africa from perpetual food insecurity. By doing so, it will contribute to the research stream on this emerging concept and filling the aforementioned gap regarding how large firms drive sustainable innovation. Firms and other organizations are increasingly embracing sustainability though often labelled as corporate social responsibility or responsible innovation. Sustainability definition, the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld, or confirmed.
In this article, we elaborate the emerging concept of sustainable innovation and analyze the relevance of innovation as a means to solve wicked problems and enhancing sustainable wellbeing. Frugal innovation is often associated with ecological and social sustainability because it is characterized by minimizing the use of resources raw material, production resources, energy, fuel, water, waste, financial resources, it is more affordable, and better accessible than conventional innovations. Intellectual property, dissemination of innovation and sustainable development claude henry iddri sciences po and columbia university joseph e. Sustainable innovation sustainable innovation it is essential that our products are designed and produced in a way that maximises the benefit to those who use them while minimising impacts on the environment. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty. He is one of the cofounders of rce barcelona, founding mem. Sustainability innovation the creative redesign of products and services that aligns business success with the viability of natural systems, human health, and thriving communities. This type of innovation is open, collaborative, dynamic and uncertain.
Framework, practices and measurement synthesis report oecd 2009 3. A continuing issue raised at the conferences is that there is no established definition for sustainable innovation. Sustainable innovation strategies esade fusion point. This is an approach to marketing for companies may prove to be advantageous as it is not point of sale based, but rather offers consumers information they have previously never been exposed to. Innovation is specifically the application of new knowledge. Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the. Some researchers definitions view soi as reducing the. Sustainable innovation the centre for sustainable design.
Sustainable innovation report the centre for sustainable design. In this lesson, we learn about it, its advantages and disadvantages, and. Ecoinnovation the key to europes future competitiveness. A key difference between business model innovation and, say, technological or product innovation is that, unlike the latter that usually relies on market or technical knowledge specific to the industry, business model innovation is deeply rooted in the laws of economics and operations. Companies that raise the importance of social sustainability recognize the significance of their relationships with people, communities and society. Innovation is a wellstudied area of business behaviour, and is increasingly seen as a crucial element in the private sectors responses to the challenges of sustainability. Sustainable urban development indicators for the united states report to the office of international and philanthropic innovation, office of policy development and research, u. The following definition captures the essence of sustainable innovation as we see it charter et al. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development puts forward a broad and ambitious agenda for global action on sustainable development. Definition and defining principles rachel emas, florida international university. Sustainable innovation is nevertheless a critical dimension of sustainable development sd and strategies for achieving sustainable consumption and production scp. This is an excerpt from the book sustainable innovation. However, what exactly is meant by innovation in a sustainability context is not very clear. Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently quoted definition is from our common future, also known as the brundtland report.
The final usage, which is not the focus for this paper, is innovation processes which are sustainable within the company. Summary people often describe sustainable development as requiring a joint and longterm outlook by society that integrates social, economic and environmental objectives. Studying the literature on the topic leads to the conclusion that there is no precise or established definition of sustainable innovation. Open sustainability innovation is the use of open innovation in the development of sustainable products, services and initiatives. Inspiring leaders 31 responsible leaders 31 embedding sustainability values 34 engaging senior executives 35 chapter 4. Sustainable frugal innovation the connection between. Equitable and sustainable development presumes that the natural resources will be used. Sustainable marketing is a new trend in marketing and business and one that many people are likely to have been exposed to. This list of sustainable innovation examples is combined robert kok based on co2 reduction information reported on firm website.
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