Sustainable Innovation

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the introduction of new technologies can lead to reconsidering the division of the production process as well as the location of each stage, which may mean reshoring some of them.

Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on the analysis of the consequences of new technologies developed and introduced in the market to be applied in the final stage of jeans manufacturing. The paper presents the relevance of this technology, based on an in-depth interview with the representatives of the firm as well as firm and press reports, specialised websites and so on. The information of the reshoring company has been confirmed by its press releases.

Findings
The results show that a new technology justifies the reconsideration of the stages in which the production process can be divided and, once this division is considered viable, the drivers for reshoring can become more/less important in the reshoring decision.

Practical implications
Firms that previously offshored should consider that new technological processes may lead them to slice their value chains differently, causing them to seek the optimal location for each of the stages.

Originality/value
Most of the reshoring literature is based on a static framework where the production process is considered stable and the reasons for reshoring must reside in the change of relevant parameters (such as cost differentials, need to be more flexible, monitoring costs higher than expected, etc.). This paper reveals that changes in the production process, even in traditional sectors, may lead to reshoring/backshoring.

The general goal of this research is to draw up an index for the evaluation of the sustainable innovation potential of scientific research in the biotechnology field. The experiment consisted of the index's conceptual construction, for which the Sustainability Innovation Cube was the chosen methodology. The framework characteristics suggest the use of a multi-criteria approach to draw up the index, thus justifying the option for the Analytic Network Process (ANP). The results show that the ANP is efficient for the synthesis of the innovative sustainable performance in tests with simulated judgements; so, the methodology's validity should be tested in real case studies.

Introdução A pesquisa científica possui papel central na melhoria da qualidade de vida da sociedade, pois serve como fundamento teórico para o desenvolvimento de tecnologias, produtos, processos e modelos que atendam as diversas demandas humanas. No entanto, para que as descobertas obtidas em laboratório efetivamente cheguem à sociedade ou ao mercado consumidor é necessário que o conhecimento científico seja incorporado a um produto, processo ou tecnologia. Quando este conhecimento gera uma novidade ou substancial melhoria em relação ao que já existe no mercado, tem-se uma inovação. Inovação, portanto, está relacionada ao contexto social, à aceitação do mercado e à geração de resultado econômico. Na segunda metade do século XX houve uma maior aproximação entre ciência e economia, através da inovação, enquanto emergia a questão da proteção do meio ambiente como uma nova temática fundamental nos debates sobre os modelos de produção utilizados pelo homem para gerar os produtos e serviços que fazem partem do seu atual padrão de consumo, culminando com a criação dos termos sustentabilidade e desenvolvimento sustentável. Nos últimos anos inovação e sustentabilidade passaram a ser usados em conjunto para denominar uma nova abordagem de seleção de alternativas tecnológicas. Segundo Yoon e Tello (2009), inovação sustentável é o desenvolvimento de novos produtos, processos, serviços e tecnologias que contribuem para o desenvolvimento e bem-estar das necessidades humanas e instituições, respeitando os recursos naturais e sua capacidade regenerativa. Os índices, indicadores e sistemas de indicadores para avaliar as inovações sustentáveis são ainda mais recentes e imaturos que os equivalentes para áreas de inovação e sustentabilidade, separadamente. Por este motivo, o objetivo principal do

This report aims to work with the identified determinants, analyzing each one for a particular case
country, Argentina. The objective is to give an insight for every driver, consequently report the
findings in a qualitative mean, clarifying disadvantages, and identifying the problematic areas that
need to be addressed. As every country has its own environmental, economic, social, cultural and
political aspects, taking into account the four drivers makes it possible to comprehend the diverse
scenarios that countries have to face in order to take steps in the right direction over the innovation
pathways.

Previous literature depicts women as more pro-environment than men in terms of attitudes and behaviour. A survey was conducted in two sectors of Japanese society -industry and academia -whose workplace is considered relatively male dominated. The study sampled 221 respondents from 15 schools and ten firms to evaluate gendered differences in environmental concern. Women were found to demonstrate greater levels of pro-environmental behaviour compared to men due to their higher level of consideration of the impacts of their companies' production processes and products on the environment, their willingness to pay slightly more for environmental products than men, their positive perception of sustainable behaviours and their higher general level of concern about the environment. The study also reveals that the successful implementation of environmental sustainability programmes in organisations hinges on the interest and participation of management.

Most practitioners working with innovation agree that business modelling is imperative for their organisations' survival. Nonetheless, the same practitioners still spend the majority of the time devoted for innovation on their product/process, and only limited time -if any -on exploring new or complementing business models. This myopic 'product/process' focus is no longer enough for organisations to create new radical breakthroughs in the market(s). Thus, to assist practitioners in changing this behaviour, our paper prescribes a directly implementable method named the vertical innovation process (VIP) framework. The VIP framework can be used to create different alternatives and variations of business models (pretotypes) when practitioners find themselves between the discovery of a breakthrough and the commercialisation of it.

We study the opportunities to increase the use of wood in the Dutch residential construction sector and assess the effects on material related CO2 emission. Four house types are modeled with increasing quantities of wood used in constructions. CO2 emission reductions of almost 50% are technically possible. We assess the innovation characteristics of these wood applications to create insights in the complexity of the necessary change process. Then we relate the innovation characteristics of the wood options to the context in which ...

Business Model Innovation –BMI-is a recently developed practice that aims to strengthen a company's position in the market by changing elements of their business model. It is different from product innovation, process innovation and systems innovation because it targets two or more business model components or elements. However, business model is a concept still under development with different definitions appearing every day and if we are going to discuss BMI we first need to acknowledge one specific definition. The definition that serve as a framework states that a business model is a representation or a description of how an actual company delivers value to its costumers, or in the case of a startup, of how an idea will create value for prospective customers, or last, how an industry or a sector brings in revenue by offering value to its costumers (Shafer

Sustainability is a key driver of innovation for products, services, and business models. Sustainability innovations are aimed at improving the environmental, social, and economic performance of the innovated solution. Given the complexity of many sustainability challenges, leading innovators may seek to boost their innovation capacity by tapping into the ideas, knowledge, and expertise of their stakeholders. In doing so they need to consider how many and which stakeholders to integrate into new product development (NPD) processes, and at what stage. This study investigates stakeholder integration strategies associated with high sustainability performance of innovation. Building on the literatures of sustainability innovation and stakeholder integration in the context of NPD, this study developed a configurational model to analyze stakeholder integration strategies. The empirical data consisted of 80 interviews and documents from 13 medium to large companies and their stakeholders in Europe. Using the fsQCA method, it was found that there is not just one effective strategy but three stakeholder integration strategies for high sustainability performance of innovation. The results imply that deep organizational engagement with stakeholders is necessary for the achievement of high performance. Otherwise, the three strategies range from progressive openness, which allows stakeholders to exert a fundamental influence on the sustainability innovation, to limited openness toward stakeholder integration. With the early secondary strategy pointing to progressive openness, companies integrate secondary stakeholders early on and so maximize the influence of different views on the innovation. As to limited openness, companies following the selective strategy limit the number of stakeholder groups in NPD but are indifferent to the timing of these groups’ inputs. Finally, the finetuning strategy is least open to atypical views as it restricts the share of secondary stakeholders and only allows external inputs after the fuzzy front end phase when key decisions regarding the innovation have been made.

is commonly accepted that, in order to achieve sustainability, there is a need for societal transformation, which requires institutional, social/cultural, organizational and technological change. This societal transformation will involve all aspects of society co-evolving toward and aligning with sustainability goals and is defined as sustainability transition or system innovation for sustainability. However, neither the theory nor the operational approaches currently based on this emerging theory address how to link macro-level innovation within society to the micro-level innovation by companies. This paper presents a scenario method developed and tested for the use of product development teams. The scenario method uses both explorative and backcasting scenarios to link activities/decisions at the product development (micro-innovation) level in companies with the transformation which needs to take place at the societal (macro-innovation) level to achieve sustainability. Workshops were used to develop scenario maps for innovation pathways, leading to sustainable future visions. The method was evaluated by carrying out expert consultations and workshops with product development teams. The evaluation results demonstrated that the scenario method is a viable method to aid companies in aligning their innovation efforts with short, medium and long-term sustainability requirements and identified outstanding issues for further development of the scenario method.

While the Dutch acknowledged the vital need for sustainable housing, the reality is that the Netherlands has been facing an affordable housing crisis in which 300,000 houses are coming short. The ‘affordable’ and ‘sustainable’ Tiny House has started to gain popularity in the Netherlands and may be of value here, but no relation had been made between the three areas of ‘sustainable housing’, ‘housing crises’ and ‘Tiny Houses’ and the Tiny House community seemed to struggle in adopting Tiny Houses. This thesis research explored why and how Tiny Houses could be a way to relieve the housing crisis in an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable manner within the current policy framework. Qualitative phenomenological research was conducted through a desk study and semi-structured interviews. Besides making a contribution to the interdisciplinary body of literature on this topic, the MMAMS framework was proposed to identify bottlenecks for the diffusion of an innovation within a market system. The Tiny House was found to be a sustainable type of housing that would address the need for affordable housing of low- and middle-income classes, but in order for it to be adopted on a wider scale the vague definition of the Tiny House, restrictive national laws, ignorant municipal members, negative associations, NIMBY-ism, and a lack of investment options should be addressed. In the conclusions, suggestions to overcome these barriers are made, including the use of CityLabs and the establishment of a national interdisciplinary knowledge centre.

In the field of fashion, sustainability is a priority, and the lingerie market is no exception. According to market research firm Mintel, the 2020 global lingerie market is valued at over $ 36.7 billion, with bras holding the most extensive market segmentation. Due to the complexity of the bras mixed materials, small pattern pieces, construction methods, and difficulty in disassembling, there are significant challenges to turning it into a sustainable garment. With the rise in smaller lingerie brands that are well educated in the critical nature of sustainability, it is essential to recognise the approaches taken in the brands' communication of their sustainability through product design, material selection and messaging. This study employs a qualitative approach to examine eight sustainable lingerie company's Instagram posts, stories and hashtags, applying textual and visual analysis to understand sustainability branding and initiatives. The research discusses the current sustainable approaches that lingerie brands are utilising with theoretical and practical implications.

Continued innovation is at forefront of organizations success and survival. This principle holds for new entrepreneurial ventures and equally holds for large global organizations. One could ask the legitimate question: How do large technology-based organizations manage technological innovation to maintain growth and incumbency over the years? To answer this question, we will analyze the case of a large company I am most familiar with (Schlumberger), for having employed me for over a decade. Our approach to this paper will take the shape of a case study analysis, where we will probe Schlumberger (SLB) innovation management strategies in the lights of sound technological innovation principles that we studied throughout this course. We cannot be exhaustive due to the limited time available for this research, yet we will use the company’s most relevant and public source of information at our disposal: SLB history book titled “This is Schlumberger – 90 years of technical innovation”. We found that innovation strategies contributing to SLB success include but are not limited to: dynamic capabilities, strategic acquisitions, integration of technology, fostering innovation as a core value, customer focused organization structure, effective knowledge management and sustaining innovation.

Different governments and international organizations have shown interest in agroecology as a promising pathway for transition to sustainable agriculture. However, the kinds of innovation needed for agro-ecological transition are subject to intense debate. The scale of this debate is itself an indicator of the complicated relation between innovation and sustainability in the agro-food arena and beyond. This review paper analyses the potential of agro-ecology in agricultural sustainability transitions. It also explores whether agro-ecological transition is a sustainable innovation (cf. ecological, green, open, social, responsible). Furthermore, the paper investigates the potential contribution of agro-ecological transition to sustainability, using the 3-D (Direction, Distribution and Diversity) model of the STEPS centre. Agroecology is one of the few approaches that can harmoniously combine innovation and sustainability in agriculture while promoting genuine transition to agro-food sustainability since it embraces all dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic, social/cultural/ethical). Nevertheless, it can be taken for granted neither that all traditional practices can be classified as ‘agro-ecological’ nor that all farmer-led innovations can be included in the agro-ecological repertoire. Moreover, the relationship between the three aspirations of agroecology (science, movement and practice) needs further elaboration in order to maximise potential for agriculture transition.

In this chapter I will introduce the concept of the spatial and temporal scales of ecological and
sustainable design.  I propose that since natural processes are inherently scale-linking, so should
sustainable design.  I will expand the scales of ecological design first proposed by Janis
Birkeland (2002) and dedicate one subchapter to each scale: product design ecology, sustainable
architecture, sustainable construction industry, sustainable community design, design of
industrial ecosystems, sustainable urban design & planning, bioregional design, and the design
of national and international cooperative networks.

This review paper explores the complexity of relation between innovation and sustainability and relates it to the agro-food arena. Many scholars argue that meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires major transformation in modes of innovation. As for the agro-food system, relationship between innovation and sustainability is far from straightforward. Innovation (especially technical one) provides a fertile ground for alternative agro-food movements to criticize the over-industrialization of the food system. However, it seems that it is not about questioning innovation tout court, but about what type of innovation (see, sustainable innovation) should be promoted to foster transition towards sustainable food systems.

This report is based on the work conducted through the project "Open innovation and globalization -theory, evidence and implications", financed through Vision Eranet. A main purpose of the project has been to theoretically and empirically examine the concept of "open innovation", and how it can be used to understand changing corporate strategies and their impact on corporate innovation performance. Emphasis has been put on broadening the theoretical content of the concept, on demonstrating how existing innovation survey data can be used to describe various innovation practices across industries, on investigating their impact on corporate innovation performance, and on discussing the possible policy implications stemming out of the theoretical and empirical analysis.

There is an increasing shift in perspective from a shareholder view of the firm to a stakeholder view of the firm. The reason for this shift is because there is a call by society for stakeholder involvement in organisational decision making. To involve stakeholders in organisational decision making, organisational innovation, driven by financial performance, is no longer sustainable. In the academic literature, while there exist many studies on organisational innovation, there is relatively little study conducted on organisational aspects of sustainable innovation. Moreover, within the body of literature on stakeholder involvement in sustainable innovation, most studies have focused on product and process innovation. Thus, this thesis investigated the role of stakeholder involvement in sustainable innovation. Using a two-stage research approach, this thesis was framed with the theoretical lens of a complex adaptive system (CAS), stakeholder identification, and instrumental value of stakeholder involvement. The first stage, a pilot study, consisted of a quantitative (online survey) and qualitative component (semi-structured interviews). Findings from the pilot study provided themes that directed the second stage main study – a documentary analysis of annual reports of 200 MNEs. The key findings of this thesis are listed in subsequent paragraphs. First, stakeholder involvement in sustainable innovation embodies the non-linearity, self-organisation and emergent aspects of CAS. This finding revealed the paucity of scholarly studies on stakeholder identification in a complex adaptive system. This is because, to understand who and what really counts for sustainable innovation, stakeholder identification in practice is evolving away from the seminal work by Mitchell et al. (1997). For instance, MNEs have begun to identify the natural environment as a key stakeholder, with the power to determine the survival of organisations. This contrasts with Mitchell et al.’s (1997) typology of stakeholders, which considers nature as lacking in power to influence organisational decision making. Second, this thesis revealed a significant finding on the instrumental value of stakeholder involvement for sustainable innovation. On the one hand, MNEs are motivated to involve their stakeholders in sustainable innovation if it leads to commercialization of technological innovations. On the other, the findings highlight the evolving nature of the instrumental value of stakeholder involvement beyond financial performance. This demonstrates that there is a dichotomous view amongst the MNEs on the purpose of stakeholder involvement for sustainable innovation. Third, this thesis found that the mechanisms for stakeholder involvement in sustainable innovation are primarily information communication technology. However, it found that the information technology sector is currently unregulated. This thesis likewise found that majority of the organisations under the technology sector who officially committed to sustainable business practices did not provide information on the role of stakeholder involvement in sustainable innovations. This regulatory void is identified as the cause of unsustainable resource utilisation amongst MNEs within the information technology sector. Specifically, this finding points to the pitfalls of self regulation and reporting mechanisms to stakeholders by individual companies. Fourth, this thesis found that while scholars within the stakeholder field of research have called for a partnering mentality toward stakeholder management, in practice, the traditional structure for decision making driven by the shareholders continues to dominate. The dominance of the shareholder view of MNE stakeholder management continues to influence scholarly work within the corporate governance field of research regarding sustainability performance. This dominance is exacerbated by the regulatory environment’s use of financial metrics as a mandatory performance reporting criterion. Consequently, MNEs’ views of sustainability performance and stakeholder involvement continue to be understood as a voluntary exercise to appease society and as a marketing mechanism by the MNEs themselves. Finally, this thesis revealed an unintended finding, which is MNE understanding of stakeholder terminology in practice. While the most cited stakeholder groups (customers, employees, suppliers, and investors) are usually considered primary stakeholders within academic scholarship and by practitioners, MNE mention of competitors reveals that MNEs either do not fully understand who their stakeholders are or what the stakeholder terminology means. This lack of clarity is traced to fuzziness around the unit of analysis for stakeholder identification and involvement employed by academic studies at a macro level. In conclusion, the findings have implications for academic scholarship and policy making. Regarding academic scholarship, the void before the study of stakeholder involvement in a complex adaptive system (stakeholder identification) echoes Venkataraman’s (2019) review of the academic literature on the stakeholder approach to corporate sustainability which found that arguments for the instrumental value of stakeholder theory dominate the literature, while the descriptive and normative approach to stakeholder theory remains weak by comparison. A similar observation on the weakness of the normative and descriptive approach to stakeholder theory was made in the study of MNE understanding of stakeholder terminology. The lack of clarity on the unit of analysis in academic studies demonstrated that the weakness in the normative and descriptive aspects of stakeholder theory contributes to MNE lack of understanding of stakeholder terminology. Additionally, for sustainable innovation policy making, stakeholder identification must be normatively driven if it is to be applied in emerging market contexts. If academic scholars continue to focus on only the instrumental value of stakeholders, without providing a solid foundation as to who are considered stakeholders, the stakeholder field of research will risk being a tool for unsustainable business practices. Evidently, with the practice of stakeholder involvement for outcomes beyond financial performance, scholarly work to reconceptualize the existing normative/instrumental stakeholder theory nexus will put stakeholder theory on solid ground as an instrument for corporate sustainability. Within the field of policy making, the continued regulatory stance on using financial metrics to determine MNE performance discourages these organisations from contributing to sustainable development. Clearly, this regulatory stance provides MNEs with the excuse not to reorganise their stakeholder management structure to comprehensively represent stakeholders critical to their survival. Thus, as long as stakeholder power is driven by financial-resources instead of knowledge-based resources, MNEs will continue to follow a shareholder view of the firm.

Abschlussbericht eines Projekts im Rahmen des BMBF-Programms " Forschung für die Umwelt." im Schwerpunkt "Sozialökologische Forschung". Das Forschungsvorhaben stellt eine Sondierungsstudie zum Thema 'Industrielle Innovationszyklen und sozial-ökologische Problemlagen' dar, bei der im Rahmen einer Literaturanalyse der derzeitige Forschungsstand eruiert, seine Stärken und Schwächen analysiert und Empfehlungen für zukünftige Forschungsfragestellungen gegeben wurden. Zu den Stärken des bisherigen Forschungsstandes gehören die systematische Bezugsetzung von Innovationsfolgen zu den Zusammenhängen von Umwelt und Gesellschaft sowie die Möglichkeit der Einbeziehung der gesellschaftswissenschaftlichen Technik- und Risikoforschung in die Nachhaltigkeitsforschung. Zu den Schwächen des bisherigen Forschungsstandes gehören neben der unzureichenden Integration von Nutzungskonkurrenzen und Verteilungskonflikten in einen systematischen ökologisch-sozialwissenschaftlichen Ansatz vor allem die fehlende analytische Berücksichtigung eines sich abzeichnenden Übergangs zu einem neuen industriellen Innovationszyklus im Rahmen eines sozial-ökologischen Forschungsansatzes sowie das beträchtliche Defizit auf den Gebieten der Industrie- und Innovationsforschung. Zukünftiger Forschungsbedarf wird vor allem in den Bereichen eines Vergleichs der empirischen Verläufe und Folgen vergangener Innovationszyklen, einer Analyse gegenwärtiger Innovationswellen und einer generellen Analyse struktureller und dynamischer Muster sozial-ökologischer Transformationsprozesse gesehen.

A strategy for adaptive control and energetic optimization of aerobic fermentors was implemented, with both air flow and agitation speed as manipulated variables. This strategy is separable in its components: control, optimization, estimation. We optimized parameter’s estimation (from the usual KLa correlation) using sinusoidal excitation of air flow and agitation speed. We have implemented parameter’s estimation trough recursive least squares algorithm with forgetting factor. We carried separate essays on control, optimization and estimation algorithms. We carried our essays using an original computational simulation environment, with noise and delay generating facilities for data sampling and filtering.

Our results show the convergence and robustness of the estimation algorithm used, improved with use of both forgetting factor and KLa dead-band facilities. Control algorithm used in our work compares favorably with PID using the integrated area criteria for deviation between oxygen molarity and critical molarity (set point). Optimization algorithm clearly reduces energetic consumption, respecting critical molarity. Integration of control, optimization and adaptive algorithms was implemented, but future work is needed for stability. Methods were defined and implemented for stability improvement. We have implemented data acquisition and computer manipulation of air flow and agitation speed for actual fermentors.

please send an email to vincent.blok@wur.nl if you want to receive the PDF

Sustainable entrepreneurs are key actors in sustainability transitions; they develop needed innovations, create markets,
and pressure incumbents. While socio-technical transitions literature is well developed, questions remain in terms of
(1) the different roles that sustainable entrepreneurs can play in sustainable transitions, and (2) how best to empower
these roles. To explore these challenges, we review literature and construct a framework combining the multilevel
perspective and entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective. We apply this framework to the context of climate-smart
agriculture in (Western and Central) Europe. By analysing semi-structured interview data (n=27) we find that
sustainable entrepreneurs are constrained by ineffective policy, resistant users, as well as novel alignment issues within
the supply chain. We focus on the role of sustainable entrepreneurs as coordinators of action rather than developers of
technological innovation within transition contexts characterised by low landscape pressures, large unmotivated
incumbent firms, low consumer awareness and demand, and unincentivized users (farmers).

This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing conceptual debate on responsible innovation, and provides innovation practices and processes that can help to implement responsible innovation in the business context. Based on a systematic literature review of 72 empirical scholarly articles, it was possible to identify, analyse and synthesise empirical findings reported in studies on social, sustainable and responsible innovation practices in the business context. The synthesis of the included articles resulted in a refined framework for responsible innovation in the business context. This framework includes an overview of innovation practices and processes that can enhance the dimensions of responsible innovation: anticipation, reflexivity, inclusion, deliberation, responsiveness and knowledge management. Additionally, knowledge gaps are identified and a research agenda for responsible innovation is proposed. This review can therefore serve as a next step in the theoretical and practical development of responsible innovation in general, and in the business context in particular.

The objective of this article is to determine the relevance of sustainable innovation
on the business environment in Nigeria. The research focused on the top management
to find out about the benefits of innovation to the relevance of the company over the
past century. Feedback from a few of their final customers was taken in order to
review sales and customer-product loyalty. Then, we conducted a series of multiple
regression models using the data we obtained. Overall, it’s interesting to note that the
rate of increase in profit due to sustainability rose by 23% and 37% But perhaps most
important: Averagely about 50% of businesses have improved on their corporate
models due to sustainability in managing opportunities hence the effect of 20%
increase above that of the previous and also majority of the respondents believe that
the marketing strategies of P and G are very effective. This study will serve as a
practical tool to investors and shareholder of organizations as they work towards
increasing their worth in their organization. This article delivers valued input in
advancing knowledge in expounding relevance of sustainable innovation on the
business environment using Procter and Gamble Nig. PLC as a case study, also
recognising the measurable impact positively and otherwise of these dimensions of
innovative involvements

The implementation of innovative sustainability technologies often requires far-reaching changes of the macro environment in which the innovating firms operate. Strategic management literature demonstrates that the chances of a successful diffusion and adoption of an innovative technology in society are increased if the firms wanting to commercialize this technology collaborate in networks or industry clusters to build a favourable environment for their technology. However, the strategic management literature does not offer advice on how to strategically create this supportive external environment. We fill this gap with complementary insights from the technological innovation systems literature. We introduce the concept of strategic collective system building; this concept describes processes and activities that networks of actors can strategically engage in to collectively build a favourable environment for their innovative sustainability technology. Furthermore, we develop a strategy framework for collective system building. To underpin our theoretical analysis empirically, we have conducted a case study in the Dutch smart grid field. The resulting strategy framework consists of four key areas: technology development and optimization, market creation, socio-cultural changes and coordination. Each of these key strategic areas is composed of a set of system-building activities.

Introduction:
This thesis assesses the sustainable transition of international shipping and how it can be accelerated. Shipping is a hard-to-abate industry which is run unsustainably on a very polluting fossil fuel and accounts for as much CO2-emissions as aviation.

Theory:
The study draws on socio-technical transition theory, using Kivimaa & Kern’s creation/destruction functions framework (based on the multi-level perspective and technological innovation systems) as well as the recent strand of literature on hard-to-abate industries, to ascertain which functions need to be fulfilled to accelerate the transition and how these functions are inhibited by 8 sector-specific barriers.

Methods:
A mixed-method approach is used to generate insights into the case study of international shipping, with three methods used: 1) Literature analysis of academic and grey literature, including various reports on shipping (qualitative); 2) 12 semi-structured interviews with shipping stakeholders and experts (qualitative); 3) A historic event analysis of 1.460 relevant events identified in shipping news in the period since the IMO's initial GHG strategy (quantitative).

Results:
The shipping regime is so stable because of its complex industry structure involving many different stakeholders, a strong fossil fuel lock-in that developed in symbiosis with globalisation, and the way it is governed through the slow-moving International Maritime Organisation. The 8 barriers for hard-to-abate industries also apply for shipping. Alternative technologies are available, but have not yet been implemented on a large scale. The dominant alternative options for a long time were LNG (i.e. another fossil fuel) and efficiency increases
(i.e. incremental innovations), but recently the focus has shifted towards more radically different alternative fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. Electric propulsion has an important role in specific market segments, while biofuel, wind propulsion and methanol are adopted to
a lesser extent across all segments. Barriers influence different technologies differently and therefore a coexistence or combination of various alternatives is likely to be the future of shipping. Hard-to-abate-sector-specific solutions can accelerate the shipping transition, including carbon pricing, regional governance, cooperation on R&D and the creation of new coalitions.

Conclusion/discussion:
Incorporating sector-specific factors into transition frameworks allows for a more accurate assessment of regime types, resulting in better advice. Hard-to-abate transitions can be achieved, but they are unlikely to arise from niches without substantial policy action to destabilise and put pressure on the regime. Pathways where the regime is transformed from
within are more probable than those where the regime and its actors are substituted.

In this article, we build on dynamic capabilities theory to explore the organizational dynamics for sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI). We carried out a multiple case study of seven leading companies fostering SOI, searching for common patterns in their adaptation. We found three different levels of dynamic capabilities (adapting, expanding, and transforming) interconnected to strategic sustainability dimensions. We thus propose an evolving framework that explains how the generative variation of innovative change and adaption follow two interconnected logics that explain the SOI dynamics. First, we study the time-evolving transformation that encourages companies to transform dynamic capabilities following a path-dependent logic. Second, we study organizational transformations that enhance self-reinforcement among strategic sustainability dimensions. This conceptualization contributes to the theoretical underpinnings of SOI, providing new insights on how SOI transforms dynamic capabilities for innovation and adapts companies' strategic sustainability.

Different bodies of literature have attempted to explain what factors and events drive industries throughout processes of environmental change. The latter is a gradual, historical process of evolution from lower to higher degrees of development. Based on concepts derived from evolutionary economics, greening technological progress and resource-based view of the firm, this article informs the sustain- ability transitions literature by providing an account of the evolution in the chemical industry's striving for the design, use and production of environmentally sound chemical processes and products based upon eco-innovation. A conceptual model was elaborated depicting five stages of environmental change in the chemical industry in the period 1901e2030. The authors empirically tested this model by con- ducting a longitudinal computer-aided content analysis of 255 documents addressing different environmental and innovation aspects in this industry in the same period of time. The results of this article advance our modern understanding of the different stages of evolution of the chemical industry in terms of environmental change. Consistent with the conceptual model hitherto presented, the findings of this article highlight a number cumulative of factors that enabled the evolution of the chemical industry throughout time supporting eco-innovation, highlighting the intertwined nature of regulation, innovation, and technological change. It is plausible that the future development of this industry might be shaped by the policy-driven paradigms of sustainability and resource efficiency.

In this paper I explore the relationship between insects, technoscience and sustainability culture made possible by recent developments in fabrication, micro-robotics, and design. I define the resulting scenario as “Insect Industry”. This emerging agglomerate of practices and technological developments is comprised of practices and applications that promote, exploit and manipulate insects for their sustainable potentials. Among these practices is the flourishing of visionary micro-farming enclosures and experimental food-design, contributing to the urge to produce sustainable sources of food; the re-making of insects in micro-robotics; and the design of GM insects to help fight devastating diseases such as Dengue Fever. Although engaging with distinct fields of research and forms of creative entrepreneurship, these endeavors use very similar strategies and discursive patterns to promote innovation and sustainability, and the promise to fix the world. In illustrating a variety of examples in microrobotics, fabrication, and bioengineering, I ask: is this recent trend really marking the beginning of a new phase in sustainable innovation based on Humans/animals balanced coexistence or it rather constitutes another (maybe more acceptable or more palatable) form of exploitation of the non-human? Is this newly emerging “insect industry” obeying or rather contradicting the imperatives  of economic growth and the principles of technological innovation supported by Western Culture?

In this chapter, we challenge the presupposed concept of innovation in the re-sponsible innovation literature. As a first step, we raise several questions with regard to the possibility of ‘responsible’ innovation and point at several diffi-culties which undermine the supposedly responsible character of innovation processes, based on an analysis of the input, throughput and output of innova-tion processes. It becomes clear that the practical applicability of the concept of responsible innovation is highly problematic and that a more thorough in-quiry of the concept is required. As a second step, we analyze the concept of innovation which is self-evidently presupposed in current literature on responsible innovation. It becomes clear that innovation is self-evidently seen as 1) technological innovation, 2) is primarily perceived from an economic perspective, 3) is inherently good and 4) presupposes a symmetry between moral agents and moral addressees. By challenging this narrow and uncritical concept of innovation, we contribute to a second round of theorizing about the concept and provide a research agenda for future research in order to enhance a less naïve concept of responsible innovation.

This introductory chapter provides definitions of sustainability, sustainable development, decoupling, and related terms; gives an overview of existing interdisciplinary research fields related to ICT for Sustainability, including Environmental Informatics, Computational Sustainability, Sustainable HCI, and Green ICT; introduces a conceptual framework to structure the effects of ICT on sustainability; and provides an overview of this book.

In this paper, the Creative Idea Solution © framework (CIS) is presented as a response to the call made by and . The CIS framework integrates theory and methods from creativity research into an open and continued innovation process, and the authors argue that this interdisciplinary approach diminishes the gap between the two literatures. To indicate the value of the proposed framework in practise, a nine month action research case study was conducted in an international technological manufacturing company. The results and the learning outcomes from this action research are presented and the indications which emerged are compared to the existing literature.

Abstract: A combination of field surveys and direct observation was used to identify botanicals whose stems and/or roots were extracted for healthcare purposes in the rural communities of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Diverse number of species was identified as being used for health care by respondents in the study area. The respondents ’ consensus factor which specifies the agreement degree of the respondents revealed that their preference for healthcare maintenance was skewed towards the use of botanicals rather than the orthodox drugs. Respondents ’ fidelity level was determined and the results obtained revealed that the botanicals were perceived as safe, cheap, readily available with little or no side effects. Considerable proportions of these botanicals were not cultivated and their collection pattern was mostly annihilative and unsustainable. Thus they were mostly rare on the abundance scale used in this study. Most of the uncultivated species were indigenous tree species that has for...

Artificial intelligence (AI) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have lately been among the most debated issues and they are now attracting even more attention in view of a post-pandemic recovery phase. The alignment of sustainable and technological development is currently a main challenge and policy objective. The aim of this master’s thesis is to explore the role that AI might play for the progress toward the SDGs. After reviewing the available literature, which is mainly qualitative, this thesis provides an early attempt to quantitatively estimate the correlation between AI development and deployment and the progress toward the SDGs, as measured by the Stanford HAI AI Index and Bertelsmann Index. The estimation is done through a linear mixed-effects model, based on panel data for 25 countries from 2017 to 2019. The correlation is not significant at the aggregate level for all 17 goals combined, but it becomes significant for some individual goals. With the complete database AI displays a significant positive correlation with Goal 3 on “Good Health and Well-being” and a significant negative correlation with Goal 14 on “Life Below Water”. As some outliers are removed, thus reducing the number of countries, the correlation between AI and the sustainable development becomes positive significant for Goals 3, 4, 15 and 16 corresponding respectively to: “Good Health and Well-being”, “Quality Education”, “Life on Land”, “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” and negative significant only for Goal 17, namely “Partnership for the Goals”.
Despite the few disposable data and the still early stage of development and country adoption of AI, the results highlight that there might be some interesting relationships between AI and the sustainable development and are coherent with the literature predicting both positive and negative effects of AI.
Artificial intelligence seems to be a double-edged sword, which needs to be steered in the right direction in order to enhance its potential and mitigate its risks. Therefore, it is of uttermost importance for public policy to keep pace with AI developments and be able to leverage its benefits as well as effectively regulate it.

Sustainable innovation is done for rethinking about how to meet the current demand and growth while having less negative impact on the environment. It aims to reduce the impact on social environment too while designing the products to meet up the demands. To reduce the impact of economic growth on the environment, the industries have decoupling to make a link.

While new organisational models of innovation were intensively discussed in the last decade, there is little systematic exploration concerning their potential for different sectors and areas and their wider implications for economy and society. We present findings from an international foresight project which analyses and discusses the emergence and diffusion of new innovation patterns and their consequences for innovation policy. Based on a collection of international practice examples from industry and society, innovation visions have been generated and assessed involving different experts from all over Europe. A generic trend identified can be best described as open, distributed and networked innovation process which is to a certain extent already addressed in current innovation policy making. However, other trends such as the increased use of information technologies or new spatial shifts related to organising and doing innovation have rather been underestimated so far and will require new policy responses in the future.

The objective of this research is to describe the development of entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation in Indonesian Small and Medium Enterprises, case study on Trusmi Batik SMEs in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia. This study is a descriptive study by using qualitative approach, and generate descriptions and analyzes how the development of entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation in Trusmi Batik SMEs in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia. This study used data which collected using several methods, including site observation, interviews, and document study method (content analysis). Data were analyzed using interactive analysis. The research result indicated that the important role of entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation on Trusmi Batik SMEs businesses entrepreneurship can provide ideas in the businesses development. Innovation can provide tangible contribution to support business improvement on Batik Trusmi SMEs in Cirebon. The results also showed that high innovation can improve business Trusmi Batik SMEs. These results indicate that product innovation implementation became priority and have dominant contribution to reflect innovation. Meanwhile, growth in assets is the most important indicator to reflect the businesses. That is, an increase in product innovation can determine which assets growth as a reflection of the development of business, thereby providing a high contribution toward business improvement of Batik Trusmi SMEs in Cirebon.

The growing recognition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been integrated globally into product design and business activities. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is considered a useful tool for designers to apply in the early stages of product design to mitigate the environmental impact. The study aims to identify the challenges of applying simplified LCA tools to improve the eco-efficiency of products and achieve a higher level of sustainable innovation. The study was conducted in a sustainable design course at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, for four consecutive years. All challenges and opportunities by using ECO-it, Eco-indicators, and the Materials, Energy use, and Toxic emissions (MET) matrix to assess the environmental impact in each phase of 11 home appliances are presented and discussed. Results show the positive potential of applying the tools to achieve function innovation in design for sustainable innovation. The needs for guided instruction, the availability ...

Many companies are heavily investing resources to innovate faster and smarter in order to gain or retain a competitive advantage. Nevertheless, defining and deploying a sustainable innovation vision still represents a challenge to most companies, as a deep change of mindset is required to reflect going beyond the design, development, production and distribution of new products, to also consider their disposal, recycling or reuse, as part of their end-to-end product life cycle. Therefore, this paper aims to: 1) highlight the relevance of including lean and sustainability principles in the early design and conceptualization phases, 2) explain how lean and sustainability can bring benefits when applied as an integrated system considering three axes: the economic, the social and the environmental , and 3) share a case study providing insights of a successful application. 1 Introduction Ever since humans evolved from Hominidae, we have constantly been looking for new products and services to evolve and solve day-today challenges. Companies, governments and users continuously strive for innovative products to make our lives simpler, more effective and easier. However, not many consider the effects such products/ser-vices have through their lifecycle and their impact on the economy, society and the environment. During the innovation process, products and services are designed to satisfy customer needs, and lean and sustainability thinking are a vital part of the process. There are numerous successful and detailed examples of how companies have applied lean to eliminate waste and decrease costs both in manufacturing and services organizations. But only very few industrial cases show evidence of how lean and sustainability are applied in industrial settings since the very early stages of the conception of new products, thus taking into consideration the end-to-end life cycle. The first thing that comes to mind when linking lean and sustainability is to eliminate waste or use less resources such as energy to reduce costs. However, sustainable innovation brings much more than just economic benefits from waste reduction, since it also focuses on the impact on the environment and society in an integrated system.

Journalists are increasingly invited to engage in dialogic innovation processes not only to report on innovations but also take part in identifying social problems and co-creating possible solutions. We analyze a series of multi-stakeholder innovation workshops at the health care social enterprise group Helsinki Deaconess Institute in Finland from 2012 to 2014 and the mediated results of the workshops. Journalists were part of all three stages in the innovation process: the creation of a holding space for innovation, creating concrete innovations, and communicating the outcomes at the level of mass communication. We suggest the model of participatory solutions journalism that could, in part, help open the gridlock journalism faces with corroding legitimacy from the outside and resistance to innovation from the inside. Our study builds on previous research suggesting that journalism should be seen as the “fourth strand” of the innovation ecosystem elements alongside the industry, the academia, and the government (Carayannis and Campell 2012; Bast et al. 2015). We add to this literature the finding that such a co-creating role can be supported by dialogic organizational development methods (Scharmer and Kaufer 2013; Bohm et al. 1991; Bohm 1996; Senge 1990). The pitfall of participatory solutions journalism includes the possible corrosion of journalistic impartiality.

Bruijnzeels, R., Bitter-Rijpkema, M., & Verjans, S. (2010). The library school: empowering the sustainable innovation capacity of new librarians. Paper presented at The Global Librarian: Satellite Meeting - World Library and Information Congress: 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly. August, 9, 2010, Borås, Sweden.

To make sustainable management and innovation attractive for companies, they need focus. In particular SME’s don’t have a clear view on where innovation should be aimed at in relation to sustainability. It just seems too complex. At the same time innovation suffers from the ‘innovation paradox’: much knowledge is available but it is often not used because there is no clear view on how to select the right innovations for a sustainable and profitable future. A practical approach has been developed to focus on the key areas of attention and key issues which constitute a company’s major challenge for sustainability and continuity: FOCISS. Its aim is to connect sustainable development with business continuity in a relatively simple way. It involves stepwise zooming in on key issues and defining the best innovations for these issues. The method uses structured interviews and workshops. At the same time it channels effective exchange of views and information within a company on these issues. This, in turn, leads to real commitment and deeper understanding of what sustainability involves. The method has been developed and tested in cooperation with industries from different sectors. Its results for chemical and food processing industry are shown as example.

Continued innovation is at forefront of organizations success and survival. This principle holds for new entrepreneurial ventures and equally holds for large global organizations. One could ask the legitimate question: How do large technology-based organizations manage technological innovation to maintain growth and incumbency over the years? To answer this question, we will analyze the case of a large company I am most familiar with (Schlumberger), for having employed me for over a decade. Our approach to this paper will take the shape of a case study analysis, where we will probe Schlumberger (SLB) innovation management strategies in the lights of sound technological innovation principles that we studied throughout this course. We cannot be exhaustive due to the limited time available for this research, yet we will use the company’s most relevant and public source of information at our disposal: SLB history book titled “This is Schlumberger – 90 years of technical innovation”. We found that innovation strategies contributing to SLB success include but are not limited to: dynamic capabilities, strategic acquisitions, integration of technology, fostering innovation as a core value, customer focused organization structure, effective knowledge management and sustaining innovation.