Sustainable Innovation

Sustainable Innovation
Key conclusions from Sustainable Innovation
Conferences 2003–2006 organised by
The Centre for Sustainable Design
Martin Charter & Tom Clark
The Centre for Sustainable Design
University College for the Creative Arts www.cfsd.org.uk May 2007

Contents
1

Introduction

05

2

Definition and importance of sustainable innovation

09

3

Drivers

12

4

‘State of the art’ and application

15

5

Obstacles

20

6

Policy needs

28

7

Needs for implementation in business

35

8

Needs for collaboration in establishing
Sustainable Innovation Systems (SIS)

40

9

Needs for further research and understanding

43

10

Conclusions

46

11

Further information

46

References

47

Appendices
Downloadable from www.cfsd.org.uk/si03_si06
1

List of presentations and papers: Sustainable Innovation 03 (TSPD8)

2

List of presentations and papers: Sustainable Innovation 04 (TSPD9)

3

List of presentations and papers: Sustainable Innovation 05 (TSPD10)

4

List of presentations and papers: Sustainable Innovation 06 (TSPD11)

1

Introduction

This booklet summarises the key conclusions from the 2003–2006 conferences on Sustainable Innovation organised by The Centre for Sustainable Design (www.cfsd.org.uk). The conclusions are drawn from the respective conference presentations, papers and discussions. The publication has been sponsored as part of a ‘Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Innovation & Design’ project awarded to The Centre for Sustainable
Design by the South-East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

Sustainable Innovation conferences
The Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD) was established in 1995 and one of the early needs it identified was for an annual (European) conference related to the design and development of sustainable products. As a result, the Centre organised a series of international conferences under the brand of Towards

References: Charter, M & Clark, T, Sustainable Innovation, The Centre for Sustainable Design, 2007 Charter, M & Tischner, U, Sustainable Solutions, Greenleaf Publishing, 2001 Fussler, C & James, P, Eco-innovation: A Breakthrough Discipline for Innovation & Sustainability, Pitman Publishing, 1996