Track 11.4 - Integration of Sustainability in Innovation Management

Claus LANG-KOETZ, Prof. Dr.-Ing., Pforzheim University - Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC)
Enrico BENETTO, Dr., Luxembourg Institute of Sciences and Technology

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Track's Contacts : 

claus.lang-koetz[AT]hs-pforzheim.de
enrico.benetto[AT]list.lu

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Sustainability has evolved into a guiding principle for business in the last few years. The core message is to integrate economic, environmental and social aspects (“triple bottom line”). Sustainability requires to assume a life cycle perspective, can trigger new ideas for innovation and support creating environmentally sound products and solutions with a positive social impact. The core goal for innovation management is to organize how attractive ideas can be found, implemented and brought as successful products or solutions into the market. This often is a time critical process which focuses on economic conditions, possibilities enabled by technologies and the reduction of risks.

The special session “Integration of Sustainability in Innovation Management” targets the broader question of how sustainability aspects can be integrated into innovation management. Challenges can be found at all management levels from business strategy over processes, methods and tools.

Examples are:
• Incorporation of sustainability aspects into the innovation strategy and definition of concrete goals
• Development of novel search methodologies for market and technology intelligence
• Adaptation of process models for innovation management
• Development of assessment methods beyond the conventional market & technology assessments (integration of life cycle perspective, evaluating CO2 footprint, assessing social impact in the supply chain etc.)
• Broader incorporation of eco-design principles into product development
• Development of technology marketing approaches for eco-innovations
• Fostering green entrepreneurship for eco-innovations

Since innovation management is at the forefront of creating novel solutions, it can have a broad influence, not only on the commercial success, but also the sustainability impact. In the end, the achieved results have to be measured by created value and sustainability impact of the resulting products, processes and services.

In this context, papers from research from different disciplines and a practitioner’s perspective are welcome.

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