how are you describing eco innovation. Sustainable is a word that can be used even in non "eco" innovation.

There are other aspects of innovation, what it adresses, how it improves etc.

Many renewable energy technologies are not sustainable since itbis simply too expensive. Sustainability is an economic dimension while eco is as environmental parameter, not the same:

http://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/bijlagen/Business%20models%20of%20eco-innovations%20-%20december%202011%20.pdf

Hello Zorpas, Please go through theses points

1. Practices for sustainable manufacturing have evolved

In recent years, the efforts of manufacturing industries to achieve sustainable production have shifted from end-of-pipe solutions to a focus on product lifecycles and integrated environmental strategies and management systems. Furthermore, efforts are increasingly made to create closed-loop, circular production systems and adopt new business models.

2. Eco-innovation seeks more radical improvements

Much attention has been paid to innovation as a way for industry and policy makers to work towards more radical and systemic improvements in environmental performance. The term eco-innovation calls attention to the positive contribution that industry can make to sustainable development and a competitive economy.

3. Eco-innovation has three dimensions: targets, mechanisms and impacts

Based on an extension of the definition of innovation in the OECD Oslo Manual and on the existing literature, eco-innovation can be understood and analysed according to its targets (the main focus), its mechanisms (methods for introducing changes in the target) and its impacts (the effects on environmental conditions).

4. Sustainable manufacturing calls for multi-level eco-innovations

Sustainable manufacturing involves changes that are facilitated by eco-innovation. Integrated initiatives such as closed-loop production can potentially yield higher environmental improvements but require appropriately combining a wide range of innovation targets and mechanisms.

5. Current eco-innovations focus mostly on technological development but are facilitated by

non-technological changes

While current eco-innovations in manufacturing tend to focus primarily on technological advances, organisational or institutional changes have often driven their development and complemented the necessary technological changes. Some advanced players started adopting new business models or alternative modes of provision.

6. Clear and consistent indicators are needed to accelerate corporate sustainability efforts

An appropriate combination of existing sets of indicators can help firms gain a more comprehensive picture of environmental effects across their value chain and product lifecycle. Companies along the supply chain, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), would make more use of clear and consistent sustainable manufacturing indicators.

7. Improved benchmarking and better indicators would help deepen understanding of eco-innovation

No existing measurement approach can capture the overall trends and characteristics of eco-innovation. Further progress in benchmarking and indicators might include the development of an “eco-innovation scoreboard” which combines different statistics or the design of a new dedicated survey. These could help improve understanding of the nature, drivers/barriers and impacts of eco-innovation and raise awareness among policy makers and industry.

8. Integration of innovation and environmental policies is crucial for promoting eco-innovation

OECD countries have addressed sustainable manufacturing and eco-innovation mainly through environmental policies. Innovation policy has so far not fully addressed environmental issues. Closer integration of innovation and environmental policies could benefit both policy areas and accelerate policy and corporate efforts towards sustainable development.

9. Creating successful eco-innovation policy mixes requires understanding the interaction

of supply and demand

The countries surveyed do not all have a specific eco-innovation strategy, although various policy initiatives and programmes promote eco-innovation. While these include supply-side and demand-side measures, a fuller understanding of the interaction of supply and demand for eco-innovation would help achieve more successful policy mixes.

Given the above findings, seek to:

o Provide guidance on indicators for sustainable manufacturing: The OECD could bring clarity and consistency to existing indicator sets by developing a common terminology and understanding of the indicators and their use.

o Identify promising policies for eco-innovation: Careful evaluation of the implementation of various policy measures for eco-innovation would be helpful for identifying “promising eco-innovation policies”.

o Build a common vision for eco-innovation: The OECD could help fill the gap in the understanding of eco-innovation by co-ordinating in-depth case studies. This could form the basis for developing a common future vision for environmentally friendly social systems and roadmaps to achieve this goal.

o Develop a common definition and a scoreboard: With the substantial insights obtained, the OECD could consider the development of a common definition of eco-innovation and an “eco-innovation scoreboard” for benchmarking eco-innovation activities and public policies by combining different statistics and data.

Thanks Suresh for a lengthy explanation.

Hi,

in my view, eco innovation can be distinguished in 1) technologies which are new to the market and with the purpose of improving the environment (e.g. filter technologies, recycling, measurement) and 2) technologies which are new to the market which serve other needs (e.g. for housing, nutrition, mobility, energy) but do so with less environmental impact (fewer emissions, fewer resources) than conventional technologies. Obviously the latter are more important, but more difficult to distinguish and to measure.

In my view, sustainable innovation are technologies which can be applied in large scales without exceeding planetary boundaries while serving (basic) needs.

Best

Klaus

Thanks klaus.

To me the basic difference is "eco-innovation" focusing more in Ecological (bit wider) but Sustainable Innovation is focusing on environmental issues along with social aspects....but most of the literature use these two interchangeably which create confusion.....nothing else...….