Innovation for Climate and Circularity - Business Models and Governance

Abstract:

The transition towards a carbon-neutral society is essential. In the last years we have seen obvious changes in climate with e.g. major forest fires in Australia, unusual heatwaves in Europe, and so on. The window we have to realise a world where warming is limited to 1.5-2 oC is rapidly closing and major mitigation efforts are required to realise net zero emissions by 2050. Obvious elements of this transition are a change to a carbon-neutral energy system, transport based on electric vehicles, low-meat diets, and reducing drastically energy end-use for homes, appliances, etc. This energy transition has to go hand in hand with a circularity transition – Asia’s expanding infrastructure has made it the globe’s main material consumer, while this material production and -use is responsible for 20-25% of all energy use and carbon emissions (40-50% if food is included). To achieve a climate-neutral, circular economy, next to technical innovation the further development of circular, service-oriented business is especially promising. This links product and service design, supply chain management, manufacturing technologies, product and service use, product treatment at end-of-life, and business models and strategies such as portfolio management and branding.

Such technical and business innovations however often do not materialise without strong innovation policies and related governance. Here, various approaches are possible. Sometimes, relatively top-down steering via ‘mission oriented’ innovation policies can work. In other cases, technology stimulation and then realise ‘sustainability through the market’ can work. Finally, a ‘transition management’ approach may be needed, that initially relies on experimenting and learning, weakening where required the incumbent socio-technical regime, before moving to the more market-based and government stimulated changes mentioned before.

Background of speaker:

Arnold Tukker is the Professor of Industrial Ecology and served until September 2022 for a maximum 8 year term as Scientific director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML, 150 staff) at Leiden University. He retains a small position at the Dutch not for profit research organization TNO. Arnold set up 15 million Euro in EU projects in which the world’s most ambitious and detailed global energy/resource/economic input-output database (EXIOBASE) was built. He led a EU Marie Curie Innovative Training Network of 15 PhDs researching the circular economy  (Circ€uit). He was appointed as a member of the European Academy of Sciences in 2018, and recognised by the Web of Science group as a highly cited researcher since 2019. His work in the field of sustainable business models is among the highest cited globally.

Speaker: Prof Arnold Tukker

Topic: Innovation for Climate and Circularity - Business Models and Governance

Date and time: 8th May 2023, 10 am - 11.30 am

Venue: Hybrid (LT-9 / MS Teams)