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Innovation for Sustainability: Sceptical, Pragmatic, and Idealist Perspectives on the Role of Business as a Driver for Change

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Innovation for Sustainability

Abstract

Business-originated innovation activities are increasingly seen as a driver for resolving global challenges in environmental and social issues. At best, innovation for sustainability—or sustainability-oriented innovation—is a way for firms to improve their competitiveness while also facilitating the greater good. Research and practice have shown that both facilitating and constraining forces are at play for businesses to actually adopt such a role. This chapter adopts the systems view to examine the issue through three perspectives: sceptical, pragmatic, and idealist. The system-level dynamics of innovation for sustainability are discussed by reflecting on these perspectives, their merits, their shortcomings, and possible ways forward.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland

    Paavo Ritala

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  1. Paavo Ritala
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Correspondence to Paavo Ritala .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lund University, Lund, Sweden

    Nancy Bocken

  2. Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland

    Paavo Ritala

  3. Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland

    Laura Albareda

  4. Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Robert Verburg

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Ritala, P. (2019). Innovation for Sustainability: Sceptical, Pragmatic, and Idealist Perspectives on the Role of Business as a Driver for Change. In: Bocken, N., Ritala, P., Albareda, L., Verburg, R. (eds) Innovation for Sustainability. Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business In Association with Future Earth. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97385-2_2

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