Research Project
In this Phd study Marlene focuses on sustainability oriented innovation systems in corporate businesses, using Distell as a case study. In theory, organizational sustainability is fast moving up on the management agenda of many companies. However, many companies treat the need to become sustainable as a corporate social responsibility divorced from any business (operational) objectives. The opportunity therefore exists for a company to be pro-active in meeting its corporate social responsibility by not only addressing existing materials and processes, but to bring a sustainability focus already in the design and implementation phases of new products.
Given the highly complex problem that environmental sustainability represents, the emergence of a sustainability orientated innovation system, is crucial. Sustainable innovation aims to maintain the natural environment that supports our production and consumption as much as possible in the long term. However, companies who have embraced this notion are now also reaping the benefit of a sharpened competitive edge.
Over the past two decades much has been learnt about the dynamics of the innovation process. Investments in innovations, however, have been motivated primarily by the desire to accelerate growth with little attention paid to the various dimensions of sustainability. This has resulted in many incremental innovations with very few market leading or radical innovations. Radical innovations are quite often sparked by networking/organizational learning. Although much has been done to assess the different innovation processes and technologies, no clear answers could be found on exactly how this type of networking occurs. Part of the research would therefore focus on how this type of networking happens in Distell and how it can become part of the company’s innovation system.
By innovatively looking at all the ways in which environmental issues affect business, it will be possible to frame thinking and strategy in a new way. In today’s business world where competitive differentiation such as capital or labour costs, are flattening, the environmental advantage looms larger as a decisive element of business strategy. Three basic reasons for adding sustainability to the core strategy are: the potential for upside benefits, the management of downside risks and costs, and a values-based concern for environmental stewardship. Those companies who manage eco-challenges with skill and innovation will build stronger, more profitable, longer-lasting – in other words sustainable – businesses and a healthier, more liveable planet.
