Greening the design brief

Front End Innovation is a hot research topic, but there is still little research done on its relationship to design for sustainability. This paper explores the challenges of integrating environmental sustainability in this early stages of an innovation process and the design brief. The study is based on a content analysis of 35 design briefs from Belgian SMEs and multinationals, and a practitioners session with representatives from 14 Belgian companies. This results indicate a limited uptake of sustainability in Belgian design briefs. Furthermore, it argues that the use of certain strategies, such as front-loading, pushing sustainability upstream in the briefing process and sustainability opportunity identification in the front end, could help in greening the design brief

Virtual Round Table on Innovation for Smart and Sustainable Cities

A Dialogue between Paola Clerici Maestosi and Giovanni Vetritto (IT), Olga Kordas (SE), Johhanes Brezet (NL/DK) and Jonas Bylund (SE

Product Service System Innovation in the Smart City

Product service systems (PSS) may usefully form part of the mix of innovations necessary to move society toward more sustainable futures. However, despite such potential, PSS implementation is highly uneven and limited. Drawing on an alternate socio-technical perspective of innovation, this paper provides fresh insights, on among other things the role of context in PSS innovation, to address this issue. Case study research is presented focusing on a use orientated PSS in an urban environment: the Copenhagen city bike scheme. The paper shows that PSS innovation is a situated complex process, shaped by actors and knowledge from other locales. It argues that further research is needed to investigate how actors interests shape PSS innovation. It recommends that institutional spaces should be provided in governance landscapes associated with urban environments to enable legitimate PSS concepts to co-evolve in light of locally articulated sustainability principles and priorities

Facilitating creative networks

This research reflects on the potential of innovation networks made up of ‘creative hubs’ as facilitators of design in a local context, by using the SPRNG! project from Leeuwarden as a case study, analyzing the initiative based on a systemic multilevel design perspective. In this approach, an iterative four phase cyclic design process is being combined with a hierarchical systems perspective (Joore 2012). Briefly described, creative hubs are physical spaces that host artists, designers, small companies, collaborations or events related to these. While providing networking opportunities, these hubs also help creative individuals to achieve their aims. Creative hubs receive many different names, varying from ‘collectives’ to ‘incubators’, yet it is possible to identify a common goal of improving creative businesses holistically

A Design Thinking Framework for Circular Business Model Innovation

Purpose Circular business model innovation (CBMI) can support sustainable business transitions, but the process is poorly understood and there is a lack of tools to assist companies in the CBMI process. This paper works towards closing these gaps, by developing a framework for CBMI based on a design thinking approach, which can support the CBMI process in companies and induce organizational transformation towards more sustainable business. Design The CBMI framework was developed in connection with a multiple case study in which six companies created circular business models in collaboration with the researchers. Findings A design thinking process typically consists of three innovation phases: an exploratory, an ideation, and a prototyping and testing space. Yet, the developed framework advocates two additional spaces, namely an introductory and an alignment space. The results attained in the six case companies indicate that the developed framework is useful for CBMI in diverse organizational settings. Practical implications The study contributes with a framework to help practitioners facilitate and maneuver the challenging CBMI process. The framework provides guidelines to follow, and inspiration for CBMI-specific and general tools that could be adapted to a given organizational setting. Value The contribution of the paper is an empirically founded framework to assist CBMI. The paper also offers a conceptual overview of the CBMI process, and links CBMI to an organizational transformation towards the circular economy

The role of public policy in stimulating radical environmental impact reduction in the automotive sector: The need to focus on product-service system innovation

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 InderscienceProduct-service system (PSS) innovation is a promising approach to address sustainability challenges in the automotive industry. Starting form this assumption, this paper presents and discusses the potential contribution that policy measures can have in fostering the automotive sector in innovating on a PSS level. A set of policy instruments (general instruments and specific PSS-targeted ones) are presented and classified, underlining the effects they could produce at the company and environmental levels. In order to effectively support sustainable PSS diffusion in the automotive industry, the paper suggests the integration of general policy measures (such as internalisation of external costs, extended producer responsibility programmes and informative policies), with the PSS-targeted ones (such as Green Public Procurement focused on sustainable PSS, support of companies in acquiring information related to PSS, support of demonstrative pilot projects). In addition, the paper suggests the necessity to involve actively universities and research centres

Educating for urban sustainability: A transdisciplinary approach

An understanding of sustainability issues should be a key component of degree programmes. It is widely regarded as being a central attribute to professional practice and responsible global citizenship, arguably more so for the training of teachers since they potentially influence their students. This issue was brought to the fore when responsibility for delivering the 'design and the environment' course was transferred to the building discipline at the University of Newcastle in Australia as a result of restructuring. The attractiveness of the subject as an elective, the need to make it accessible to distance learning students and the desirability of applying transdisciplinary approaches to solving environmental problems presented the course designers with both challenges and opportunities, particularly in devising an assessment context within which students from multiple disciplines could be exposed to, and learn from each other's professional environmental evaluation norms. This paper describes an innovative holistic, multi-criteria problem-solving course design that allows a diverse mix of undergraduates to develop a transdisciplinary understanding of sustainability issues through the use of learning contracts. It reports the experiences of staff and students involved with the course, highlighting the beneficial outcomes