L’éco-innovation : une opportunité du développement durable ? Quelques éléments de bilan et de prospective niveaux européen et international

Ce texte se focalise sur le rôle que les éco-innovations peuvent jouer en matière de compétitivité,notamment pour l’économie et les entreprises européennes.Une première partie fait ressortir les grandes tendances internationales en émergence quant aux caractères des éco-innovations, afin d’identifier les leviers permettant d’accroître leur performance.Ensuite,une vision prospective de ce que seront les écoinnovations les plus probables à moyen et long terme permet de comprendre la place des différents pays dans leur développement ainsi que leurs principaux marchés et enjeux. Enfin, nous identifions les écueils à éviter et les précautions à prendre afin de s’assurer que l’éco-innovation ne soit pas guidée que par des considérations économiques et qu’elle obéisse également aux principes d’équité et d’acceptabilité sociétale, à la base du développement durable.This paper underlines the part that eco-innovations can play with regards to competitiveness, in particular in the economic space of Europe. The first part identifies main international tendencies in emergence with the characters of eco-innovations,which is linked to levers increasing their performance.The second part offers a prospective vision of what will be the most probable eco-innovations in the middle and long term, in order to understand the developmental position of the various countries, as well as their principal markets.We finish by identifying the obstacles to avoid and the precautions to take in order to make sure that eco-innovation is not guided solely by economic considerations, and that it obeys the principles of equity and societal acceptability at the base of sustainable development

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND GOVERNANCE IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICY

International audienceAn evolutionary economics perspective between technological innovation and public policy is applied to analyse the relationships between technological change, sustainable development and industrial competitiveness. This leads us to emphasise the fundamental role that firm's strategies vis-à-vis the endogenisation of technological change can play for giving effect to `win-win' strategies. However, allowing industrial competition to become the only factor determining `win-win' strategies could lead to `locked' technological and social options being chosen which do not contribute to overall goals of ecological, social and economic sustainability. For this reason we introduce, as complements to competitiveness, the requirement of new forms of governance in pursuit of ecological-economic sustainability

Les firmes face au développement soutenable : changement technologique et gouvernance au sein de la dynamique industrielle

[fre] Avec l'émergence de problèmes globaux d'environnement dans les années 1980, de nouvelles pratiques visent à réconcilier l'activité économique et la préservation de la qualité environnementale. Les firmes jouent un rôle fondamental vis-à-vis d'une endogénéisation du changement technologique dans le cadre de stratégies « win-win ». Nous nous interrogeons sur le rôle de l'innovation technologique environnementale et sur les conditions de sa mise en oeuvre. Laisser l'initiative des choix stratégiques en matière environnementale à la seule compétitivité industrielle peut conduire à des options technologiques et sociales « verrouillées » loin de toute trajectoire de soutenabilité. Aussi, à côté de la compétitivité d'autres notions comme la « gouvernance » sont-elles introduites. [eng] In the 1980s, confronted with the emergence of global environmental problems, new practices have highlighted the question of how to reconcile the attainment of economic goals with environmental protection. Firms play a fundamental role through the endogenisation of technological change, within the perspective of implementing win-win strategies. We question the role of environmental technological innovation and the conditions of their implementation. However, allowing competition among firms to become the only factor determining environmental strategies could possibly lead to lock-in situations, where technological and social options have been chosen, which may in the long term be non-sustainable. It is for this underlying reason that we introduce as complements to competitiveness, the requirement for new forms of governance.

Follow the leader: how corporate social responsibility influences strategy and practice in the business community

International audiencePurpose: Companies face increasing pressure from stakeholders to play a leading role in addressing a wide array of environmental, social, and governance issues. What are the relevant and responsible contributions that corporations are expected to provide in support of defining solutions to sustainability issues? This paper shows how corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a negotiation process to help corporations manage uncertainties through collaborative work and alignment with stakeholders. From that angle, CSR is a process that generates standard and acceptable business practices. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses both an adductive as well as an interpretative approach of CSR and looks at CSR as a collaborative process that builds rules and norms. Findings: CSR is defined as a contractual process between stakeholders in order to drive decision making processes and agree on commitments between business and society. Interestingly, all studied examples depict the development of standard and acceptable business practices with very little involvement of stakeholders, which is not the understood way of driving changes to business strategy as defined by the CSR negotiation processes. Practical implications: A framework is presented linking CSR business practices research findings to empirical market isomorphism. The paper is of practical relevance for management practitioners. The limitations of recent research are also discussed. Originality/value: Our examples show that CSR is no more than the achievements of fragmented initiatives led by companies showing limited transparency toward external stakeholders. There is no overall coordination. The paper is original in its recommendation that public authorities play a strategic role showing clear direction, and establish themselves as a strategic platform enabling more engagement between stakeholders

How CSR generates market-standard and acceptable business practices for corporations

Companies face increasing pressure from stakeholders to play a leading role in addressing a wide array of environmental, social, and governance issues. This paper shows how corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a negotiation process to help corporations manage uncertainties through collaborative work and alignment with stakeholders. In this way, CSR is a process that generates standard and acceptable business practices. Using an adductive as well as an interpretative approach, we look at CSR as a collaborative process that builds rules and norms. CSR is defined as a contractual process between stakeholders in order to drive decision making processes and agree on commitments between business and society. A framework is presented linking CSR business practices research findings to empirical market isomorphism. Interestingly, all studied examples depict the development of standard and acceptable business practices with very little involvement of stakeholders, which is not the understood way of driving changes to business strategy as defined by the CSR negotiation processes. Our analysis suggests that CSR in practice, is little more than the achievements of fragmented initiatives led by companies showing (limited) transparency toward external stakeholders. The paper concludes with recommendations that public authorities play a strategic role showing clear direction, and establish themselves as a strategic platform enabling more engagement between stakeholders

Les enjeux de la smart city pour le développement durable. Le cas du Maroc.

International audienceLa croissance verte relève d’un développement véritablement durable dans ses dimensions économiques, sociétales et écologiques. Dans cette perspective, nous abordons la question du lien entre lutte contre le changement climatique et compétitivité économique, notamment pour le Maroc, puis lesconditions requises pour que cette croissance verte s’inscrive sur un sentier de développement durable.Cette analyse de l’innovation en vue du développement durable (ou éco-innovation) au Maroc est menée en examinant les enjeux de la ville intelligente plus souvent désignée par l’expression anglaise de smart city. Nous rappelons que le Maroc a compris que la lutte contre le changement climatique représente une sérieuse opportunité pour se positionner sur une trajectoire de croissance verte. Nous nous interrogeons sur les enjeux de ces eco-innovations et sur leurs conséquences en termes d'emplois et d'entreprenariat social au Maroc

IT for Green and Green IT: a proposed typology of eco-innovation

International audienc

Promote and Support Eco-innovation

International audienc