A successful ecological transformation holds the key for a sustained wellbeing of the planet we are living in. One of the most challenging tasks of the ecological transformation will be to balance the ever-increasing need of a growing population with the limited absorptive capacity of the Earth.
Frugal innovation, which can broadly be understood as a form of or approach to innovation that does more with less is one solution to this challenge. However, this definition of frugal innovation is overly simple, hiding both opportunities and challenges. Understanding not only the outcomes of frugal innovation and the principles and processes that underpin it unveils a more nuanced understanding of the ways that it can contribute to successful ecological transformation.
Frugal innovation emer...
]]>Ecological transformation requires us to consider many challenges and trade-offs at once. We are not facing one crisis but many. Among the environmental crises we face are climate change, resource use, pollution, biodiversity loss and many others; in each of these areas, we are close to or have already crossed critical planetary boundaries for a safe and liveable planet.
At the same time, social inequality, climate justice and a just transition must also be addressed; the same communities that have done the least to cause the environmental emergencies we face often stand to lose the most as a consequence of them. In this context, innovation for the ecological transformation can, and must, mean many things.
This first section explores different models and definitions of innovation. It challenges us to think about why we innovate and how we innovate, inviting a more holistic and broader understanding of innovation. Grounding this conversation, Armand Hatchuel shares a history of the no...
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