Final Report Summary - ECODRIVE (Measuring ECO-innovation: ecological and economic performance and derived indicators)
Continuous economic growth and improved environmental quality form essential elements of sustainable development. Eco-innovation, that is, the combined environmental and economic performance of the society, is required in order to achieve increasing sustainability, in accordance with the prevailing international policies.
Innovations could be ecological at a microscopic level, in comparison with a reference technology. However, they do not necessarily result in a sustainable macroscopic performance of the society. It is also difficult to increase the efficiency of resource use and emissions at a sufficient level to compensate for economic growth. The identification of adequate indicators is crucial for proper estimates of the future societal performance; nevertheless, the complexity of social, economic and technical processes renders accurate predictions arduous. Observations of the economic history are therefore essential for realistic conclusions derivation.
Moreover, there is currently a shift towards the development of a knowledge-based economy, which should be taken into consideration since it results in modified macroeconomic processes because of the nature of information as a tradable good.
The ECODRIVE project aimed to develop a framework for measuring and estimating eco-innovation based on the abovementioned concepts and ideas. The examined mechanisms were related to institutions and their role in economy, law and science. Innovation and growth approximation was initially performed and the applied methods were subsequently directed to environmental aspects.
The developed framework distinguished between society performance and associated conductive factors, which were utilised as metrics for future eco-innovation scoring. Broad welfare concepts, including human capital, were measured separately prior to being integrated within welfare indicators.
It was also proposed to use current environmental interventions as an index of future environmental effects, in spite of the disadvantage of being indirectly related to welfare. The operations and the depletion of materials and energy resources were quantified using numerous environmental mechanisms. Moreover, proposals for quantifying the economic performance of the society were formulated; nevertheless their detailed investigation was beyond the project scope.
An attempt to estimate future eco-innovation was also undertaken based on the developed conceptual framework. The difficulty of obtaining accurate predictions of the future eco-innovation components along with the importance of culture and politics were highlighted prior to proposing an indicators systematisation. Microeconomic indexes, directly related to firms, were developed. Moreover, economic growth and environmental improvement were combined in an eco-efficiency mark, which was particularly useful for the evaluation of the innovations potential. Finally, cultural, institutional and policy indicators were identified.
The proposed parameters were quantified in order to be evaluated through the analysis of a selected case study. Thus, useful conclusions were derived regarding the quantification requirements and options. In addition, knowledge gaps were identified and future research recommendations were formulated as part of ECODRIVE activities.
Innovations could be ecological at a microscopic level, in comparison with a reference technology. However, they do not necessarily result in a sustainable macroscopic performance of the society. It is also difficult to increase the efficiency of resource use and emissions at a sufficient level to compensate for economic growth. The identification of adequate indicators is crucial for proper estimates of the future societal performance; nevertheless, the complexity of social, economic and technical processes renders accurate predictions arduous. Observations of the economic history are therefore essential for realistic conclusions derivation.
Moreover, there is currently a shift towards the development of a knowledge-based economy, which should be taken into consideration since it results in modified macroeconomic processes because of the nature of information as a tradable good.
The ECODRIVE project aimed to develop a framework for measuring and estimating eco-innovation based on the abovementioned concepts and ideas. The examined mechanisms were related to institutions and their role in economy, law and science. Innovation and growth approximation was initially performed and the applied methods were subsequently directed to environmental aspects.
The developed framework distinguished between society performance and associated conductive factors, which were utilised as metrics for future eco-innovation scoring. Broad welfare concepts, including human capital, were measured separately prior to being integrated within welfare indicators.
It was also proposed to use current environmental interventions as an index of future environmental effects, in spite of the disadvantage of being indirectly related to welfare. The operations and the depletion of materials and energy resources were quantified using numerous environmental mechanisms. Moreover, proposals for quantifying the economic performance of the society were formulated; nevertheless their detailed investigation was beyond the project scope.
An attempt to estimate future eco-innovation was also undertaken based on the developed conceptual framework. The difficulty of obtaining accurate predictions of the future eco-innovation components along with the importance of culture and politics were highlighted prior to proposing an indicators systematisation. Microeconomic indexes, directly related to firms, were developed. Moreover, economic growth and environmental improvement were combined in an eco-efficiency mark, which was particularly useful for the evaluation of the innovations potential. Finally, cultural, institutional and policy indicators were identified.
The proposed parameters were quantified in order to be evaluated through the analysis of a selected case study. Thus, useful conclusions were derived regarding the quantification requirements and options. In addition, knowledge gaps were identified and future research recommendations were formulated as part of ECODRIVE activities.