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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING

Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal (International Journal) ISSN-2456-1037

Vol.04,Special Issue 05, (ICIR-2019) September 2019, Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

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ECO INNOVATION Dr. Anita Lubana

Asst. Professor, Department of Botany, Government Girls College, Ajmer

Abstract - Eco-innovation or ecovation, is a process or a relationship between humanity and environment. This paper has analyzed some general features and necessities of the eco innovation. This paper takes into account the different definitions given at different times. The different types of eco innovation, its concept, why is it required and what has been done in the world and in context of India and what more should be done. The process of sustainable development started after the earth summit in Rio in 1992 and we have come a long way. A lot has been observed and done in recent years due to increase in media activity, the spread of knowledge for eco-innovation, general social acceptability and intent of the humans to support the cause.

Keywords: Eco-innovation, ecovation, green innovation, environment innovation 1 INTRODUCTION

In general, eco innovation means the development of such products, materials and processes which are sustainable, stable and regular and do not put an impact on the general environment and further more are recyclable. The word is generally interchangeable with environmental innovation and green innovation and is linked with environmental technology, eco- efficiency, eco-design, environmental design, sustainable design, or sustainable innovation. Eco innovation was environmental innovation or environmental sustainability but at later stage the word eco innovation is being widely used.

A commitment was made in Rio in 1992 to promote sustainable development, this means that a lot has to be changed in order to reach and achieve long term sustainable innovation. Changes in the institutions, processes, designs, infrastructure, technologies and the more important lifestyle.

Eco-innovation is the process by which responsible capitalism aligns with ecological innovation to construct products which have a generative nature and are recyclable back into the environment for usage in other industries.

The most common usage of the term

"eco-innovation" is to refer to innovative products and processes that reduce environmental impacts, Maintain the green and protect the environments and promote the growth of resources and sustain them.

There are companies and corporates and institution which are promoting green

and environmental sustainability are becoming more socially responsible.

Basically, it is the application of commercial knowledge to environmental sustainability and to directly or indirectly benefit the ecological environment while making money.

Then politicians and the entrepreneurs alike should see the increasing need to sustain the environment and to create and follow such methods and policies which are in conjunction with positive betterment of the environment.

What we take should be given back to the nature should be the policy and which will help out our children, our future to survive in a healthy environment.

2 DEFINITIONS

The term was first used in the book by Claude Fussler and Peter James. Peter James defines eco-innovation as "new products and processes which provide customer and business value but significantly decrease environmental impacts".

Kemp and Pearson define eco- innovation as “the production, assimilation or exploitation of a product, production process, service or management or business method that is novel to the organization (developing or adopting it) and which results, throughout its life cycle, in a reduction of environmental risk, pollution and other negative impacts of resources use (including energy use) compared to relevant alternatives”.

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2 The Europe INNOVA panel concludes that “eco-innovation means the creation of novel and competitively priced goods, processes, systems, services, and procedures that can satisfy human needs and bring quality of life to all people with a life-cycle-wide minimal use of natural resources (material including energy carriers, and surface area) per unit output, and a minimal release of toxic substances”

(cited from Reid and Miedzinski (2008: 7)).

Based on the industrial dynamics perspective Andersen defines eco- innovation “as innovations which are able to attract green rents on the market.

The slogan of European Union-:

when business meets the environment appropriately expresses this word.

3 CONCEPT

The main concept of the eco-innovation is to develop such products and processes that are ecofriendly, that are recyclable and do not impact the ecology or the environment. The main theme is to give back what we take from the nature and sustain it. To sustain the relationship between the environment and the humanity. To create such sustainable environment that in long term our kids don’t blame us for destroying what we could have saved and maintained for them.

The term should be socially acceptable so as the new processes and products that are in conjunction with the eco sustainability should only be used. Consumers behavior and attitude towards the change should be promoted and educated. The most important is the lifestyle changes which will result in eco-innovation. Eco-innovation depends on values, the attribution of meaning and on environmental knowledge.

In the absence of special regulations and incentives, a sense of responsibility is needed for dealing with the conflict between individual rationality and collective rationality. Importantly the concept of eco innovation is sustainable with policy and to do that on large scale the government’s active participation is necessary. Finally in simple words Eco-inovation is the process by which responsible capitalism aligns with ecological innovation to construct products which have a generative nature and are

recyclable back into the environment for usage in other industries.

4 TYPES OF ECO-INNOVATION

Eco-innovation can be characterized as:

1. Technological Eco-Innovation:

These technologies are both corrective and also preventive. They consist of measures to reduce the energy and material input and emissions. Leaders in many industries have been developing innovative technologies in order to work towards sustainability.

Technology is the application of scientific or technical knowledge for practical purposes. It refers not only to physical equipment and tools, but also to the knowledge, techniques and skills that surround its deployment and use.(1) Within this context, technology forms part of a broader infrastructure that supports eco-innovation, which positively effects economic development in developing and emerging countries.

Technology thus has Moving Ahead with Technology for Eco- Innovation17a significant impact on society and the environment. This impact can be inherent in the technology itself, but is also a function of how it is used. Hence, technology application can be for good or ill or sustainable or unsustainable ends. Increasingly, however, eco-innovation as described above has become a pathway to create more sustainable technology. Indeed, technological advances have contributed significantly to decoupling of

economic growth from

environmental impacts and improving the livelihood of communities some material products are substituted with less- material services.

2. Social Eco-Innovation: It is the interaction between humanity and the ecosystems or in other words human- environment interaction which would fulfill the human needs

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3 as well as protect and sustain the ecological systems.

People’s life style changes result insocial eco-innovation. Social innovations are new social practices that aim to meet social needs in a better way than the existing solutions, resulting from - for example - working conditions, education, community development or health. These ideas are created with the goal of extending and strengthening civil society. Social innovation includes the social processes of innovation, such as open source methods and techniques and also the innovations which have a social purpose—like activism, online volunteering, microcredit, or distance learning.

3. Institutional Eco-Innovation:

Scientific and public institutions cooperate to make policies about eco-innovation. The policies are arranged with the focus of world research and development tendencies accordingly. The main purpose is to create smarter institutions. Institutional innovation allows organizations to rearchitect themselves to scale learning and generate richer innovations at other levels, including products, business models, and management systems.

The new and advanced social and technological infrastructures also effect institutional innovations.

5 WHAT IS BEING DONE

As of present knowledge a few examples of what has been done for the eco innovation the most significant, the omni processor S- 100 funded by Bill and Melinda gates foundation and which has been developed by Janicki Industries which turns sewage sludge into drinkable water. The machine processes and produces about 10800 litres of clean drinking water and can also produce 100 kilowatts of power, a bigger model S-200 of this omni processor is being developed which will produce about 86000 liters of drinking water and about 250 Kw of power. The same type projects have been started in many European countries.

Dr Govinder Singh Pawar, a scientist of Indian origin at the University of Exeter in the UK, has now fabricated a

semiconductor photo electrode using an inexpensive and scalable spray pyrolysis method. The motive is to obtain fuel from sunlight, the reaction of pure hydrogen gas with oxygen in air forms water and in this process releases energy which can be used as fuel. The byproduct of this fuel is water.

Some 4 students of IIT Kharagpur have designed a formula to make furniture from rice husk. The husk treated with chemicals and adhesive is turned into sheets to be converted into furniture, pen bodies etc.

Tonnes and tonnes of plastic is thrown as waste, a non-profit organization from Bengluru called Swachh has decided to recycle the waste plastic and turn it into tiles and moreover they can be reconfigured, removed and reinstalled.

So, these are some of the examples that humanity is aware of the dangers of the pressure on the environment and are slowly adapting to eco innovations.

6 REQUIREMENT IN CONTEXT OF INDIA India with its 1.5 approx. population and a large part of it being uneducated and unaware of the dangers of the commercialization and environmental degradation and blind use of the resources that the nature has provided us, a healthy eco-innovation education and policy is required for our future.

India has a larger innovation potential but it is highly underutilized. It needs to build researches, inventing and adopting capacities for the new technologies. This is important in context of the rising and building economy and also saving the environment.

However, to do this on large scale strict standards and policies are required and also social awareness for the people to understand the implications of the blind use of natural resources. Awareness on the platform of social eco-innovation is required and regulations on the part of the government whether policy wise or tax based and also regulations to encourage the institutions, companies’ organizations to develop and follow the rules of eco innovations.

India presently is the most polluting country in the world. With problems with

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4 air pollution, water pollution, sound pollution and depleting resources.

Currently India is the largest air polluting country in the world and according to the latest WHO survey, 14 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India.

7 WHAT COULD BE DONE

1. A larger debate on the subject of Eco-innovation should be done.

2. As the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan is being covered by the social media a notable increase in the public attention and following towards it has been seen.

3. Eco-Innovation and sustainability should be the prime object and part of any corporate strategy.

4. A single solution is not an answer to complex problems so a diverse systemic strategy to curb the different problems should be devised to reach the ultimate goal of Sustainability.

5. Policies should be made and regulated and the new startups should adhere to the needs of the green sustainability.

6. Education system should be so devised as to set the mindset of the students towards the eco innovation and sustainability from the start.

7. Government support and facilitation, policy making, policy implementing, social media advertisements, ground support, tax supports etc.

REFERENCES

1. United nations environment programme.

2. Rosenberg, N. (1976) Perspectives on Technology. Cambridge: CUP

3. Stockholm resilience centre- Time for social ecological innovations.

4. Gaurav Burman-Why eco-innovation is a crucial ingredient for India’s progress.