The role of new business models and social innovation towards more sustainable lifestyles

1. Collaboration for sustainable lifestyles through business and social innovations
Workstudio, Berlin 4-5 November 2013
The role of new business models and
social innovation towards more
sustainable lifestyles
Lars Fogh Mortensen
Head, Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), Economics and Waste
Lars.mortensen@eea.europa.eu

2. the black swan = the highly improbable

3. uncertainty = opportunity and responsibility

4. increased complexity = new role for business and innovation
Increased
complexity
• Climate change
• Ecosystems and
biodiversity
Integrated
solutions
Green
economy
Green growth
• Risk and uncertainty
• Financial crisis
• World economic
powers changing
• New consumer
demands
• New demands of
shareholders
Common but
differentiated
leadership
EU/Governments
Taxes
Resource
efficiency
Regulation
Subsidy removal
Information
Sustainable
lifestyles
Sustainable
consumption
and production
Innovation Efficiency
Product-service systems
Living
New business models
Consumers/
Business
citizens

5. value chain = opportunity and responsibility
Source: ETC/SCP, 2013

6. sustainable business models = opportunity and
responsibility

7. sustainable business = enable sustainable lifestyles
Source: World Economic Forum
Sustainable Consumption Initiative, Davos 2011

8. sustainability = importance
93% of CEO’s
believe that
sustainability will
be important to
the future
success of their
business
UN Global
Comapct, 2013

9. sustainabity = future success
CEO’s perception
of importance of
sustainability
varies by industry
(UN Global
Compacts, 2013)

10. financial crisis = challenge for sustainability
In many industries
there is a marked
decline in the
proportion of
CEO’s who see
sustainability as
very important
(UN Global
Compact, 2013)

11. future = paradigm shift
Past
Reduce/limit environmental
impacts from production
Future
Reduce/limit global life-cycle impacts
from consumption and production
systems
Grow where there is less impact
Increase quantity
Increase quality
Protect national and regional
environment
Protect the environment worldwide
Technology is the solution
Technology and changes in
behaviour is the solution
Governments take lead
Common and differentiated
leadership of governments,
companies and consumers