Innovating for a Low Carbon Economy
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Nottingham University Business School
Abstract
The UK government has committed to reduce the country's green house gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050. It is, now, widely acknowledged that this transition to a low carbon economy is unlikely to occur unless radical changes take place on the policy and technology fronts as well as within the organisational structures and how companies see their relationship with the environment. Yet, the presence of various market failures dominate the scene and as a result, many radical low carbon innovations (including photovoltaic systems, offshore wind and carbon capture and storage projects) will not efficiently materialise unless there is a better coordination within the private sector driven by an efficient environmental and innovation policy; as well as significant public support. Academic evidence on the risks and returns of environmental innovations, their drivers and barriers as well as the general understanding on green innovation system dynamics is rather new and patchy; at times failing to produce clear directions for policy makers. Moreover, environmental private sector innovators raise concerns about the lack of clarity in policy signals and the economic challenges of commercialising their innovations.
In order for the UK to meet its commitments to reduce GHG emissions, a clear road map for the transition to a low carbon economy is urgently required. While general directions are outlined in the Low Carbon Strategy (BIS, 2011); a thorough and detailed understanding of the specific needs and challenges in UK's environmental innovation system is much required to address effectively the pollution reduction targets. Through this seminar series, we aim to facilitate communication between three important stakeholders; private sector, policy makers from UK and EU, and academics from the economics, management, social marketing as well as engineering and physics disciplines. The main goal is to enable discussions about potential problems and solutions to GHG reduction, by facilitating a platform for exchange of information which can, then, be fed into a detailed road map for UK's low carbon economy in the form of concrete suggestions.
The proposed seminar series consists of six seminars. The first two seminars concentrate on the technological and organisational environmental innovations in order to explore the characteristics of UK's environmental innovations while the following two seminars focus on the central role of government policies and the public's consumption attitudes toward environmental matters. In the final two seminars, we respectively investigate the role and characteristics of the environmental sector's SME section in driving the UK's clean technology innovations and the financing needs of the environmental sector. The seminars and their time frame are as follows:
1. Technological innovations for transitioning to a low carbon economy (December 2013)
2. Organisational innovations for transitioning to a low carbon economy (March 2014)
3. The green revolution and entrepreneurial state (July 2014)
4. Driving consumer demand for green products and services (September 2014)
5. Supporting SMEs in transitioning to a low carbon economy (December 2014)
6. Financing environmental innovations (July 2015)
It is aimed that the network created through the organisation of this seminar series will be the basis for a strong network and community that will generate future research projects stemming from these outlined topics. Such a network is crucial for pushing the boundaries of research in this field and it can channel academic research to support policy decisions and company actions.
In order for the UK to meet its commitments to reduce GHG emissions, a clear road map for the transition to a low carbon economy is urgently required. While general directions are outlined in the Low Carbon Strategy (BIS, 2011); a thorough and detailed understanding of the specific needs and challenges in UK's environmental innovation system is much required to address effectively the pollution reduction targets. Through this seminar series, we aim to facilitate communication between three important stakeholders; private sector, policy makers from UK and EU, and academics from the economics, management, social marketing as well as engineering and physics disciplines. The main goal is to enable discussions about potential problems and solutions to GHG reduction, by facilitating a platform for exchange of information which can, then, be fed into a detailed road map for UK's low carbon economy in the form of concrete suggestions.
The proposed seminar series consists of six seminars. The first two seminars concentrate on the technological and organisational environmental innovations in order to explore the characteristics of UK's environmental innovations while the following two seminars focus on the central role of government policies and the public's consumption attitudes toward environmental matters. In the final two seminars, we respectively investigate the role and characteristics of the environmental sector's SME section in driving the UK's clean technology innovations and the financing needs of the environmental sector. The seminars and their time frame are as follows:
1. Technological innovations for transitioning to a low carbon economy (December 2013)
2. Organisational innovations for transitioning to a low carbon economy (March 2014)
3. The green revolution and entrepreneurial state (July 2014)
4. Driving consumer demand for green products and services (September 2014)
5. Supporting SMEs in transitioning to a low carbon economy (December 2014)
6. Financing environmental innovations (July 2015)
It is aimed that the network created through the organisation of this seminar series will be the basis for a strong network and community that will generate future research projects stemming from these outlined topics. Such a network is crucial for pushing the boundaries of research in this field and it can channel academic research to support policy decisions and company actions.
Planned Impact
The UK is at a crossroads facing crucial decisions in its industry, environment and innovation policies to secure a future with economic growth that is environmentally sustainable. Ground breaking environmental innovations that replace polluting technologies will be necessary alongside significant shifts to consumption patterns and how companies view their relationship with the environment. However, pressures for immediate economic recovery and growth are currently blurring the urgency of actions the UK needs to take for a low carbon future. In this seminar series, our impact targets will be achieved through facilitating the dialogue between the following beneficiaries and building a longer lasting community.
BENEFICIARIES: The beneficiaries targeted by this seminar series include (1) academics from economics and management as well as engineering and natural sciences backgrounds (2) practitioners at companies and investment firms and (3) policy makers with a focus on environment and innovation policies. A closer dialogue between these main stakeholders is crucial to all attempts to work out the details of the road map to a low carbon economy outlined by the UK government in its Low Carbon Strategy (BIS, 2011).
MAIN IMPACT TARGETS.
-Knowledge Dissemination and Exchange: By highlighting some of the most central issues related to environmental innovations, the seminar series will facilitate further debate on topical policy issues by taking into account the academic works and practices in companies, and unveil areas for future research. Presence of the three beneficiary groups will be essential for maintaining a balanced perspective on these debates.
-Networking and Community Building: We have designed the seminar series as a platform to initiate lasting professional contacts. Through targeted invitation of keynote speakers and conference attendees as well as planned networking opportunities during and after the seminars, we hope to facilitate useful contacts between the beneficiary groups. We will use the seminar website and a Linkedin group to extend these opportunities beyond the time of the seminar series and eventually turn this group into a network for environmental innovations consisting of individuals with academic, company and policy backgrounds. This network will form the core for future collaborations of similar nature such as annual conferences.
Amongst non-academic stakeholders, we have identified:
1.POLICY MAKERS and NGOs: UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), OFGEM, Department of Energy and Climate Change, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Climate and Energy Team ,Carbon Trust, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM) as well as, Eco-innovation Observatory and Green Alliance.
2.ENVIRONMENTAL COMPANIES: UK based Top 100 Global Clean Technology companies (based on Guardian's list) as well as other firms of the environmental/energy sector that the conference organization committee have been working with over the years.
3.REPRESENTATIVES FROM HIGH POLLUTION INDUSTRIES: Companies that operate in high pollution industries face higher pressures to reduce their environmental impact while also having a relatively large potential to make a contribution to the green transformation. We will reach out to members of these industries through our local university contacts and the relevant industry chambers.
DISSEMINATING THE OUTCOMES
Each seminar will be followed up by a 2-page summary report on main outcomes of the day. These will be circulated to stakeholders with a link to seminar podcast recordings. Two widely read trade journals Clean-tech Investor and Resource Magazine have confirmed they will cover all seminars. We also aim to create a journal special issue or edited book of selected academic papers presented in the six seminars.
BENEFICIARIES: The beneficiaries targeted by this seminar series include (1) academics from economics and management as well as engineering and natural sciences backgrounds (2) practitioners at companies and investment firms and (3) policy makers with a focus on environment and innovation policies. A closer dialogue between these main stakeholders is crucial to all attempts to work out the details of the road map to a low carbon economy outlined by the UK government in its Low Carbon Strategy (BIS, 2011).
MAIN IMPACT TARGETS.
-Knowledge Dissemination and Exchange: By highlighting some of the most central issues related to environmental innovations, the seminar series will facilitate further debate on topical policy issues by taking into account the academic works and practices in companies, and unveil areas for future research. Presence of the three beneficiary groups will be essential for maintaining a balanced perspective on these debates.
-Networking and Community Building: We have designed the seminar series as a platform to initiate lasting professional contacts. Through targeted invitation of keynote speakers and conference attendees as well as planned networking opportunities during and after the seminars, we hope to facilitate useful contacts between the beneficiary groups. We will use the seminar website and a Linkedin group to extend these opportunities beyond the time of the seminar series and eventually turn this group into a network for environmental innovations consisting of individuals with academic, company and policy backgrounds. This network will form the core for future collaborations of similar nature such as annual conferences.
Amongst non-academic stakeholders, we have identified:
1.POLICY MAKERS and NGOs: UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), OFGEM, Department of Energy and Climate Change, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Climate and Energy Team ,Carbon Trust, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM) as well as, Eco-innovation Observatory and Green Alliance.
2.ENVIRONMENTAL COMPANIES: UK based Top 100 Global Clean Technology companies (based on Guardian's list) as well as other firms of the environmental/energy sector that the conference organization committee have been working with over the years.
3.REPRESENTATIVES FROM HIGH POLLUTION INDUSTRIES: Companies that operate in high pollution industries face higher pressures to reduce their environmental impact while also having a relatively large potential to make a contribution to the green transformation. We will reach out to members of these industries through our local university contacts and the relevant industry chambers.
DISSEMINATING THE OUTCOMES
Each seminar will be followed up by a 2-page summary report on main outcomes of the day. These will be circulated to stakeholders with a link to seminar podcast recordings. Two widely read trade journals Clean-tech Investor and Resource Magazine have confirmed they will cover all seminars. We also aim to create a journal special issue or edited book of selected academic papers presented in the six seminars.
Organisations
Publications
Demirel P
(2017)
Born to be green: new insights into the economics and management of green entrepreneurship
in Small Business Economics
Demirel P
(2018)
The impact of regulatory complexity upon self-regulation: Evidence from the adoption and certification of environmental management systems
in Journal of Environmental Management
| Description | The three seminars we organised so far have developed a sound platform for academic members, policy makers and professional practitioners to discuss the technological, organisational and behavioural challenges in transitioning the UK's economy to be a low(er)-carbon economy and work on producing solutions to these challenges. The debates at these seminars have identified interest and engagement in the area of sustainability from a broad range of actors in the society as well as a lack of a coherent platform for these actors to work together and exchange information. Our participants have consistently noted that they benefited most from the diversity of the parties present at the seminars and making contacts with them as well as being able to hear about different opportunities and similar challenges. A second area where the seminars have shed light is the urgent need for changed business models that can support the emerging environmental technological innovations in the UK. While more recent emphasis has been placed on organizational environmental innovations, it was argued that clearer direction from the regulators could be instrumental for the diffusion of environmental business models and management systems. Finally, the series highlighted recent findings which indicate that UK consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious in their purchasing decisions in the recent years and that, there is a big opportunity to use this change to alter the direction of the economy if the correct policy tools are used. |
| Exploitation Route | Based on the debates in the seminars, academic participants have identified future avenues for research and potential non-academic research partners in the area of environment and clean energy. Similarly, companies working in the field of energy and environment were able to discuss the opportunities, challenges and prospects of their businesses with the participating academics and policy makers to receive different perspectives and utilise these for further progress in their businesses. We can already identify a range of strong research and consultancy partnerships emerging based on these seminars and expect these to lead to broader projects that will deliver further research and economic value that benefits the UK's low carbon economy. |
| Sectors | Education,Energy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice,Transport |
| Description | As this grant has supported the formation of a platform that brings together representatives from (1) academia, (2) private sector and (3) policy making, its impact has actualised through raising awareness of the issues and scientific findings around low-carbon innovations as well as creating links between the individuals from these three sectors of the low-carbon economy. Academic members of our community have used the workshops to communicate their findings to policy makers and to establish personal links that can be used to communicate future research findings and inform policy making. Additionally, various contacts made between academics and private sector representatives proved helpful to identify the needs of companies in terms of consultancy and advice and have since been followed up to establish long-term relationships supported by our University engagement offices. Additionally, small business participants at the workshops informed us that they were particularly pleased to be introduced to local policy makers in their regions as these links are often difficult to make and can prove valuable in terms of benefiting from local opportunities (e.g. collaborations, funding opportunities) and for better navigating the legal framework surrounding the low-carbon innovations. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Education,Energy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | DEFRA engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | DEFRA's Head of Green Consumption was invited to participate at the seminar titled Driving Consumer Demand for Green Products and Services at University of Sheffield in October 2014 . She noted that she found the seminar extremely helpful as a way of informing herself of the latest academic research in the area of 'green consumption' and the practical challenges faced by the green companies in the market. There was extensive debate on strategies of driving green consumption and various policy areas where DEFRA is currently putting emphasis on were discussed. DEFRA's Head of Green Consumption left the event with a number of suggestions and questions that she said will be discussed in their division. Moreover, one colleague is currently preparing a research funding bid to be submitted to DEFRA and was able to receive useful suggestions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Global Action Plan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Global Action Plan, a charity that inspires the public to take environmental actions, has been involved in the seminar series and provided significant inputs towards the direction of the debate. Their practical experience with changing behaviour at the consumer and firm levels has been very useful for inspiring research in the are of driving environmental innovations. The communication with GAP through the seminar series has inspired plans for a future research project to be undertaken by GAP and a member of the seminar series team where preparations to apply for a standard ESRC grant are currently in progress. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | KCC Sustainable Packaging |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | KCC Sustainable Packaging, a small business aiming to introduce sustainable packaging in ready meals industry was invited to one of the seminars to discuss the challenges currently faced by the company. The CEO of KCC Sustainable packaging highlighted their major challenge as penetrating into the traditional grocery stores and asked for suggestions from the floor. A number of suggestions were available from the marketers, practitioners and policy makers in the audience and it was agreed to hold further discussions on the issue following the seminar. An agreement was made to formally involve KCC Sustainable packaging in the 'Managing High-Growth Firms' module taught by a member of our seminar team between February-March 2015. The final year management students on this module will provide initial consultancy to identify the challenges of the company more systematically and make their suggestions for solutions. While giving students a hands-on experience, this work will provide the seminar team with an overview to asses the situation. Our intention is to establish a long term collaboration with KCC. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | University of Warwick Executive Global Energy MBA |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We partnered with Warwick Business School Executive Global Energy MBA program to hold the first seminar of the series during one of the residential weeks of this executive MBA program. Doing so allowed the Executive Global Energy MBA students who were on University of Warwick campus for only 3 days to join us at the seminar and interact with the speakers and the rest of the seminar participants. The presence of these MBA students from various countries provided academic participants of the seminar team with an opportunity to share their research with practitioners. Similarly, the MBA students had an opportunity to be informed about the latest research developments in the field. During the seminar, various contacts were established between practitioners and academics. These contacts are likely to generate leads for academic participants for future research that focuses on the energy companies. The executive MBA students who participated in the seminars reported that they would be utilising some of the ideas discussed at the seminar in their jobs as well sharing them with their colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |