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Innovation, Technology, Society, and Sustainability

Lead Organisation:

World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Where:

Global

Time period:

on-going since 1999

Web link:

http://www.wbcsd.org/projects/pr_innovation.htm

Partners:

Berlin Science Center for Social Research (WZB)

Various stakeholder groups

Working group of about 20 business representatives

Aims/Objectives:

	The WBCSD launched the Innovation, Technology, Sustainability, and Society (ITSS) project to examine what actions are need by the business community to assure that innovation and technology developments are consistent with sustainable development.
	The current phase of the ITSS project aims to:
	Identify how innovation and technology can be part of the solution that reverses unsustainable social and environmental trends; and to
	Identify how business can innovate in ways that can contribute to the reversal of these trends and generate value for their company.

Measurable results and specific targets:

	Published Building a Better Future in 2000. This report was based on a survey of 80 companies and looked into the ways in which they were integrating sustainable development into their innovation processes.
	During the most recent phase of the ITSS project, 4 fundamental questions that should be addressed during the innovation and development process were identified:
	How can we ensure that sustainability and a broad worldview are part of the creative process?
	How can we ensure that sustainability considerations are part of the management of the development process?
	When and how can external viewpoints enrich the creative and development process?
	What processes are most likely to enhance the value of our intellectual capital?
	Current targets are to complete a report addressing the questions indentified above; and to initiate a Stakeholder dialogue on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), moderated by the WZB.

Implementation mechanisms and further application:

	To further develop the ITSS framework.
	To continue the dialogue on International Propery Rights.
	The WBCSD offers an ideal platform from which to address issues of value-driven innovation toward sustainable development. The organisation's reputation and credibility are based upon its broad perspective on responsible corporate behavior. For the WBCSD, issues of risk and public acceptability are not limited to particular companies or sectors.