Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Sustainability and Innovation: Concepts, Methodology, and Practices

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 26979

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yuya Kajikawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 3-3-6, Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Interests: technology and innovation management; transdisciplinary research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. So Young Sohn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Yonsei University
Interests: patent & society; spatial big data; technology financing

Dr. Masaru Yarime

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Division of Public Policy, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong
Interests: Policy design and innovations; Emergence of the innovation systems approach; Energy policy and technology development; Climate change and global environmental governance; Big data and social science research

Prof. Dr. Hsin-Ning Su

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute of Management of Technology, National Chiao Tung University
Interests: patent; innovation; technological evolution; strategic management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability is becoming a global agenda and includes complex and wide-ranging issues and goals for sustainable environmental, social, and human systems. Innovation is expected to contribute to the development of a sustainable society and to resolve conflicts among different goals and stakeholders. However, our expertise in sustainability and innovation is still at a nascent stage to meet expectations and to realize a sustainable society.

This Special Issue covers a wide range of topics on sustainability and innovation. It will include but is not limited to;

Conceptual propositions on sustainability and innovation;
Systematic reviews on sustainability, innovation, and related topics;
Methodology for the analysis, design, and implementation of innovative products, services, and systems to realize sustainable society;
Practices and case studies on innovation and sustainability

We invite papers that comprehensively examine the current status based on credible analysis and evidence, and also provide potential solutions with salient ideas and future perspectives with profound insights and normative perspectives. We welcome papers dealing with specific topics from interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches. We also welcome papers with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. We expect that this Special Issue will serve as an agora for anyone having interests and passions to realize sustainable society by innovation.

Prof. Dr. Yuya Kajikawa
Prof. Dr. So Young Sohn
Prof. Dr. Masaru Yarime
Prof. Dr. Hsin-Ning Su
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainability science
technology and innovation management
science, technology, and innovation policy
systematic review
methods and tools for sustainability and innovation
case studies and action research

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

19 pages, 1237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Open Innovation Practices Deliver Societal Benefits

by Elisabeth Eppinger

Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1431; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031431 - 29 Jan 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3693

Abstract

Open innovation practices have the potential to benefit society greatly. Bridging the research on open innovation, diffusion of innovation and responsible innovation, this study investigates how open innovation practices can foster societal benefits. Elaborating on potential benefit gaps and detrimental effects of innovation, the study proposes six distinct innovation attributes to deliver societal benefits: (I) adequate information and communication channels, (II) affordability, (III) appropriateness and availability, (IV) anticipation in terms of appropriate and reflexive risk assessment, (V) accountability in terms of adequate cost allocation of detrimental side effects, and (VI) sustainable path creation for transitions towards societal and environmental sustainability. Ten different open innovation practices are assessed drawing on our own and other published empirical insights. This assessment provides insights into which features of the practices support social benefits. Based on this assessment, we propose a typology of three different practices in relation to societal benefits and discuss how they address the six innovation attributes. Providing rich insights into which practices deliver societal benefits through which features, this study makes a significant contribution to existing research on open innovation, responsible innovation, inclusive and social innovation. Some practical implications and directions for further research are provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation: Concepts, Methodology, and Practices)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1065 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transition Analysis of Budgetary Allocation for Projects on Hydrogen-Related Technologies in Japan

by Kazuhiro Hikima, Masaharu Tsujimoto, Mizutomo Takeuchi and Yuya Kajikawa

Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8546; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208546 - 15 Oct 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3136

Abstract

Hydrogen technologies are promising candidates of new energy technologies for electric power load smoothing. However, regardless of long-term public investment, hydrogen economy has not been realized. In Japan, the National Research and Development Institute of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a public research-funding agency, has invested more than 200 billion yen in the technical development of hydrogen-related technologies. However, hydrogen technologies such as fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) have not been disseminated yet. Continuous and strategic research and development (R&D) are needed, but there is a lack of expertise in this field. In this study, the transition of the budgetary allocations by NEDO were analyzed by classifying NEDO projects along the hydrogen supply chain and research stage. We found a different R&D focus in different periods. From 2004 to 2007, empirical research on fuel cells increased with the majority of research focusing on standardization. From 2008 to 2011, investment in basic research of fuel cells increased again, the research for verification of fuel cells continued, and no allocation for research on hydrogen production was confirmed. Thereafter, the investment trend did not change until around 2013, when practical application of household fuel cells (ENE-FARM) started selling in 2009, in terms of hydrogen supply chain. Hydrogen economy requires a different hydrogen supply infrastructure, that is, an existing infrastructure of city gas for ENE-FARM and a dedicated infrastructure for FCVs (e.g., hydrogen stations). We discussed the possibility that structural inertia could prevent the transition to investing more in hydrogen infrastructure from hydrogen utilization technology. This work has significant implications for designing national research projects to realize hydrogen economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation: Concepts, Methodology, and Practices)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 3534 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resource-Constrained Innovation Method for Sustainability: Application of Morphological Analysis and TRIZ Inventive Principles

by Zhenfeng Liu, Jian Feng and Jinfeng Wang

Sustainability 2020, 12(3), 917; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030917 - 26 Jan 2020

Cited by 56 | Viewed by 6070

Abstract

Extensive research on resource-constrained innovation has been conducted by scholars and practitioners in recent years. An interesting research avenue is how firms explore the process of the new product development (NPD) and the ideas generation to foster resource-constrained innovation. However, despite the importance of product development and creative ideas under the resource-constraints contexts, innovation methods for applying to the resource-constrained innovation and designers have received comparatively less attention. As a remedy, this paper proposes a resource-constrained innovation method (RCIM) to generate ideas for the NPD. The RCIM is mainly divided into four sections: Developing the resource-constrained innovation approaches, developing the resource-constrained innovation dimensions, generating the creative ideas and evaluating the creative ideas. First, the resource-constrained innovation algorithms are developed based on success factors, characteristics, and attributes of resource-constrained innovation and the TRIZ (Teopия Peшeния Изoбpeтaтeльcкиx Зaдaч in Russian; Theory of Inventive Problem Solving in English) inventive principles via the systematic literature review (SLR). Second, the innovation dimensions are categorized to structure a target technology by means of the morphological analysis (MA) and the Derwent manual codes (DMCs) mapping based on collected patents. Third, the creative ideas are generated for the NPD by combining the innovation dimensions with the resource-constrained innovation approaches. Finally, the creative ideas are evaluated by the frugal criteria. The RCIM will stimulate designers’ creativity for achieving sustainability and innovation within constraint-based scenarios, MA and TRIZ. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation: Concepts, Methodology, and Practices)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1160 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovation Model of Agricultural Technologies Based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets

by Zoran Ciric P, Dragan Stojic, Otilija Sedlak, Aleksandra Marcikic Horvat and Zana Kleut

Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5457; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195457 - 01 Oct 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1935

Abstract

The selection and rational use of mechanization significantly affects the cost of agricultural products. To achieve the best financial effects, it is necessary to optimize the use of existing machine parks. The authors suggest a decision tree for deciding whether to ‘innovate or not’. The aim of the research is to define an algorithm that determines whether or not the land is arable, and in this way to help the owner of the family farm in the planning of working hours for agricultural machines, i.e., managing the machine park. The lack of plans, which stems from the lack of accurate data on the appropriate conditions of cultivation, leads to inappropriate use of time and the capacity of the machine park. The decision process is split into four compound variables: biological conditions, economic environment, technological conditions, and expertise and workmanship quality. Linguistic values of these variables are modeled with intuitionistic fuzzy sets, allowing for imprecision in data as well as experts’ hesitation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation: Concepts, Methodology, and Practices)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stormwater Utility Fees and Credits: A Funding Strategy for Sustainability

by Jerry Zhirong Zhao, Camila Fonseca and Raihana Zeerak

Sustainability 2019, 11(7), 1913; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11071913 - 30 Mar 2019

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6132

Abstract

Lack of stable and dedicated funding has been a primary challenge for municipalities in the United States to implement effective stormwater management programs. Stormwater utility fees (SUFs), as user fees, are an alternative dedicated revenue source to fund stormwater management. When complemented with stormwater utility credits or discounts, SUFs provide greater flexibility to adopting best management practices and reducing stormwater runoff at a lower overall cost to the community. While SUFs have been increasingly used, there is little systematic research on this topic. This paper reviews literature on how SUFs work, discusses the mechanisms for setting the fees, and provides examples of different rate structures from across the U.S. Then, we use the findings of the literature to evaluate SUFs as a funding strategy for stormwater management based on four revenue evaluation criteria of efficiency, equity, revenue adequacy, and feasibility. Overall, the literature indicates that stormwater utility fees are a more efficient and environmentally sustainable source of revenue that allows for long-range planning of capital improvements and operations, but their high political visibility and legal obstacles can affect their effective implementation. However, more empirical research is needed to assess these propositions. There is a lack of literature on effective SUF designs, equitable fee types, the extent to which SUFs lead to change in public behavior and their impact on business and stormwater management investments in a municipality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation: Concepts, Methodology, and Practices)

Review

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 688 KiB

Open AccessReview

Mind the Gap: The Potential Transformative Capacity of Social Innovation

by Joana Dias and Maria Partidário

Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4465; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164465 - 18 Aug 2019

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 5163

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the potential of Social Innovation (SI) for social transformation. Being a popular concept, SI has been discussed for decades, increasingly recognized for its complexity. A systematic review of the literature on SI was undertaken to understand the state-of-the-art, the evolution of the concept and its core underpinnings in order to meet the research aim of this paper. The literature is relatively broad in relation to general characteristics of SI and contexts where it is happening, but the use of the ‘social innovation’ term often reveals semantic problems, generating multiple, interchangeable and mixed understandings. In this paper, we identify and discuss two ways of using SI in the literature: (i) one that favours the materialization of SI, as something tangible that can be observed, measured and systematically analysed; we called this a cartesian approach; and (ii) another that uses systemic thinking focussing on successful factors of SI to enhance its transformative capacity in existing system(s) through change in routines, resources, and beliefs; we called this a disruptive approach. While still emerging in SI literature the academic discussion about SI dynamics and its transformative capacity is increasingly addressed by scholars. We conclude the paper by arguing that more transformative-driven and systemic SI may enhance its potential to lead change, while it only creates transformation when it scales-up or out, and when it has durability and transformative impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Innovation: Concepts, Methodology, and Practices)

► Show Figures