Green innovation: how to beat the competition in an uncertain world

Successful industry leaders understand that even in the current economic downturn, innovation is crucial to staying competitive and growing the business. Smart innovators are entering a new design space and discovering that it has the potential to radically change our world for the better and give their companies the edge they need to stay on top. That space is green.

Companies innovate by developing new and disruptive technologies, refining existing technologies, or developing new applications for existing technologies. The innovator or the innovation team divides the task into three segments: define the problem, creatively generate solutions, and put it all together. The ultimate goal is a product or process that is better, cheaper, faster, or all three.

What is green innovation?

Green innovation results in a product or process that has environmentally neutral attributes or reduced resource needs. Green innovation expands the innovation box to include the environmental footprint of the product or process. It also fulfills the fundamental goal of better, cheaper, faster.

Environmentally neutral products and processes are those in which the use of materials, water and energy is eliminated, minimized or replaced by other sources that have a lower environmental impact. The environmental footprint considers the sustainability of the raw materials used, how the product or process is packaged, transported, used and disposed of.

It may not be intuitive that a company can achieve significant competitive advantage by considering the environment. The perception is that consumers and businesses are reluctant to buy green products or services. Reasons given include prohibitive cost, maintenance concerns, and general aesthetics. Companies that have already moved down the path of green innovation are turning these reasons into myths by developing products and processes that incorporate these characteristics that translate into reduced costs and a better price:

• Reduction of energy use,
• Easy to recycle or made from recycled material to start with,
• Use less material
• Takes up less space,
• Use less packaging materials or require less maintenance.

Three potentially disruptive new green technologies

hycreta is a new product that is poised to disrupt the concrete industry. This material is an additive that seals the capillaries of the concrete, making it waterproof. It prolongs the useful life of the concrete and also facilitates recycling. The current industry standard uses vapor barriers and external plastic liners, which offer similar costs, but without the ability to recycle. Hycrete has the potential to drive users towards a recyclable product as deconstruction of buildings and recycling or reuse of materials is becoming profitable compared to landfill.

High temperature microwave ovens, like those produced by Spheric Technologies, are changing the ceramics industry as much as the microwave oven changed our cooking habits at home. Microwave heating uses up to 80 percent less energy than conventional gas, electric or coal ovens, and reduces processing time by 90 percent. Microwave heating produces a better ceramic product with fewer defects than traditional thermal methods. The methodology has the potential to infiltrate other industries where high-temperature processes are needed and where fossil fuel costs have become a driving factor in identifying other technologies.

bringing natural light in buildings without the problems associated with controlling the transmission of heat and light has resulted in another example of potentially disruptive green technologies. Sage Electrochromatics has taken the chemistry of inorganic metals green and developed a new electrolytic coating formulation that produces a “smart glass” that, when a small charge is applied, can modulate the amount of light and heat that is conducted through the glass. glass, thus improving user comfort. interior space while providing relief to energy bills. The advantage over sensor shades or shades is that there are no moving parts and fewer materials, thus lower cost.

Using green to innovate

It begins at the problem definition stage. Consider the gallon jug of milk. How to reinvent or improve this product to meet the requirement better, cheaper and faster keeping the environment in mind?

A 1960s innovation that incorporated a carrying handle that allowed eight pounds (1 gallon) of milk to be conveniently packaged, the plastic milk container has a large environmental footprint relative to its size. The polyethylene container is made from non-renewable fossil fuel resources. They cannot be stacked without using plastic crates, which take up significant storage space and must be disinfected and replaced, requiring significant use of water and replacement material. Although the jar is square, which improves packaging, boxes take up space and some of that space is empty. A hidden part of the environmental footprint is that the conditioning of spaces uses energy resources. More trips are required between the dairy and the store due to shipping dead space along with the product.

Creative brainstorming for a new milk jug now goes beyond mere redesign. Consider the source of the materials used, the natural resources (water and energy), and the space requirements needed to move the product from the dairy to the store, and minimize the waste stream generated. The green innovation is a sturdy, rectangular polyethylene jar that reduces dead space, allowing for a 50 percent reduction in stacking space without the need for boxes. It is sized to fit on a standard pallet and is held together with cardboard banding and shrink wrap, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in transportation and fuel requirements. Both the cardboard and the shrink wrap are recyclable, leaving a zero waste stream for the store that sells this product. And, the consumer can still recycle the plastic container at home.

Superior Dairy designed this new milk jug system and it is distributed through Costco, Sam’s Club and Wal-mart, three companies that understand the value of green innovation. Because the dairy employed a green innovation approach, the price of a gallon of milk in the new package is 20 to 30 cents less than the traditional milk jug.

Why innovate green

1. Security of costs and resources. The costs of energy and virgin material are no longer stable in the long term. Waiting until oil rises back to $140 a barrel is not the time to start thinking about reducing energy or material use. Green innovation can help reduce costs while producing a better product, regardless of energy and raw material prices.
2. The market is already looking for green solutions to meet government and self-imposed requirements. Walmart is committed to greening its supply chain. Green buildings, for example, comprised 2 percent of all new buildings started in 2005; in 2008 it was 6 percent and was expected to rise exponentially based on long-term energy and cost concerns. Green buildings have specific material and energy requirements that must be met. If your product or process doesn’t meet those requirements, you’ve lost a customer.
3. Your competitors may realize market advantages and be innovative instead of you.

green partners

Green space is new to many industries. There is no single approach to green innovation. Each industry has its own needs that must be pioneered. Still, lessons can be learned across industries and a third party can help find new applications.

Partnering with green innovation experts can also help companies understand future green trends, define the products or processes that would benefit significantly from green innovation, help identify the actual environmental footprint of a product, and help find ways to position products or processes for explosive growth in the new economy