Eco-innovation measures in large Swedish companies - an inventory based on company reports

Book chapter, 2013

The term ‘eco-innovation’ is of interest to policymakers and industrial practitioners that seek to marry environmental protection with economic development. Sweden has made some headway in that it has an international reputation for leadership on environmental issues and for creating policies that seek to boost eco-innovation in key industries. Sweden is also regarded to be one of the most innovative countries in the world, frequently scoring highly in the EU innovation scoreboard. In other words, Sweden appears to have all the right ingredients to succeed as a hub for industrial eco-innovations. However, examining industrial efforts to eco-innovate is complicated by the fact that eco-innovation is poorly defined. The varying definitions and typologies currently in circulation pose risks to the field of eco-innovation research. In this chapter we aim to consolidate existing conceptualisations by adapting an existing typology of eco-innovation. We then apply this typology to examine eco-innovation in large Swedish companies, aiming to provide useful inputs to policymakers and practitioners, and to the field of eco-innovation research.