Ian Wright, writes today in Engineering.com, about a conference on global innovation being held in Malaysia. The Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC) is one of the organisers, along with a Malaysian government and industry collaboration unit. Although the conference is wide-ranging, Mr Wright reports on ten principles devised by the GFCC on sustainable competitiveness.
They are noble principles but one I like the idea of bolting these onto how we think about innovation: so much innovation today has occurred in the tech industry, and rapid technological advances (as well as the profit imperative) have made for a lot of speedy redundancies in equipment. Like many people, I have about five old iPhone/iPod devices and five laptops lying about at home. These innovations are not sustainable or circular.
The ten principles are a useful guide to thinking about how any efforts we make in innovative directions are about endings as well as beginnings. Mr Wright also gives a useful elaboration on each of these so it’s worth having a read of his report.
-
Build Coalitions and Public-Private Partnerships to Drive Future and Sustainable Growth
-
Make Innovation the Centerpiece of Sustainable Growth Strategies
-
Invest in Developing Future Skills and Transitioning the Workforce to a New Economic Paradigm
-
Enhance Local Capabilities and Leverage Local Assets to Build Global Competitiveness
-
Implement Functional, Fast and Forward-Looking IP Regimes
-
Bridge Technology Development and Sustainable Business Models with Infrastructure Development
-
Scale Sustainable Technologies and Business Models via Global Markets
-
Create Sustainable Value Chains and Decouple Resource Pressures from Economic Growth
-
Implement Regulations that Create Favorable Conditions for New Business Models and Sustainable Technologies
-
Turbocharge Sustainable Development Through Global Benchmarking