Background
Globally the building and construction sector has a major 'environmental footprint', contributing over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions and generating high volumes of waste. Major projects such as the Olympics in Beijing (2008) and London (2012), the Thames Gateway in the UK and Dongtan Eco-city in China provide major opportunities to start to show a new way and integrate sustainability thinking from a systems level right through to ground-level. For example, recent research has indicated that three product groups cause 70% to 80% of total environmental impacts in cities and broader society:
* The home, and related energy use: buildings, heating, cooling and other energy using appliances
* Mobility: automobile and air transport
* Food: meat and dairy, followed by other types of food
Recognising this and designing-in sustainable consumption and production systems into new urban environments as first principles will substanially reduce negative impacts. New initiatives, creativity and a better focus will drive new innovations through the supply chain and mean that new technologies, products and services will be demanded with substanially better environmental and social performance. Should change be radical, incremental or a combination? Whatever, the scenario the development, commercialisation and integration of new solutions will be a major opportunity and challenge for designers, innovators and entrepreneurs.
Concept
Sustainable Innovation 07 will provide a platform to discuss 'state of the thinking' in sustainable innovation, technology, product and service design and development. It will highlight best practice and provide a range of case studies and examples. Sustainable Innovation 07 will include invited and refereed papers covering sustainable innovation from academics, consultants, designers, sustainability, environment and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) managers as well as other business functions. The event will be a unique learning experience and networking opportunity.
Delegates will come globally from large companies, entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized (SMEs), as well as academia, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The conference is supported by a leading-edge international Advisory Board.
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Conference topics
Sustainable Innovation 07 welcomes conceptual and research-based papers covering sustainable innovation, technology, product and service design and development and in particular those that address building and construction sectors. Papers relating to sustainable innovation focused on the following topics are welcomed:
* Sustainable Consumption & Production
* Market transformation
* Product policy
* Sustainable public procurement
* New business models
* Collaborations and partnerships
* Radical vs incremental change
* Innovation processes
* Supply chain management
* Product-service-systems ( PSS )
* Education and training
* Tools and techniques
* Management systems
* Organisational dimensions
* Performance measurement and metrics
* Newly industrialised and 'developing' country perspectives
* Case studies
Benefits to delegates of Sustainable Innovation 07 will include:
* Unique: forum for new ideas and concepts
* Leading-edge: presentations from key international researchers, practioners and policy-makers
* Research: access to new results and thinking
* Networking: opportunities to meet business, government and academia
* Track-record: over 1200 delegates from 35 countries have attended previous 'Towards Sustainable Product Design' conferences
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Sustainable Innovation 07 (DOC 56.0 KB) 