Over the next 40 years industrialised economies will need to change the way in which they use resources by a Factor of 10: this equates to a 90 per cent increase in resource productivity and will require a radical shift in our thinking and practice. This research explores what such change may mean and how it may be facilitated. Such a change resonates with the growing need for industrial systems to operate within the Earth s natural limits and fundamentally challenges business-as-usual responses to sustainability. This research addresses how people can begin to create sustainability. It is qualitative in nature, follows a constructivist grounded theory methodology and is strongly based on dialogues as a process to enable deeper understanding and a creative participatory approach. Dialogues were conducted with ten sustainability experts, three sustainability consultants and six organisations that are already shifting ways of thinking and practice towards creating sustainability. Early dialogues with sustainability experts and organisations were central in understanding mindsets and personal experiences and the research shows that individuals and their values, beliefs and motivations are essential in challenging the business-as-usual paradigm. Dialogues were further cultivated in three workshops conducted with a broad audience to explore the early research findings and to help refine the development of the main output of the research, SuCo. SuCo is a methodology to address innovation for sustainability that addresses both Sustainable Cultural and Operational transformations. In the latter stage of the research two organisations were approached to apply SuCo to better understand its validity and usability. SuCo addresses innovation for sustainability from a radical perspective to promote an approach towards sustainable cultures and outputs. It is a useful beginning to an ongoing and much needed dialogue about sustainable-oriented futures.

Abstract This research is designed to see the level of innovativeness of fashion brands in terms of being sustainable. It also aims to find out if there is a relation between business models and innovativeness within sustainability of fashion brands. Following the literature review, desk research, consumer survey and expert interviews are carried out. Desk research is made through web pages of fashion brands and some organizations. The information from the web pages revealed a lot about the current sustainability actions. In this desk research, 10 companies are examined in regard to their sustainability actions, to learn about what has been done and to see what can be considered as innovative in terms of sustainability. Following the desk research, a consumer survey is designed to explore the consumer opinion on the topics of sustainability and innovation. A consumer survey of 100 people is conducted at the Swedish School of Textiles. Due to the need for conscious knowledge about sustainability and innovation, people who studies or works in the textile school is specifically chosen as a cluster. The sample is called “Informed consumers” and is believed to have savvy about innovation and sustainability. How sustainability actions of brands are perceived, how consumers evaluate fashion brands and what they understand from “innovativeness” are some questions explored in the survey. Results are given via frequency distribution charts and maps. Following the survey, 5 interviews are made with contacts from the companies to study the issue also from the perspective of the business world. These expert interviews are verbally structured and are explained within the research. The method of interviews is qualitative research method and the result provides the reader an insight. To propose an assessment method for fashion companies, “The Innovation within Sustainability Index” is constructed. Although this index is inspired by some current environmental index models, the final model is original and includes the consumer perspective as well as author’s own evaluation on the innovative sustainability actions of the fashion companies. The companies which are evaluated in the index are: H&M, Lindex, Gina Tricot, Zara, Acne, Filippa K, Patagonia and Nike. At the end, it was not possible to point out significant relation between business models and innovativeness within sustainability. However, this result may differ when the model is applied to larger samples. / Program: Master Programme in Fashion Management

This research has explored the business model and business model innovation in the context of the healthy food venture (HFV). The HFV is defined as an organised initiative that aims to improve people's health by encouraging healthy food consumption. This research has grown out of the need to find new ways of tackling the public health issues that stem from the way food is currently produced and consumed. Scholars increasingly suggest that business model innovation helps business practitioners to achieve specific value outcomes. Thought leaders increasingly call for new business models to solve the health problems stemming from the food system. However, the literature fails to offer theory and practical guidance about how to design and manage the business models of HFVs. The research seeks to answer two research questions: 1) what are the challenges faced by HFVs? and 2) how do HFVs innovate their business models? The purpose of this research is to help HFVs create multiple (both social and economic) value outcomes. One objective of the research is to contribute to the knowledge about healthy food intervention and more specifically, healthy food intervention through business models. Another objective of the research is to contribute to practice and offer practitioners tools that help them to operate successful HFVs. The research questions and objectives aligned with a qualitative approach. The researcher answered the research questions by studying a sample of HFVs using action research, autoethnography and traditional case study methodologies. The research has produced specific insights and tools that can help HFV practitioners and scholars. The insights highlight the multiplicity of value that is embedded within food. Its value richness creates both opportunities and challenges for HFVs. The research has developed a context-specific business model framework-the Business Model Blossom (BMB), and has also led to the development of a business model innovation language that complements the Business Model Blossom-the Negative Value Diagnostics (NVDs). Besides these specific insights and tools, the research has challenged the current business model literature as to the precision of the business model and business model innovation concepts. It has created future research opportunities for implementing and refining the Business Model Blossom and Negative Value Diagnostics with HFV practitioners, as well as practitioners from other industries.

Sustainable innovations are observed as a major way by which the ill-effects of the built environment can be avoided or offset. The adoption of innovations are critical to the society, as they pave the way for further incremental or radical innovations, depending on the feedback from their users. In this process, the attributes of an innovation play an important role in its adoption. The objective of this study was to determine whether observability, one of many attributes of innovations identified in the literature as affecting their adoption, plays a critical role in the adoption of sustainable innovations, specifically Rainwater Harvesting Technologies and Strategies (RwHTS). Further, the study aimed to determine whether the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) resulted in frequent adoption RwHTS. Last but not least, the study also sought to understand how designers used BIM to enhance the acceptance of RwHTS in capital projects. The stakeholders identified for this study were architectural firms that are geographically located in the southeastern states of the United States, and the study was conducted from their perspective. This study was segregated into two major phases. The first phase involved a survey of 2,200 designers/architects located in seven southeastern states, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia. The survey questions targeted experiences associated with the implementation of RwHTS and the use of BIM for designing and constructing facilities over the last decade by the architectural firms. Based on the responses received, six firms were purposively selected for Phase II, which involved a case study approach that included meeting with the designers, conducting interviews, understanding general firm policies for capital projects, identifying factors that result in the adoption of RwHTS, and developing a process-based profile undertaken by the firm to understand how key decisions were made. By the end of this phase the researcher identified the factors that result in the adoption of RwHTS. In addition, the researcher also found that observability did not emerge as an attribute that played a critical role in the adoption of RwHTS, in comparison to the other attributes. The study also found that the current use of BIM did not result in the frequent adoption of RwHTS. Finally, the study was able to produce a generalized process map that depicted the steps undertaken during the design process for the adoption of RwHTS in capital projects. This study encompassed the basic principles of sustainability in the built environment, adoption of innovation, and Building Information Modeling use within the design industry. / Ph. D.

In recent decades, many multinational corporations have used nature inspired innovation (NII) strategies as a mechanism of sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI). In this context, these activities are typically initiated by sustainability or innovation managers who are seeking to utilise novel tools and approaches but generally do not have specific innovation goals. For some, NII is viewed as a new product development tool and for others, it is a broad perspective that defines a larger sustainability narrative for the organisation. This analysis of six cases describes the diversity of innovation types of NII in multinational corporations aiming to apply these models to sustainability-oriented innovation at multiple levels. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews (n=45) with NII team members from both inside and outside of the organisation. Additional data included internal project documents and web-based content associated with the NII projects. Cases were then compared and contrasted to identify patterns and anomalies of factors that influence the adoption of NII. While perceptions of NII were relatively consistent across cases, several factors were identified related to sustainability perspectives, the role of management, organisational structures, and innovation culture that influenced adoption. This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge within the NII, sustainability-oriented innovation, and innovation adoption literatures by differentiating NII as an approach to SOI in MNCs, establishing an innovation typology in this context, and identifying three SOI narratives that influence the adoption of NII. Specific factors related to sustainability narratives, innovation culture and infrastructure, and management styles that support and inhibit SOI and NII in MNCs are used to distinguish three unique SOI narratives – Ambiguous, Accountable, and Aspirational. Conclusions suggest a NII readiness assessment may facilitate the adoption of NII by identifying the most effective approaches depending on the narrative of SOI within the company.

Until now, car ownership has been a symbol of wealth and personal freedom. The high value of the car in society has been enforced by the powerful automotive industry with their well-funded marketing budgets. Currently, there are one billion cars worldwide, possibly increasing to 2,8 billion by 2050. However, the awareness of the negative consequences of car ownership on the environment, cities, and individuals in terms of reduced personal and financial freedom is increasing. The trend towards collaborative consumption involving activities like sharing and trading is leading to a shift from ownership to the access of goods and services. In this context, carsharing is receiving more and more attention and the number of users for B2C carsharing models is increasing exponentially. The least-developed business model with the biggest opportunities in terms of environmental benefits is peer-to-peer carsharing (P2P carsharing). Providers face daunting problems in reaching critical mass, due to a lack of consumer acceptance. Academic contributions on the topic are rare. The goal of this dissertation is to capture the acceptance factors, barriers and success factors for P2P carsharing. Additionally, the phenomenon is explored within the perspective of disruptive technologies, including the connected car and autonomous vehicles. A comprehensive literature review including collaborative consumption, carsharing, and in particular P2P carsharing, has been conducted. A mixed-method approach has been used. Qualitative interviews with leading academic and industry experts in the field of collaborative consumption and shared mobility, as well as a focus group discussion, have been executed. In the quantitative survey, the identified factors have been integrated into the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM), the theoretical foundation of the work. A representative survey was conducted in Austria with 801 respondents. The results were generated by applying a partial least squares analysis. Results show that the TAM model, including the extensions, appeared to be applicable. In particular, people with an innovative mindset are open to the usage of the business model. The main motivational factors for participating are economic, utility and enjoyment. The personal attachment towards one's own car remains one of the main barriers, next to fear of sharing and loss of convenience. Success factors in increasing acceptance are - among others - trust, value-added services and keyless car exchange. The preferred usage model for autonomous vehicles tends to be ownership. Even though the awareness of P2P carsharing is rather low among the Austrian population, 13,6% state that they would use the service. Sharing one's privately owned autonomous vehicle with others met with even higher levels of approval from the respondents. The extension of the TAM, as well as its application to a new field outside information system (IS) research, can be viewed as the major academic contribution of this work. Practical implications for P2P carsharing providers and the automotive industry include strategic recommendations regarding the current disruptive trends within the automotive industry. In particular, concrete measures have been identified to scale the business model by addressing new customers and reducing the identified barriers by providing extensive knowledge of relevant success factors.

This thesis investigates the potential of User-Centered Design (UCD) and Agile to support Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) practice in product and product-service system (PSS) design. UCD tools and concepts are used to support stakeholder and needs research. Agile provides process support for collaboration and resilience. SSD tools and concepts are used to define and work within the system boundaries for sustainability. All three practices are combined in an innovation approach that supports collaborative and cross-functional design teams as they develop products and PSS. Design teams using this approach will work to satisfy the needs of customers while considering the needs of all non-customer stakeholders and the ecosphere. The full-systems context emphasized in the approach will support innovation and encourage design teams to consider services as complements to, or substitutes for, physical products.

Production and consumption of products contribute to the global sustainability challenge by degrading natural and social systems. This thesis focuses on branded products, which through powerful images and meanings symbolise the core business of a company and a platform of identification for its stakeholders. This study investigates the possibility to align a brand and its company with sustainability. With the help of a small branded design company in Berlin, which served as case study, a strategic management planning process was conducted and action research was used to be able to engage the participants in creating movement towards sustainability. The research shows that there are major internal and external barriers and motivations that can either hinder or inspire. The actions and approaches that were identified for a branded design company represent possible means to transform its business towards sustainability. Natural resources are decreasing relative to the growth in human population and affluence. This fuels the need to develop more sustainable products so that human needs and natural eco-systems can thrive. A branded design company has the ability to help lead society through innovating products, services, and activities towards a sustainable future.

Higher education has a significant contribution to scientific and technological development of a nation, through the training of professionals who work in the knowledge society. The Institutional Development Plan (IDP) can be considered as an instrument of management of universities, it allows the self knowledge, outlining goals, objectives and strategies, giving a direction to universities, avoiding lost opportunities. The scope of the study was to assessment the values shared by the managers and the strategic thinking of an institution of higher education. Data were collected through structured interviews with the governing body of the institution and document analysis, which are organized through a case study in the context of a descriptive exploratory study using mixed methodological approach (quantitative and qualitative). It was possible to draw up a profile of managers, identify the values and their relation to the process of innovation and sustainability, as well as some concepts related to the IDP of the research institution. The results showed a significant influence of the values of the managers in the adoption of sustainability with high levels for the value universalism and about innovation data showed less significant values. Research has shown that the university falls within the legal requirements because it presents innovative and sustainable strategies in the IDP. The evidences point that the institution makes efforts to enable their projects based on assumptions of an education focused on sustainability and innovation, which will be discussed, improved, planned and implemented more effectively grounded in clear and objective policies. The study leads to reflections on future educational and administrative decisions of the university, seeking innovative initiatives for the use and implementation of the IDP. / A educação superior tem contribuição significativa no desenvolvimento tecnológico e científico de uma nação, por meio da formação de profissionais que atuam na sociedade do conhecimento. O Plano de Desenvolvimento Institucional (PDI) pode ser considerado como um instrumento de gestão das universidades, pois possibilita o autoconhecimento, o delineamento de metas, objetivos e estratégias, dando um rumo às universidades, evitando a perda de oportunidades. O estudo teve como escopo a avaliação da convergência de valores dos gestores e o pensamento estratégico de uma instituição de educação superior. Os dados foram obtidos por meio de entrevistas estruturadas com o corpo diretivo da instituição e análise documental, sendo estes organizados por meio de estudo de caso em um contexto de pesquisa exploratória descritiva, utilizando abordagem metodológica mista (quantitativa e qualitativa). Foi possível elaborar o perfil dos gestores, identificar os valores e sua relação com o processo de inovação e sustentabilidade, bem como algumas concepções relativas ao PDI da instituição pesquisada. Os resultados apontaram influência significativa dos valores de gestores à adoção da sustentabilidade com índices elevados para o valor universalismo e com relação à inovação os dados assinalaram valores menos expressivos. A pesquisa mostrou que a universidade se insere nas exigências legais, pois apresenta estratégias sustentáveis e inovadoras em seu PDI. As evidências apontam que há esforços da instituição para viabilizar seus projetos com base em pressupostos de uma educação voltada para a sustentabilidade e inovação, os quais poderão ser discutidos, aprimorados, planejados e implementados de maneira mais efetiva alicerçados em políticas claras e objetivas. O estudo leva a reflexões sobre as futuras decisões pedagógicas e administrativas da universidade buscando iniciativas inovadoras para utilização e implementação do PDI.

La recherche en agriculture a un rôle important à jouer pour la population mondiale si on la considère comme un domaine stratégique pouvant fournir des connaissances ainsi qu´une base technologique à la production agricole. Ce secteur génère des extrants, des résultats ayant des impacts spécifiques dans les zones rurales, les filières agricoles, l'économie, la société et l'environnement. La recherche et l'innovation agricoles représentent un élément clé pour permettre d´atteindre les objectifs du développement durable imposés par les Nations Unies (ODD), en particulier les ODD 2 et 12 – c´est-à-dire réduire les inégalités sociales, éliminer la faim et accroître durablement la production alimentaire. Ainsi, l'évaluation de l'impact dans le domaine économique, politique, social et environnemental des recherches et des innovations devient fondamentale dans un objectif de recherche croissante de la durabilité des pays et de la planète. Les bailleurs de fonds, les institutions supérieures de contrôle, le parlement, le gouvernement, les producteurs, les filières agricoles, les consommateurs et toute la société civile ont besoin de transparence, d'efficacité et d'efficience de la part des organismes publics : ils doivent démontrer un retour sur investissement public, un impact positif sur l'économie et la société, tout en minimisant les impacts négatifs sur l'environnement. L'objectif principal de cette thèse est donc de répertorier les approches théoriques et pratiques déjà réalisées pour l'évaluation d'impact, en particulier en se penchant sur les expériences de quatre organismes de recherche, et de développer un modèle conceptuel du système de gestion de l'évaluation d'impact de l'innovation, en particulier un modèle qui sera applicable aux organismes de recherche agricole. Nous adoptons une méthodologie basée sur la revue de littérature, quatre cas d'étude comparative d'organismes de recherche agricole (le Cirad et l´Inra en France, l´Embrapa au Brésil, et le CSIRO en Australie). Les contributions innovantes de cette thèse sont : I. La construction d'un modèle conceptuel d'un système de gestion de l'évaluation d'impact basé sur le processus d'innovation ; II. Le modèle du système de l'évaluation d'impact d'innovation considèrant une vision transversale de durabilité, intégrant les dimensions environnementale, sociale, politique et économique ; III. Le système d'analyse d'impact de l'innovation reposera sur un processus unique de gestion, notamment concernant les étapes d'évaluation ex ante et ex post selon leur temporalité respective ; IV. La gestion du processus de l'innovation et de l'évaluation d'impact prévoyant l'insertion d'approches comportementales telles que les concepts d'holisme, de constructivisme et de transdisciplinarité. Cette thèse présente donc une approche originale car fournissant un outil de gouvernanceà la recherche, tout en mettantun accent innovant sur la gestion de l'impact ex-ante et ex-post. Elle aide les organisations de recherche et d'innovation à fournir chaque fois plus de solutions durables dans le cadre de leurs missions institutionnelles, et contribuant ainsi à participer aux objectifs de développement durable de l'ONU pour aller vers une agriculture plus productive et plus durable. / Agricultural research has an important role for the world population by considering it as a strategic area for providing knowledge and technological base for agricultural production. This sector generates outputs, outcomes with respective impacts to rural zones, supply chains, economy, society and environment. The agricultural research & innovation represents a key piece for reaching the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG), especially to SDG 2 and 12 – to promote sustainable agricultural to eliminate hunger and improving nutrition, as well as to promote sustainable consumption and production, respectively. In order to check whether agricultural research organizations generate sustainable impacts, it is necessary to assess the impacts of their innovations. Funders, supreme auditing institutions, parliament, government, producers, supply chains, consumers and all society require transparency, efficacity, and effectivity of public organizations: they must highlight return of public investment as well as generate positive impact to the economy and society, and minimize negative impacts to the environment. Many public research organizations around the world have developed impact assessment processes. There is no flawed theories and practices approaches to impact assessment context. Therefore, this research seeks to fill gaps or to supplement the existing approaches. The main thesis objective is to summarize theoretical and practical studied approaches on impact assessment, including the experiences of four research organizations, and to develop a conceptual model of innovation impact assessment management system, especially applicable to agricultural research organizations. It adopts a methodology based on literature review, four cases of a comparative study of agricultural research organizations (Cirad and Inra from France, Embrapa from Brazil, and CSIRO from Australia), and benchmarking these experiences studied. The innovative contributions of this thesis are I. construction of a conceptual model of an impact assessment management system based on the open innovation process; II. the model of innovation impact assessment management system considers a cross-cut view of sustainability, integrating the environmental, social, political and economic dimensions; III. the innovation impact assessment system will be based on a unique managerial process that regards ex-ante and ex-post assessment stages according to its respective temporality; IV. the management of the innovation and impact assessment processes foresees the insertion of behavioral approaches such as concepts of holism, constructivism, transdisciplinarity and agile management practices as essential requirements for the effective engagement of the internal and external actors and the effectiveness of the evaluation process. This thesis has an original approach by bringing a research governance tool with an innovative focus on ex-ante and ex-post impact management, helping research and innovation organizations to become increasingly sustainable in their institutional missions, thus contributing to the achievement of the UN's sustainable development goals towards more productive and sustainable agriculture.