Sweden has the goal to become net climate neutral by 2045. Due to its considerable environmental impact, the real estate and construction sector plays a crucial role in achieving this target. Given the time constraints and progress required, disruptive innovations to increase sustainability are needed. Startups are considered a promising source of such innovations because they are often less locked in by previous paths and existing structures. This study explores the conditions for the commercialization and implementation of sustainability innovations from startups in the Swedish real estate and construction sector. More specifically, it explores (1) the need for sustainability innovation perceived by actors around a startup and (2) the perceptions of the conditions for commercialization and implementation for such innovation. In-depth interviews were conducted with a startup as well as different groups of public and private organizations around it. Main findings are an increasing awareness of sustainability among all actors, albeit to a varying degree and based on different drivers. Main entry barriers for startups into the sector are the imbalanced distribution of risk and reward among actors in construction projects, skewing the responsibility for pushing sustainability innovation towards real estate firms and individuals and assigning sustainability champions a crucial role in connecting innovations and actors. Furthermore, the innovation system is not fit for the sector and the business case for sustainability is not sufficiently established yet. More long-term and system thinking is required in project set-up and policy making.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:liu-161957 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Schroth, Tabea |
| Publisher | Linköpings universitet, Tema Miljöförändring |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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