News and events published on the Eco-innovation Community Platform

• New event: 4 May, Rome, Italy – Workshop for public procurers in the environmental sector
• New event: 31 May, Barcelona, Spain – Workshop for public procurers in general administration and eGovernment
• New topic on the Demonstration Projects discussion forum: 'Sustainable agriculture by using "ecological leftovers"?'

Prof. Dr Erik G. Hansen is Head of the Institute for Integrated Quality Design at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. He researches sustainability-oriented innovation, new business model development and life-cycle-oriented product and quality design. In recent work, he has looked at the need for companies to move beyond sustainability as an add-on, and instead to fundamentally re-examine their business models in the context of environmental and social challenges, as part of their strategic planning.

A project to test eco-innovative technologies that conserve and improve water resources is underway at five sites across Europe. In its second phase, the DESSIN project (“Demonstrate Ecosystem Services Enabling Innovation in the Water Sector”) will also calculate the additional economic value that is generated when these technologies are implemented. This calculation of the enhanced value of ecosystem services will help decision-makers implementing water management measures in the future.

Support systems designed to underpin entrepreneurship and innovation are still insufficiently focused on eco-innovation and sustainability, according to the final recommendations of a research project supported by the ECO-INNOVERA Network.