Analysis of Innovation and Its Environmental Impacts on the Chemical Industry

Abstract

Globalization of the economy and the need to achieve competitiveness drive organizations to invest in technology and in innovation, in order to find solutions that will provide advantages in an ever-more competitive market. The conflict between dwindling natural resources and the demand for economic growth has created a growing need to find means for making environmental conservation compatible with economic growth. The objective of this study is to contribute to the debate by analyzing the innovations implemented by chemical companies in the Sinos Valley region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and by identifying the motivations that drive them to develop environmental technologies. The study is exploratory and descriptive, with a quantitative data collection component in the form of a survey sent to all chemical companies in the Sinos Valley region, listed in a local business association database. The study results indicate that development of innovations is predominantly of an incremental nature and that novelty is generally restricted to the new-for-firm level. The environmental technologies implemented are generally designed to prevent or remedy environmental damage and are primarily motivated by the need to comply with environmental standards and legislation.

Investigating the asymmetric linkages between infrastructure development, green innovation, and consumption-based material footprint: Novel empirical estimations from highly resource-consuming economies

“…Notably, green innovation represents all those innovations related to saving resources and energy in business and economic operations (Razzaq et al 2021b;Lingyan et al 2021). For instance, controlling pollution (preventing the direct release of harmful substances into the air; carbon capture and storage), waste management (handling, treatment, and elimination of waste), clean technology (integrating changes in production technology), and clean-up technology (remediation technology) (Schreiber at al., 2016;Chen and Lee, 2020;Costantini et al, 2017). These innovations enhance the new and advanced technical applications and directly reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency (Yii and Geetha, 2017).…”

Innovation – a Major Requirement for the Sustainable Development of Organizations

“…Innovation is often analyzed from different points of view, "first of all as a driver of economic benefit, and second as a source of environmental impact (positive or negative)" [14].…”

“…Most articles about environmental innovation fail to reference any significant innovation concepts centered on lowering environmental impact. The definitions were for "eco-innovation and for environmental, social or sustainable innovation, plus passages relating to environmental technology and ecological innovation" [14]. In these authors' opinion, "the number of definitions of environmental innovation is greater than the other key concepts of innovation for sustainability" [14].…”

Uma Análise Bibliométrica Sobre a Produção Científica Focadas Na Inovação Tecnológica Da Indústria E a Sustentabilidade Ambiental

“…Tomandose como premissa de que a inovação pode ser analisada sob duas perspectivas: como promotora de benefícios econômicos, mas que pode gerar impactos ambientais positivos ou negativos (SUEYOSHI e GOTO, 2013). Todavia a inovação e a tecnologia são consideradas imprescindíveis pela maioria das organizações, principalmente quando relacionadas com às questões ambientais (SCHREIBER et al, 2016).…”