Sustainable innovation through an entrepreneurship lens

Abstract

Sustainable innovation is an emerging and fundamental force for change in business and society. Its potential to transform technology, products and markets distinguishes it as an area of entrepreneurial opportunity and a force of ‘creative destruction’ as defined by economist Joseph Schumpeter (1934). Walden Paddlers is a case example of Schumpeterian creative destruction in the area of sustainable innovation. By examining the process by which product and process innovations were achieved by this startup virtual corporation we gain a broader comprehension of how environmental and sustainability considerations can be successfully integrated into business strategy. The company is studied from idea generation through successful launching and management. Key to understanding the outcome was the environmentally related opportunity and the process through which the entrepreneur created innovation through the cultivation and leadership of a network of players. Two premises underlie the analysis: (i) by focusing on opportunity and innovation, the entrepreneurial field offers insights into the relationship between business and the natural environment; (ii) studies of startup entrepreneurial firms implementing environmental and sustainable strategies provide important data that add to our rapidly evolving body of knowledge about the relationship between corporate behavior and the environment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment