Eco-innovation: an opportunity for the future of sustainable development?

Summary This paper focuses on the role that eco-innovations can play in competitiveness, especially for the European economy and companies. The first part of the paper highlights the major emerging international trends in eco-innovations, in order to identify the levers to increase their performance. Then, a prospective vision of what will be the most likely eco-innovations in the medium and long term allows us to understand the place of the different countries in their development as well as their main markets and challenges. Finally, we identify the pitfalls to be avoided and the precautions to be taken to ensure that eco-innovation is not only guided by economic considerations, but also by the principles of equity and societal acceptability that underpin sustainable development.