A framework of disruptive sustainable innovation: an example of the Finnish food system

Abstract

A framework of disruptive sustainable innovation: an example of the Finnish food system Disruptive innovations are perceived necessary for accelerating sustainability transitions. However, it is not always clear what exactly is meant by it, what is to be disrupted, and by whom. Socio-technical transition research on pays too much attention at the technological niche-innovations in the production, and overlooks business model innovation and user practices in the consumption, whilst management literature on disruptive innovation falls short in the scale and scope of disruption in terms of systemic outcome. Thus, the first aim of the paper is to synthesize the extant literature and put forward a general practice-based view on disruptive sustainable innovation. The second aim of the paper is to use empirical data to elaborate the theoretical framework in the Finnish food system context. Four firm-level cases provide empirical scrutiny to each type of disruptive sustainable innovation in the food system and shed light on the interlinked practices of producer-entrepreneurs and citizen-consumers.

Building up an ecologically sustainable and socially desirable post-COVID-19 future

“…Governments often aim financial support at incumbent industries with high employment, such as car manufacturers, airlines, and oil companies. We suggest that recovery funds could rather target financial support towards forward-looking objectives, supporting innovative technology that could mitigate climate warming and biodiversity loss (Wilson 2018 ; Kuokkanen et al 2019 ). Accounting of the global recovery funds shows that even a fraction of the investments, if directed to the development of sustainable energy, could be sufficient to meet the Paris Agreement objectives (Andrijevic et al 2020 ).…”

Understanding the Complexity of Regional Innovation Capacity Dynamics in China: From the Perspective of Hidden Markov Model

“…However, despite the effort to include a range of factors reflecting the complexity associated with RIC, there is still room for advancement, especially in association with the "dynamic-context" of this concept. Grounded on Schumpeter's theory of disruptive innovation, the process of technological innovation is always dynamic and nonlinear [29]. Hence, the determinants of RIC may show different effects at different states of innovation capacity.…”

“…The existing literature on innovation capacity research has mostly used static empirical methods, such as fixed effect stochastic frontier, and spatial econometric models [6,11,27], based on cross-national or cross-regional comparisons of innovation capacity at a fixed period [17,19,28]. Technological innovation is an inherently dynamic and nonlinear process over time [29]. Blundell et al [30] indicated that the transition process of innovation capacity cannot be comprehensively explained in a linear trajectory, so its modeling and measurements should integrate the analysis of dynamic characteristics.…”

Proceedings of the 7th International Conference

“…According to Kuokkanen et al (2018) In order to respect spatial differences in sustainability challenges, Boons et al (2013) make a clear distinction between developed consumerist economies, emerging economies and so called Base-of-the-Pyramid economies. Developing sustainable protein systems is a challenge especially for developed consumerist economies due to an inherently inefficient conversion of meat protein production from feed to food (de Boer et al, 2006).…”

“…Developing sustainable protein systems is a challenge especially for developed consumerist economies due to an inherently inefficient conversion of meat protein production from feed to food (de Boer et al, 2006). Alternative protein products can be presented as disruptive sustainable innovations (Kuokkanen et al, 2018), which aim to reduce meat protein intake (Aiking, 2014) and to replace meat proteins with plant, mushroom and algae protein products. In addition, sustainable innovations could aim to increase the diversity of animal-based proteins by shifting towards underutilized fish species and insects.…”