Radical and Systematic Eco-innovation with TRIZ Methodology

Abstract

The main objective of this chapter is to support an implementation of systematic eco-innovation and radical eco-innovation with analytical tools and techniques of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) methodology. It also aims to increase opportunities for eco-innovative products and services while simultaneously enhancing the innovation capacity of organizations. By applying the TRIZ techniques to the eco-innovation approach, competitiveness and innovation of a firm can be increased. Thereby, the development of clean production processes, waste recycling, and thus “environmentally friendly” products and services is supported, allowing enterprises to “green” their business, product, and management methods. A survey was conducted regarding application opportunities for the most important pillars of the TRIZ methodology in an eco-innovation environment. Some opportunities for TRIZ were analyzed in the domain of systematic eco-innovation, since TRIZ is seen as a scientific basis of systematic innovation. It is difficult to find analytical tools that can truly provide support to radical innovation. TRIZ has successfully supported these activities; therefore, it was also proposed to extend this support to the activities of radical eco-innovation. The study included the analysis of opportunities to use the most important TRIZ elements and techniques, namely, the levels of innovation, the contradictions, the analysis of resources and ideality, the scientific effects and databases, the inventive principles, and the contradiction matrix in environments of systematic and radical eco-innovation.