Eco-innovation in the context of recession
Published 28 May 2009
How can the outdoor industries become more innovative, and reduce carbon footprint, as the world dips even further into recession? This was the key issue debated at the 2009 Innovex conference, hosted for the fouth year by Lancaster University Management School.
The conference, entitled Innovation for Extremes, was sponsored by the Outdoor Industries Association, and organised by Lancaster's Professor Mary Rose and Mike Parsons, of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development.
Mike Parsons explained what the conference is all about: “It's all about innovation, which is the life blood of the industry, but in the context of the difficult situation of recession. This conference is absolutely unique in the world – there's nothing else which is specific to innovation in the outdoor industry.”
The event reached out to the entire outdoor trade, including manufacturers and suppliers, textiles, clothing, footwear and retailing.
The conference included presentations from Detlef Fischer, Deputy Director of Bluesign; Robert Lomax, of Baxenden; and Mike Redwood of the University of Northampton. Video conferencing provided access to speakers who were unable to travel to Lancaster on the day – in this case Alan Knight and Chris Sherwin of Forum for the Future.
The final presentation of the day was from Mike Berners-Lee, whose company Small World consulting is based in Lancaster University's Environment Centre. Mike focused on carbon footprinting, and the simple steps that campanies can take to make significant savings, both in terms of cost and carbon footprint.
