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"Yet in the end, sustainable development is not a fixed state of harmony, but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs. We do not pretend that the process is easy or straightforward."
 

 - World Commission on Environment and Development
                 In Our Common Future (1987)

 
The Bruntland report describes sustainability as "a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional changes are made consistent with future as we all as present needs." (WCED 1987) To acheive this, sustainable innovation instills practices that are socially, environmentally and economically sustainabile. 
 

Enhancing the health and welfare of people and animals, improving both the working and living environment, enriching society and culture and promoting equity, requires co-innovation and committment across a broad range of public and private sectors. Although the notion of sustainable innovation lacks a universally agreed definition, for our purposes and in order to understand what "Sustainable Innovation" is, perhaps it is best to begin by indicating what it is not.

Innovation is not sustainable if its implementation

  • Leads to the depletion of non-renewable resources
  • Creates or contributes to unnecessary consumption or waste
  • Introduces processes or products that utilize energy inefficiently
  • Creates waste that is non-recyclable or causes environmental degradation
  • Introduces environmental hazards or risks
  • Contributes to or requires the exploitation of a workforce anywhere in the supply chain

Sustainable innovation aims to create new products, services or processes that significantly and demonstrably contribute to an improvement in the quality of life for all by reducing environmental impacts through minimal use of natural resources and eliminating the release of toxic substances into the environment. Sustainable innovation brings improvements to the social and environmental nexus of humankind and fosters ecological stewardship, non-domination of nature and justice between generations.

The Power of Design: Product Innovation in Sustainable Energy Technologies by Angèle Reinders, Jan Carel Diehl, Han Brezet, Wiley; 1 edition (2 Oct. 2012)