Diffusion of ecologically beneficial technologies

The capacity limits of our "natural environment" both as supplier of raw materials as well as sink for waste represent a direct or indirect restriction for all industrial plants. The shortage of natural resources - and/or the knowledge of this shortage - changes the political, legal, economic, technological and social system and with this the basic conditions for the entire production economy. The thereby induced challenges for producing enterprises lie among other things in intensify their efforts to innovate their materials and push their products and production processes towards more ecological friendliness. But there is a visible lack of research on issues of ecologically beneficial process innovations, since general and product innovations were focus of the research to date. Goal of the project is to determine the decisive influences and variables, which motivate firms to undertake ecologically beneficial process innovations (analysis of the variables) and make them successful in doing so (analysis of the process). Another goal is to show the differences between small- and medium-sized and large- scaled enterprises. Especially small- and medium-sized enterprises have nearly not been explored empirically up to now, whereby they are of primary importance for this project. The following aspects are subjected a detailed analysis: analysis of the variables: Internal, external and technological reasons, which cause ecologically beneficial process innovations Relationships between the variables and the chosen forms of technology (integrated technologies versus additional technologies) analysis of the process: Description of the goal setting, evaluation and decision making-process Kind of change caused by the realised innovation (technological, organizational) To get the data necessary for the analysis a survey will be performed in 600 enterprises of the Austrian production and basic goods industry. This sector is especially suitable for the aims of this project because of its extensive harmful emissions (in absolute and relative terms) and its expenses to reduce this emissions in the past. This survey also includes small- and medium-sized enterprises. The data of the survey will be evaluated with SPSS and by aggregating eventual correlations (Clusters) distinctive types of enterprises will be classified. After this it is planned to make personal interviews with some selected firms to analyse the process of implementing innovations in particularly successful firms and to develop a catalogue of criterions which are, in dependency of the size of a company, of decisive importance for the performance of ecologically beneficial process innovations.

Environmental effects of enterprises can be reduced by the implementation of ecologically beneficial technologies in the production systems. The diffusion of these technologies is determined substantially by the managerial decisions to use a new technology (technology adoption). Aim of the project is to analyze the influencing factors and the interdependencies governing the managerial decision to adopt new ecologically beneficial technologies. To answer these questions 21 empirical studies were analyzed and an empirical survey was conducted. 642 enterprises of the Austrian basic and production goods industry were contacted (rate of return 53%). Further, 18 oral interviews were summarized in eight case studies. Based on the data collected, different independent factors of influence could be identified as for instance, the importance of economic, ecological and production-strategic objectives or ecological concern. The enterprises could be assigned into four Clusters, whereby depending on the type of enterprise ecological, technical or economic goals were emphasized. It is shown that the selection of the technology is determined primarily by (assumed) technology supply and secondarily by the characteristics of the technology itself. Impulse for the adoption of ecologically beneficial technologies are, apart from expected factors such as environmental legislation or anticipation of stricter environmental standards, primarily the availability of a new technology and business goals such as image building and cost reduction. A substantial problem arises in calculating the profitability of the adoption of ecologically beneficial technologies at the time of decision. Despite the high capital expenditures associated with the implementation of these new technologies the calculation of the profitability is of relatively small importance. The high degree of uncertainty may be the reason for this fact. The case studies indicate the importance of co-operation as a substantial source of information as well as the necessity for the personal activity of members of the organization in the innovation process. The research project forms the basis for successful development and introduction of new ecologically beneficial technologies. Furthermore it allows the influence of individual factors on the rate of adoption to be estimated and the market potential of these new technologies to be determined. The study is also a basis for the design of a general framework for the diffusion of ecologically beneficial technologies or promotion of the preferred technologies.