Siegfried Behrendt – författare

Sustainable development will not be possible without fundamental improvements in resource productivity and energy efficiency, the adaptation of material flows into natural cycles as well as a radical change in production and consumption patterns. In essence, what is required is not only an ecological approach to product design but also new marketing and consumption patterns for products that can satisfy our needs in a more environmentally sound way.In recent years there has been growing interest in the possibilities of eco-services to achieve some of these aims. Ecologically oriented leasing, renting, pooling and sharing, where the emphasis is placed on the sale of a product''s use rather than on the product itself, offer great possibilities for innovation and environmental impact reduction. At the same time, there are opportunities to create new commercial enterprises, produce added value to production and distribution functions, and therefore create jobs.

Up until now, however, there has been little research about the state of the art in eco-services, how new services can be developed, what the attitudes of consumers are to services rather than products and what the consequences of such a structural adjustment would be for firms. Eco-service Development addresses this lack of research, first by providing a comprehensive inventory and analysis of current eco-services in four European countries: Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Spain. It then systematically explores the options open to market participants, the potential for environmental impact reduction, potential barriers to eco-services (such as consumer and producer resistance) and, finally, with what political and legal instruments ecologically oriented services can best be promoted. The book analyzes eight consumer sectors – washing, cleaning, cooking, entertainment, gardening, do-it-yourself, mobility and leisure time – from the point of view of both supply and demand and highlights the optimization potential and development perspectives for commercial new use eco-service concepts.

This book is the most comprehensive analysis yet published of how eco-services are being implemented and how they could best be encouraged and contains valuable lessons for policy-makers, interested businesses and all those in the academic community searching for ways to dematerialize the economy.

Sustainable development will not be possible without fundamental improvements in resource productivity and energy efficiency, the adaptation of material flows into natural cycles as well as a radical change in production and consumption patterns. In essence, what is required is not only an ecological approach to product design but also new marketing and consumption patterns for products that can satisfy our needs in a more environmentally sound way.In recent years there has been growing interest in the possibilities of eco-services to achieve some of these aims. Ecologically oriented leasing, renting, pooling and sharing, where the emphasis is placed on the sale of a product''s use rather than on the product itself, offer great possibilities for innovation and environmental impact reduction. At the same time, there are opportunities to create new commercial enterprises, produce added value to production and distribution functions, and therefore create jobs.

Up until now, however, there has been little research about the state of the art in eco-services, how new services can be developed, what the attitudes of consumers are to services rather than products and what the consequences of such a structural adjustment would be for firms. Eco-service Development addresses this lack of research, first by providing a comprehensive inventory and analysis of current eco-services in four European countries: Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Spain. It then systematically explores the options open to market participants, the potential for environmental impact reduction, potential barriers to eco-services (such as consumer and producer resistance) and, finally, with what political and legal instruments ecologically oriented services can best be promoted. The book analyzes eight consumer sectors – washing, cleaning, cooking, entertainment, gardening, do-it-yourself, mobility and leisure time – from the point of view of both supply and demand and highlights the optimization potential and development perspectives for commercial new use eco-service concepts.

This book is the most comprehensive analysis yet published of how eco-services are being implemented and how they could best be encouraged and contains valuable lessons for policy-makers, interested businesses and all those in the academic community searching for ways to dematerialize the economy.

Innovationen entziehen sich immer deutlicher einer technologisch verkürzten Sichtweise. Angesichts der gestiegenen Dynamik und Komplexität der Umfeldbedingungen für Unternehmen kommen der Früherkennung und dem Monitoring technologischer, wirtschaftlicher, politischer und gesellschaftlicher Entwicklungen immer größere Bedeutung für den Innovationserfolg zu. Dies gilt besonders für dynamische Technologiefelder, wie dem Pervasive Computing. Die fortschreitende Nutzung des Internets, die Einbettung von Elektronikkomponenten in Alltagsgegenstände und der Trend zur ständigen Vernetzung („Always on - Anywhere & Anytime") sind unübersehbar. Die vorliegende Arbeit ermittelt ökologische Veränderungspotenziale und geht der Frage nach, wie Nachhaltigkeitsanforderungen bereits frühzeitig in Innovationsprozesse einbezogen werden können. Mit Blick auf diese Aufgabe wurde das Konzept der „Integrierten Technologie-Roadmap" entwickelt. Mit der Integrierten Technologie-Roadmap wird es möglich, mehrere Dimensionen zukunftsfähigen Wirtschaftens in dynamischen Technologiefeldern simultan zu betrachten. Sie fragt nach technologischen Beiträgen zur Bewältigung von gesellschaftlichen, ökonomischen, politischen und ökologischen Herausforderungen und rückt die Sicht der Anwender in den Mittelpunkt. Beides hilft Unsicherheiten bei Technologieentwicklung, Markteinführung und Geschäftsmodellen zu minimieren und die Richtungssicherheit zu erhöhen.