Prime Innovation and Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Dutch Rubber & Plastics Industry

Since the explicit goal setting in the Lisbon Agenda 2010, the Dutch attention for technological innovation is growing to large proportion. The underlying research will focus on the integration of innovation with sustainable entrepreneurship as central notion and the translation of generic guidelines for reporting on sustainability issues into a zero assessment model for sustainability innovations within small and medium-sized companies. The results of the PRIMA project, carried out within the rubber and plastics industry will be demonstrated as an example of explorative research into this field. It will show that many innovations for sustainability are directed at process variables, such as reduction of resource use, energy saving programs and recycling. Companies with more ‘sustainability in the core’ also show innovation in product design and development of new technologies. Knowledge circulation between the consortium partners provides useful insights in new methods for sustainability innovation.