Inspiration for eco-innovation

The list of real-life stories about smart eco-innovation needs to grow

Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for the Environment

Fortunately, many environmental problems have been reduced over the past decades. Of course we should be pleased about this, but we also need to look ahead and find solutions to the problems we are still facing - not least the problems we know may well grow in future years.

Growing CO2 emissions caused by energy production and more environmental problems from a growing number of livestock on farms are just two examples where economic growth will create bigger environmental problems if we do not use the right instruments.

One of the most important instruments is the development of more environmentally friendly and resource-saving technologies and products.

Without economic growth, we will not achieve the necessary development of environmental technologies. Without the necessary environmental technologies, economic growth will damage the environment.

Therefore the fundamental challenge is to enhance the synergy between environmental protection, growth and new jobs. In Denmark we have actually shown that decoupling is not only a theoretical possibility - it is something that we can see in real life. Further, eco-innovation can be of use to both the environment as well Denmark's possibilities to maintain a strong position in the global market.

This website provides insight into how companies, institutions and organisations are working with eco-innovation. We hope that the website will inspire and promote ideas. If you have experience and cases you would like to share with others, we invite you to become a partner with the Danish Ministry of Environment on the website.