Much of Oak Grove’s philosophy is based around the idea that if a business is going to create a new product, service or way of doing things- it should be doing so responsibly and preferably responding to a genuine need rather than engineering wants. More innovation projects, especially those looking at entirely new business models or revenue streams, should focus on creating a positive social and/or environmental impact as well as a healthy financial return. It’s a concept the burgeoning social enterprise sector has embraced- but it’s arguably far easier to start with a blank sheet of paper, with the start-up’s freedom to create a viable business model suited to your sense of purpose. In mainstream business the pockets of social and environmentally driven innovation are harder to find. 

Let’s not be too downcast- we know it can be done. B&Q is developing power tool rental and repair options- a circular economy holy grail switch from product to service. Interface's commitment to closed loop, modular carpets was famously triggered by Chairman Ray Anderson's 'spear in the chest epiphany.' There are plenty of nascent examples of ‘green’ product innovation, particularly in the automobile sector where the penny has well and truly dropped that electric cars are the future. (See my blog on BMW’s i3). 

Despite all this, the responsible innovation tide has not turned yet for most businesses. So what’s stopping us? Justin Adams, The Nature Conservancy’s new Managing Director for Global Lands in the UK and former BP renewables executive has some interesting insight from his time at the oil giant:

“I…learned how hard it is for any organization to innovate away from its core competence. There were all sorts of forces that constantly brought BP back to its core purpose of extracting fossil energy as efficiently and responsibly as it can. Large corporations want to work more responsibly but can’t get there on their own—that’s why our work with corporations is so important. Part of protecting the lands and waters on which all life depends is determining how to make that mission an integral part of economic development”

Although Justin doesn't elaborate on what these forces might be that so efficiently prevented BP from innovating 'away from its core competence', one can well imagine they ranged from investor interests, urging more immediate returns, to cultural factors and a strong temptation to stick with a tried and tested profit generator that doesn't require major restructuring or risk-taking. History has a few lessons to share from companies who clung grimly to their original business model despite warning signs that the market was beginning to shift under their feet- and paid the ultimate price. (See the follow-up blog from Jesper Ekelund elaborating on this here)  

I have to agree with Justin on the huge potential of partnerships to tip the balance. It is, perhaps, unrealistic to expect businesses founded on a particular model to make fundamental shifts towards more environmentally and socially regenerative methods of income generation in isolation. The status quo is often too strong a straitjacket. This is where the power of partnerships comes in. Not just partnerships between businesses and NGOs, but collaboration at every level, incorporating insights and challenges from customers and stakeholders, competitors and sceptics. 'Critical Friends' with the ability to ask the obvious, sometimes uncomfortable questions and suggest left field solutions. Such an approach doesn't neutralise those cultural and institutional forces every large organisation will inevitably face, but it might just help you pull in the right direction.

After all, if you wanted to rewire your house to make it safe- you’d probably ask an electrician. As a business, if you want to rewire your business model to fit within planetary boundaries- you surely need input from organisations whose mission, expertise or interests are geared to this purpose. 

by Jenny Ekelund

It’s quite likely you will have heard of Pavegen, the revolutionary floor technology company that converts kinetic energy from footsteps into renewable power. The brainchild of Loughborough University graduate Laurence Kemball-Cook, the company’s concept generated a huge amount of media and commercial interest whilst still in the testing phase.

Much to the envy of many entrepreneurs, Kemball-Cook found that the market not only wanted his product- it was banging on his door and asking him to get a move on. Within a few months, Will I Am was dancing across Pavegen flooring and Number 10 had been in touch to request a demonstration. The company now has permanent installations in several railways stations, schools, airports and sports stadiums across the world.

Kemball-Cook came up with a footfall energy harvesting solution with the potential to provide renewable, and storable power in cities. Each tile, pounded and tested to exhaustion to withstand millions of footsteps, vomit, jumping, stiletto heels and floods, can generate 7 watts at 12 volts DC per footstep- and can be used immediately to power off-grid solutions such as streetlights (one step powers an LED lamp for several seconds) or be stored in a battery. 

The Pavegen story is a shining example of innovation for sustainability. It’s the stuff of dreams- one of those devastatingly simple and elegant ideas you wish you’d come up with. If you delve deeper into Kemball-Cook’s story you find some interesting nuggets, and I believe, some food for thought for anybody trying to change the way their organisation, society or market system does things for the better:

• Kemball-Cook’s inspiration was born of repeated failure. It was during a placement at one of Europe’s biggest energy firms that he first encountered the problem of generating renewable power in dense urban environments. Tasked with rolling out urban wind and solar solutions, Kemball-Cook found challenges at every turn. Conditions in cities just aren’t wind and solar friendly. He finished his placement dejected- but returned to University determined to continue working on his quest. He was energised by the knottiness of the problem.

• Kemball-Cook approached the problem differently- instead of asking ‘how can I overcome the obstacles presented by wind and solar in cities?” he asked “what other sources of plentiful renewable energy could I harness in the built environment?” This approach led to his eureka moment.
  

• The company’s early history is, ahem, paved with non-conventional actions- when based in Brixton, the plucky start-up made use of a number of illegal ‘test’ installations which got them into trouble, but no doubt generated some welcome publicity as well as a few encouraging watts of power.
  

• Pavegen has incorporated commercially interesting features such as on-board wireless technology meaning data on the amount of energy harvested and footfall can be sent to any website- this is not just a tile that harvests energy from footsteps, it is an intelligent device with knowledge to share on how people use urban environments. 

• Brilliantly, the technology also taps into our innate desire to have fun- inbuilt lights in the tiles give an instant glow when stepped on contributing to what Kemball-Cook calls ‘the gamification of energy.’ Studies have shown that tiles with these inbuilt lights use only 5% of the footfall power and attract up to 30% more pedestrians- successfully harvesting more energy.
  

• The company’s vision to make Pavegen products available to every community in the world and to bring the cost level with conventional flooring is both inspirational and commercially astute. For as long as Pavegen remains an entertaining but comparatively expensive niche product coveted by big brands and top-flight football stadiums, its potential remains untapped. The technology’s real power lies in its applicability to urban environments all over the world- and mass production and implementation is essential to make a real contribution to renewable energy production in tomorrow’s smart cities.

by Jenny Ekelund