Jim Fava is the former Executive Director of the Anthesis Group, an organization that supports businesses and governments in understanding and navigating risks and opportunities. Regarded as the “Father of Modern-Day Life Cycle Assessment,” Jim is on a mission to make the world a better place and has been one of the leading pioneers in sustainability. He has made significant contributions to the sustainability and environmentalism movement for more than 40 years and has spent his career guiding businesses and governments through risks and opportunities, enabling them to hold environmentally responsible and sustainable operations. Today, alongside Neil D’Souza, Jim co-hosts Five Lifes to Fifty, a podcast that explores the intersection between society, business, environment, and technology and negotiating the path to sustainable products.
Jim joins me today to discuss embracing change for a more positive, sustainable impact. He shares the eighth and ninth Golden Rules for sustainable innovation and discusses the foundational changes needed to embed sustainability and life cycle information into the innovation process. He highlights the role of sustainability professionals in translating environmental and life cycle data into business value. He also outlines the five attributes needed for any kind of change and illustrates how customers around the world are driving the need for greener, more sustainable products.
“The whole ecosystem is changing; customers, governments, regulators, competitors, and markets globally want greener products—and sustainable innovation is the next frontier for greener products.” - Jim Fava
This week on Innovation Talks:
- Sustainable innovation as the next frontier for greener products
- The eighth Golden Rule: focusing on positive impacts and results rather than just data and information
- Why life cycle professionals need to engage with information users and stakeholders at the beginning stages of a life cycle or sustainability study
- The differences between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom
- How sustainability and life cycle professionals can bridge the gap for decision-makers by translating data and information into applicable knowledge and wisdom
- How a computer company connected their sustainability professionals with their innovation team to shift perspective
- The ninth Golden Rule: actions, changing behavior, and business practices
- The five attributes that can help you achieve change and embed sustainability into innovation
- Why companies avoid change regarding positive environmental and sustainability impact
- How consumers, governments, and regulators are driving the need to integrate sustainability into innovation
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Greener Products, 1st Edition: The Making and Marketing of Sustainable Brands by Al Iannuzzi
Related Episodes:
- How to embed sustainability into your innovation process with Jim Fava
- Golden rules for a sustainable business with Jim Fava
- What is Life Cycle Assessment and why should I care with Jim Fava
Connect with Jim Fava:
- Podcast: Five Lifes to Fifty
- Jim Fava on LinkedIn
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