Frugal Innovation and Innovative Creation

Introduction

In order to innovate, the frugal approach meets the dual objective of seeking a competitive advantage while lowering the costs of innovation, and a new potential for innovative creation (see Chapter 7) likely to promote innovation (see Chapters 5 and 6) that respects the Natural Environment (NE) (see Chapter 1). In this book, therefore, it is not a matter of addressing, per se, frugality or the circular economy, or even the figures (the subject of numerous publications) of pollution, waste or recycling, which are staggering in their volumes, even though, when it is possible, the recovery of existing waste, at best and on average, does not exceed 50%. This invites us to reflect on the need to produce and consume differently. The point of view adopted is to place ourselves halfway between economics and management. The key actor is the company or companies, but more specifically, innovative companies in their interactions with the NE. Taking into account NE can be perceived a priori as a costly constraint, especially in an innovation process that is already intrinsically very costly. Technological innovation, which is very popular in the West, always comes at a very high cost. Therefore, is it possible to produce an innovative product that respects the NE at an acceptable cost? This question will be addressed throughout the book and can be answered or solved as long as we accept a questioning of the classic scheme of innovation in business while adopting a consequentist ...