Transition towards sustainable material innovation: evidence and evaluation of the Flemish case

In this article, we focus on testimonies on recent sustainable material innovations in 15 Flemish production firms. We look at evidence of transition towards sustainable material innovation, considering: (1) how material innovation can improve the sustainability of products and processes with respect to people, planet and profit and (2) what are stimulating and hindering factors met when adopting sustainable material innovation. Trends observed from assessing the sustainability features of the individual material innovation cases are presented in 3P evaluation grids. A meta-analysis of the testimonies considers drivers and barriers for sustainable material innovation on the level of technological niches, socio-technical regimes and socio-technical landscapes, referring to the multi-level perspective used in transition literature. It was found that the interplay between these levels has been key in all the assessed cases. Stimulated by the increasing scarcity and rising prices of raw materials, a growing eco-sensitivity among their customers, and the downright need for economic survival, production companies turn to look for more innovative ways of using materials in order to arrive at more sustainable products and production processes.