The new buzz phrase in the green world is "sustainable innovation." Mentioned at nearly every green conference and on nearly every green blog is the concept of innovation as the silver bullet needed to blast the green movement forward.

"Innovation" frequently crosses the lips of many CEOs of forward-thinking green companies, including GE, Serious Materials, Interface, 3M, and many others.

A few weeks ago at Greener by Design, some well-known companies such as Method and Steelcase, and some lesser-known up and comers like Ecologic Designs and Innovation2Industry; all pointed to innovation as their key to success. Innovation is so integral to the green movement that California began issuing a "Green Innovation Index" last year; the 2009 version was recently released (PDF).

Colleagues of mine recently reported that the Cosmit Salone del Mobile Internazionale and EUROLUCE (an Italian-based International Furniture and Lighting Show) showcased incredibly innovative lighting and furniture. Stateside, I also recently attended the Green Festival in Chicago and saw firsthand some of the great innovative products transforming markets across all industries, from bedding and beverages to clothing and cosmetics.

If you still don't believe the explosion of innovation and its effects on green products and services, search GreenBiz.com for the word "innovation" and you'll find over one thousand results, dozens within the last month alone. As Matthew Wheeland reported in his article Why and How Innovation Matters, "[I]nnovation -- especially green innovation -- is a boon and a challenge to the product design process." This statement could not be truer.

Often times though, when discussing green innovation, the focus is on financial and efficacy impacts. While we need to develop products with cost and performance in mind, we also must figure out how to balance safety considerations as well.

Since the 19th century, Underwriters Laboratories has been instrumental in developing safety standards, approximately 1,300 in total, for thousands of products. These safety standards encourage the development of products that are free from fire, shock or mechanical hazards. As a mission-driven organization dedicated to public safety, UL has now expanded their mission to protect the environment.

How can businesses balance environmental stewardship and safety? The answer, again, is innovation. For example, brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride are two substances commonly found in electronics. It is well know that these substances have negative environmental and public health effects. But these substances have a positive impact on product safety by reducing the likelihood of ignition within products and reduce the spread of fire if ignition does occur.

In a white paper (PDF) by HP, technical, procurement and environmental evaluation criteria are laid out and used to serve as a framework on how to assess and phase out harmful substances. Similarly, other companies are designing a framework to balance the various impacts material selection has on the environment, product safety and the company itself.

There are other products that are innovating as well. Mattresses that typically use flame retardants and other chemicals for safety are now being developed with natural materials. Adhesives and coatings need to withstand extremely high temperatures and ensure they maintain their functionality during fire testing. However, these products, which have sometimes contained significant amounts of volatile organic compounds, are now changing and improving formulations. Even cleaning products are using Design for Environment programs to make them more effective and safer for the environment and for the people who use them.

Ultimately, the key for designing greener products is the same as it is for designing safer products: It begins with innovation. As I often like to say, safety and environmental stewardship are really the same idea. Historically when we talk about safety the focus is on the immediate impact to people and the environment. The focus today needs to be on safety and stewardship of the environment in areas both immediate and long term.


Joshua Saunders is the Global Service line manager for UL Environment Inc. (ULEI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Underwriters Laboratories Inc. As part of his role, Joshua is the program owner overseeing environmental verification and certification services.

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Plastic Undergoing a Burn Test — Copyright©2009 Underwriters Laboratories}