Focussing innovation strategy for sustainability with the chemical industry as example

To make sustainable management and innovation attractive for companies, they need focus. In particular SME's don't have a clear view on where innovation should be aimed at in relation to sustainability. It just seems too complex. At the same time innovation suffers from the 'innovation paradox': much knowledge is available but it is often not used because there is no clear view on how to select the right innovations for a sustainable and profitable future. A practical approach has been developed to focus on the key areas of attention and key issues which constitute a company's major challenge for sustainability and continuity: FOCISS. Its aim is to connect sustainable development with business continuity in a relatively simple way. It involves stepwise zooming in on key issues and defining the best innovations for these issues. The method uses structured interviews and workshops. At the same time it channels effective exchange of views and information within a company on these issues. This, in turn, leads to real commitment and deeper understanding of what sustainability involves. The method has been developed and tested in cooperation with industries from different sectors. Its results for chemical and food processing industry are shown as example