The Relational Sociology of Eco-Innovation / La Sociología Relacional De La Eco-Innovación
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Revista Española de Sociología (RES) 2019 © Federación Española de Sociología doi:10.22325/fes/res.2019.28 Artículos / Articles The relational sociology of eco-innovation / La sociología relacional de la eco-innovación *Martin David Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Germany / Alemania [email protected] Henriette Rutjes Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Germany / Alemania [email protected] Alena Bleicher Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ, Germany / Alemania [email protected] Recibido / Received: 24/11/2017 Aceptado / Accepted: 17/11/2018 ABSTRACT RESUMEN While sociology often adopts a firm’s capacity per- Mientras la sociología ha analizado habitualmente spective when looking at innovation, this article la innovación desde la perspectiva de las capaci- intends to provide a relational perspective on in- dades de la empresa, este artículo ofrece una visión novation stemming from the relational sociology más relacional sobre la innovación derivada de la of Norbert Elias. Taking the example of a German sociología relacional de Norbert Elias. Tomando el scrap metal recycling network, understood here as ejemplo de una red alemana de reciclaje de basura an eco-innovation, the article strives to conceptual- electrónica y de escoriales de minería, entendida ly re-embed innovation in socio-historical contexts. aquí como una eco-innovación, el artículo intenta This re-embedding also includes examining the role re-integrar conceptualmente la innovación en con- of values during innovation-creating processes, textos socio-históricos. Esta re-incorporación tam- which is treated with great ambiguity in the eco- bién incluye examinar el rol de los valores durante innovation literature. Despite showing that ecologic los procesos de creación de innovación, lo cual ha values play a minor role in the eco-innovation pro- sido tratado con gran ambigüedad en la literatura cess, the article points to that the eco-innovation is de eco-innovación. A pesar de mostrar que los va- deeply related to complex historical developments lores ecológicos desempeñan un papel menor en el which comprise scientific knowledge creation. proceso de eco-innovación, el artículo señala que la eco-innovación está profundamente relacionada con desarrollos históricos complejos que compren- den la creación de conocimiento científico. Keywords: eco-innovation, value, knowledge, Palabras clave: eco-innovación, valor, conoci- figurational sociology. miento, sociología figuracional. *Autor para correspondencia / Corresponding author: Martin David. Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH - UFZ. Permoserstraße 15. 04318 Leipzig. Germany. Sugerencia de cita / Suggested citation: David, M., Rutjes, H., Bleicher, A. (2019). The Relational Sociology of Eco-Innovation. Revista Española de Sociología, 28 (3, supl. 1), 53-70. (Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2019.28) RES n.º 28 (3, supl. 1) (2019) pp. 53-70. ISSN: 1578-2824 53 The relational sociology of eco-innovation INTRODUCTION: ECO-INNOVATION of values in the creation of innovations in general. The work of Granovetter (1983), which often serves Eco-innovations aim to replace environmental- as a prominent sociological network perspec- ly harmful services, processes, or products (Kemp tive on innovation (e. g. Wright and Rains, 2014; and Pearson, 2007; Reid and Miedzinski, 2008; Nelson et al., 2014), is symptomatic for this over- Schiederig et al., 2012) and have become an im- sight. Whereas Granovetter’s study of subcultures portant issue for EU environmental policy making has shed light on the diffusion of values in geo- (EcoAP, 2011). Eco-innovations aim, for instance, graphically distributed networks, it has done little to reduce resource use in value and supply chains to answer the question of how such values emerge by increasing efficiency in logistics (Sarkis et al., in first place and who has the power to integrate 2011) or water services (Levidow et al., 2016), or them into the production of scientific knowledge. by using forms of “material recycling and re-use” It is not entirely new that values originate from (EIO, 2011: 11) such as metal recycling (Duwe, and are steadily reproduced in ever-changing rela- 2015). However, definitions of eco-innovation ac- tional, social interactions between actors, which is tually demonstrate ambiguity: some definitions also the case for scientific research. It is also well highlight that eco-innovation is “less environmen- established that values are shared in very differ- tally harmful than the use of relevant alternatives” ent ways among different actors (Rezsohazy, 2001). (Kemp and Pearson, 2007: 6). Others state that It is furthermore established that values can exist eco-innovation is “closely related to competitive- in different hierarchical orders to each other, de- ness and makes no claim on the ‘greenness’ of pending on the specific social context (Schwartz, varios innovations”; hence, it is mainly oriented 2012). Nevertheless, it seems that literature strictly towards market integration (Andersen, 2008: 5). separates value-laden information and scientific The literature in this regard acknowledges that knowledge without recognizing the intrinsic values both companies’ capacities to generate expertise underpinning scientific endeavor, thereby overesti- (Dahlin, 2014, Hojnik and Ruzzier, 2016) and es- mating its isolation from socio-historical contexts. pecially the knowledge produced by scientists (Nair Given that scientific endeavor is implicated in find- and Ndubisi, 2011; Schiederig et al., 2012) are ing more environmentally friendly solutions, such a relevant for the creation of eco-innovations and perspective limits a socio-historical understanding also notes the role of entire geographic regions in of eco-innovation. linking these capacities (Rennings, 2000; Reid and This sets the scene for the arguments detailed Miedzinski, 2008; Cooke 2012; Klewitz et al., 2012; in this article. By trying to re-embed eco-innovation Levidow et al., 2016). Innovation sociology has in the ever-changing socio-historical regional con- taken up on this and has recognized the positive text with its ongoing power structures resulting in role that organizational capacity plays in creating ever chaning power balances, the article seeks to knowledge by crossing organizational boundaries in provide a sociological perspective on innovation by social networks (Obstfeld, 2005; Uzzi, 2005; Dahlin, drawing on the case of eco-innovation and by ask- 2014). Regional social networks have been found ing the following research question: what motivates to mobilize knowledge for innovation (Granovetter, eco-innovation? This concerns the understanding 1973, 1983; Podolny and Baron, 1996). of the role of organizational knowledge creation but The literature mainly addresses the phenom- also the normative bases of eco-innovation, which enon of eco-innovation from the perspective of how at present do not state whether eco-innovations capacities, expertise, and scientific knowledge re- relate to ecological or market values. The major- lated to resource-efficient innovations are created ity of works in relational sociology on innovation and pooled by regional business clusters (Schie- that build for instance on Norbert Elias’ relational derig et al., 2012; Karakaya et al., 2014; Hojnik thinking examine organizational perspectives and and Ruzzier, 2016), while the socio-historical em- how they are interwoven with wider socio-historical bedding of eco-innovation is an under-addressed perspectives (e. g. Dopson, 2005; Frerichs, 2014; topic. This area of investigation concerns the role David, 2016). This article tries to extend this focus RES n.º 28 (3, supl. 1) (2019) pp. 53-70. ISSN: 1578-2824 54 The relational sociology of eco-innovation by drawing more explicitly on the socio-historical men, both for a more detached approach to natural essence of innovation by relying on Elias’s sociology forces and for controlling them” (Elias, 1956: 231), of knowledge and by introducing a values perspec- which aims to control resource flows to prevent a tive (Elias, 1939, 1956). Elias’s sociology provides loss of quality of life. Since the recognition of eco- a framework that is able to re-construct knowledge logical footprints and the production of “greener” creation and socio-historically re-connect values to services and products are deeply normative, the the social contexts of innovation. To make this im- chosen case study is ideal for investigating the plicit component more explicit, this article uses the role of values in the creation of innovation. The example of eco-innovation, since it is highly norma- practice of recycling is interesting with regard to tive and thus serves as a perfect example of how the research question posed here, especially from values come into play when creating sociotechnical the perspective of what was in the past and what eco-innovation and how they change over time. is. Recycling is a practice that extends the use of This article seeks to understand the long-term resources from yesterday until today —resources emergence of the expertise and capacities which that would have otherwise been lost— in order to are relevant for the development of eco-innovation. reduce unsustainable resource extraction. This en- Light is shed on how values influence these pro- tails not only a focus on the resource itself. It also cesses by assuming that norms and values become