Environmental innovations and environmental patents in Germany initial empirical results

In the past there has been a strong concentration on individual case studies to explain the determinants, diffusion mechanisms and effects of environmental innovations. In order to place research on a new and broader basis, the Ifo Institute is currently conducting a study on the origin, diffusion and effects of environmental and sustainable-development innovations. With the help of a cross-sector business survey and a patent analysis on the basis of the database of the European Patent Agency, information with an innovation and environmental orientation is to be gained. This article provides an overview of the empirical results achieved thus far. One result is that for all innovation types the innovation propensity increases with the size of the enterprise; large firms benefit more from economies of scale than small firms or innovate at least more frequently. It is striking with regard to the ecologically most important innovations that in two thirds of all cases this is promoted very strongly or strongly by prior innovation activities. With regard to the type of environmentally friendly measures, decreasing CO2 emissions and energy consumption outweighs other measures.