the innovation principle, contributing to sustainability

Paul LeonardBASF SEHead of Innovation and Technology Policy

The Innovation Principle,Contributing to Sustainability

BASF Fringe Event Oxford Farming Conference

5 January, 2016

European Risk Forum 227 Rue de la Loi 1040 Brussels [email protected]

• Technological innovation, risk, precaution & uncertainty• Impact of regulatory burden on innovation & “Better Regulation”

• The Innovation Principle initiative• Precaution, innovation and Sustainability• Recent developments


Innovation

“The process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay.”

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/innovation.html

â Sustainable farming is not sustainable if it is not commercially viable


Innovation and Risk

• Technological innovation requires risk taking and is built on uncertainty

â Technological risk should be understood & mitigated, but not avoided

• Principle 15 of the 1992 Rio Declaration:

“Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."

â where political action is required, but science is not clear – a legitimate needâ EU Com(2000) 1 â 2007 Lisbon Treaty

Need for Precaution


President Jean Claude Juncker

““Jobs, growth and investment will only return to Europe if we create the right regulatory environment and promote a climate of entrepreneurship and job creation. We must not stifle innovation and competitiveness with too prescriptive and too detailed regulations”

(Address to EU Parliament, 15 July 2014)

â The “Better Regulation” agenda

Would commercialisation of these technologies have been possible today?

Media and Risk Perception?

The Sun, January 1990.

Based on a letter in the Lancet (Dec 1989) from Prof Lubec at Dept

Paediatrics, University of Vienna.

Examples of innovations & enabling technologies currently “at risk” in Europe

â Kitchen appliances, sun screens, surgical equipment, agricultural productivity?

â Will European policies embrace innovative technologies to improve resource efficiency & health care, & power the transition to a more circular economy?

Future innovations & enabling technologies?

• Driverless transport?• New high tech materials and polymers?• Sustainable and productive agriculture: • golden rice? • omega3 crops?

• Digital health care?• Renewable resources from synthetic biology?


Innovation Principle Innitiative


Innovation Principle

“Whenever legislation is under consideration, the impact on innovation should also be taken into full account in the policy and legislative process”

Cross-sectorial Interest

â Increasing support from different innovative industries

â 22 CEOs, 30 Billion € Innovation per annum & 1.5 Million employees

Letter to President Jean-Claude Juncker

High Level cross-sectorial support

Dr. Helga RubsamenDr. Thomas EndersIgnacio Garcia AlvesPeter WillbrandtKurt BockDr. Marijn DekkersPedro MiroSamuel R. AllenAntonio GalindezRobert HansenEllen J. KullmanDr. Klaus EngelKasper RorstedHarry van Dorenmalen Joseph JiminezFeike SijbesmaFrans van HoutenJean-Pierre ClamadieuEldar SaetreMichael MackAndrew LiverisTorgeir Kvidal

AiCuris GmbH Airbus GroupArthur D. LittleAurubis AGBASF SE Bayer AG Compania Espanola de Petroleaos S.A.U.Deere & CompanyDow AgroScience LLS Dow Corning Corporation E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & CompanyEvonik Industries AGHenkel AG & Company IBM Europe Novartis AG Royal DSM S.A.Royal Philips Solvay S.A. Statoil ASASyngenta AGThe Dow Chemical Company Yara International ASA

AerospaceBiotechnologyChemicalsConsultingConsumer productsCrop protection ElectronicsFarm machineryFertilisersITLife SciencesMetals / recyclingOil & GasPharmaceuticals Seed breeding


Increasing Support

â IP recognised by Commissioners Moedas and Oettinger

Precaution, Innovation and Sustainability

â Precaution & Innovation are required for sustainability

Precautionary & Innovation Principles

â Complementary, not conflicting and essential for agricultural sustainability

â Innovation - an important theme for the Dutch Presidency

Draft Programme

High-level conferenceA better framework for innovation

26 January 2016

Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU

This conference is organized by BUSINESSEUROPE, the European Risk Forum and the European Round Table ofIndustrialists, in cooperation with the Netherlands Presidency of the European Union in 2016 and the Confederation ofNetherlands Industry and EmployersVNO – NCW.

Jyrki KATAINEN, Vice-President, European CommissionCarlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science & Innovation, European CommissionElżbieta Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Single market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, SMEs


It’s a great time for the agricultural industry to work with:• the food value chain, • academics, • unions, • NGOs, • UK and EU policy makers

to communicate : • how innovation contributes to sustainability, &• how the Innovation Principle is needed to support this process