The four scenarios: What might the future hold?
Hyper innovation This
low-carbon world has been cre- ated by a rapid and ceaseless process of technological innovation. Lifestyles and business practices have been minimally affected, but against the background of diminishing resources there is grow- ing concern about the long-term sus- tainability of this “innovation treadmill” approach.
Centralised survival
Stunned into a belated response by a series of severe climate shocks, govern- ments have taken tough measures to combat climate change, pushing tech- nology to its limits to impose sustain- ability on the population and provide some relief from restrictions on personal freedom.
Shared ownership
ticipation at the innovation workshops. Even amongst my team I can see this project making a difference. It has given us a chance to look up from our R&D challenges, and by engag- ing with people from multiple backgrounds, we are exposed to new perspectives, different expertise and different ways of thinking. FutureScapes also has the potential to help other organisations think differently when planning for what we might need and want in 2025 and beyond. The FutureScapes journey, details of the final concept outcomes and the white paper will all be publicly available. This is a new process for us and we hope that this collaborative approach and bringing together of varied perspectives and expertise, will enable us all to benefit from a different way of thinking. We also hope that consumers will be encouraged to follow the journey and get involved, being encouraged to think about how more sustainable and improved behav- iours can help us achieve better lifestyles. This is what we are hoping for, but with a collabo- rative project like this the end result is as yet unknown. But what we do know is that the more people that join us, the better we can be.
What ideas have come out of FutureScapes? Sony hopes to have the first themes and con- cepts ready to be shared in March, so at this
stage, it is still open ended. That is the beauty of open innovation and it is what this project is about; gathering and seeking to understand different viewpoints and perspectives. ‘Weak signals’ may be identified, helping to indicate what might develop over the next 13 years, but in terms of actual concepts, these might be thematic areas or more specific technologies depending on the outcome of the process.
What has FutureScapes taught us about the current state of thinking and the role of sustainability in tomorrow’s innovation? We know that the way we live today; endless- ly consuming raw materials, creating unneces- sary waste, and churning out carbon emissions is simply not sustainable.
Sustainability planning is crucial to the positive development of our future, as we search for new energy options and create new consumption habits. Innovations we develop must have sustainability at their heart, or we risk forfeiting our world as we know it today. Clearly technology will have a huge part to play in our shift towards a more sustainable world and will help to drive different types of behaviour patterns, particularly consumption. FutureScapes has highlighted that we need to look towards a more collaborative future where one person’s waste becomes one per-
In this world, global governments have foreseen climate instability and instigated a strict programme of carbon limitation measures to defuse its consequences. The results are high carbon costs – and an entirely new perception of ownership. There is both a personal and a business innovation aspect to this future. Creative development of new business and service models is vital and governments have encouraged this by setting a carbon floor price – but this is not a planned economy.
Prosperity redefined
After an extended recession, new pri- orities of “wellbeing” and “quality of life” are bubbling up across the world as more sustainable forms of living become estab- lished. Society’s new values are built on this sustainability, and on stronger com- munity ties. Technology facilitates col- laboration at both local and global levels
son’s resource. There is an understanding that the future will entail smarter, cleaner tech- nologies and innovations – enabling a more efficient and sustainable interaction between people and the environment. With endless possibilities around sustainable products and services, imagination is our only limitation.
Chris Clifton is the chief technology officer for Sony Semiconductor and Electronic Solutions (SES), Sony Europe
Sustainable Business | January/February 2012 | 27
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