Sustainability-Driven Innovation Flashcards
7 cards from real CPI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Sustainability-Driven Innovation flashcards as text
Which concept describes innovating with, not against, ecological systems by using nature's own processes as productive infrastructure?
Answer: Nature-based solutions (NbS)
Nature-based solutions harness and augment natural processes—such as wetlands for water filtration or urban forests for heat reduction—to address societal challenges sustainably.
A renewable energy startup uses a 'power purchase agreement (PPA)' as its primary go-to-market strategy. What sustainability advantage does this model offer buyers?
Answer: It allows buyers to access clean energy without large upfront capital expenditure
PPAs let organizations procure renewable energy at a contracted rate over time, removing the capital barrier to clean energy adoption.
When applying the 'jobs to be done' framework to sustainability innovation, what unique consideration must innovators add?
Answer: Also identify the 'jobs' that ecosystems and communities need done, not just end-users
Sustainable innovation extends the jobs-to-be-done lens beyond individual customers to include the needs of broader stakeholder ecosystems, including environmental systems.
A chemical company transitions from petroleum-based feedstocks to bio-based feedstocks for a product line. Which risk must the innovator carefully evaluate to avoid unintended sustainability trade-offs?
Answer: Land use change and food-versus-fuel competition from bio-feedstock crops
Bio-based feedstocks can drive deforestation and compete with food production if sourced unsustainably, potentially worsening overall environmental impact.
Which metric best captures the total sustainability impact of an innovation across its entire value chain, from raw material extraction to disposal?
Answer: Cradle-to-grave life cycle impact
A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment measures environmental impacts at every stage, giving the most comprehensive view of a product's total footprint.
An innovator discovers that a new sustainable product is technically superior but fails in the market because customers associate 'eco-friendly' with lower performance. This is an example of:
Answer: The 'green penalty' or sustainability stigma effect
The green penalty describes the perception bias where customers expect sustainable products to underperform, even when objective data shows equivalence or superiority.
Which governance mechanism is most effective at aligning an entire industry toward sustainable innovation by making environmental costs visible to all market participants?
Answer: Carbon pricing or cap-and-trade systems
Carbon pricing internalizes the cost of emissions into market transactions, creating a universal financial incentive for every firm to reduce its environmental impact.