Using Intellectual Property (IP) to increase sustainability impact - An evaluation of a business tool kit for sustainable IP

Abstract: Intellectual Property Rights, IPR, are tools to incentivize innovation and investment in Research and Development (R&D) to promote growth and are traditionally used for economic interests before environmental and social concerns. The research project IPACST has developed a business tool kit for supporting organizations in designing their IP models to increase environmental and social impact. This thesis contributes to testing the tool kit with stakeholders at various organizations, to evaluate and possibly further refine the tool, and to introduce use of the tool in organizations. This work is important to increase awareness about sustainability impact potential in an area where decisions traditionally are based on economic grounds. The tool kit was tested with a plurality of organizations in workshops with a small group of participants from the IP function, the sustainability function and from R&D from the same organization. The participants generally found the tool kit easy to use, that it was an eye-opener for understanding connections between IP and sustainability, and that it gave insights into how different IP models can support sustainability impact. Almost all participants thought they had become more aware of how to use IP to increase their organization’s sustainability impact by participating in the workshop. The tool kit seems to support the IP function how to express IP in terms of sustainability. Examples were very helpful, and for many it was first when elaborating on the own organization’s IP that is really became clear how they can use their IP to increase sustainability impact. The results show that the tool kit is effective in increasing awareness about the connection between IP and sustainability in organizations. The tool kit can act as a supportive tool for making sustainable choices about IP and be integrated in the continuous IP strategy development.