Sustainable Innovation Researcher

I research and work to understand ‘learning for sustainability’ in business.

I started my career at the end of the value chain and (literally) got my hands dirty with all types of waste. These days my hands only get dirty through hobby gardening because since about 2006 onwards, I have happily focused on the front end of the value chain: sustainable innovation. My work is defined by problem identification and solution development in close collaboration with businesses and organisations.

Building on my experience with sustainability frameworks such as The Natural Step, Triple Bottom Line, and 5 Capitals, I now often use the Circular Economy approach to explore:

  • Learning for sustainable innovation processes, especially business experimentation for sustainability

  • Defining the impact of operationalizing a Circular Economy in business and industry innovation processes

  • Incorporating urgency in the implementation of sustainable innovation

  • Applying systems thinking to scaling sustainable innovation

My university teaching activities are informed by and connected to the research I do, so are talks and workshops. You can find my research profile and citations at Google Scholar. You can best reach me via email if you want to talk about a project or start a collaboration conversation.

 

Journals & Book Chapters

Contributions to peer reviewed academic journals and books [selection]

 

Schaltegger, S., Girschik, V., Trittin-Ulbrich, H., Weissbrod, I., Daudigeos, T. (2023) Corporate Change Agents for Sustainability - Transforming Organisations from the Inside Out. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility READ SUMMARY

Blomsma, F., Bauwens, T., Weissbrod, I., Kirchherr, J. (2023) The ‘need for speed’: towards Circular Disruption – what it is, how to make it happen and how to know it’s happening. Business Strategy and the Environment READ ARTICLE

Hübel, C., Weissbrod, I., Schaltegger, S. (2022) Strategic alliances for corporate sustainability innovation: The ‘how’ and ‘when’ of learning processes. Long Range Planning READ SUMMARY

Bocken, N.M.P., Harsch, A., Weissbrod, I. (2022) Circular business models for the fastmoving consumer goods industry: Desirability, feasibility, and viability. Sustainable Production and Consumption

Bocken, N.M.P., Weissbrod, I., Antikainen, M. (2021) Business model experimentation for the circular economy: definition and approaches. Circular Economy and Sustainability READ ARTICLE

Nuzum, A.-K., Böckel, A., Weissbrod, I. (2021) Blockchain for the Circular Economy: Analysis of the Research-Practice Gap. Sustainable Production and Consumption READ ARTICLE

Weissbrod, I. (2019). Leadership and goal setting for sustainable innovation in corporates. Innovation for Sustainability: Business transformations towards a better world (‘Strategy and leadership for a sustainability transition’). Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business. READ CHAPTER 8 IN BOOK

Weissbrod, I. (2019). Experimentation for sustainable innovation. Innovation for Sustainability: Business transformations towards a better world (‘Tools and Methods’). Palgrave Studies in Sustainable Business. READ CHAPTER 18 IN BOOK

Weissbrod, I., Bocken, N.M.P. (2017). Developing sustainable business experimentation capability – A case study. Journal of Cleaner Production READ ARTICLE

Editing