Intellectual Property Offices and Sustainable innovation

Book excerpt: Sustainable development, in its many manifestations, is of high and growing importance across the globe. Increasingly, governments are setting targets for sustainability improvements ranging from societal inclusiveness to carbon emission reductions; corporations are marketing their products and services by highlighting their ‘eco’ credentials; and consumers are basing buying decisions on sustainable criteria. As a United Nations (UN) agency, WIPO has an important role to play in the achievement of the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). While the relationship between SDGs and WIPO’s activities may not be as clear-cut and obvious as, for example, those of the World Health Organization, which has clear responsibility for SDG 3 relating to good health and well-being, there are compelling reasons to believe that intellectual property (IP) systems can and should contribute to SDGs, and in doing so, can be more responsive to WIPO customer and societal needs. This study has been commissioned by WIPO Japan Office, in collaboration with WIPO’s Special Representative on the UN SDGs to identify examples of good practice among IP offices in supporting the achievement of SDGs. Using a combination of primary and secondary research (survey data and published materials), a cross-section of offices has been examined.