Eco-innovation
Eco-innovation is increasingly relevant not only in eco-industries, but in all sectors of the economy.
Eco-industries involve both process management (including environmental R&D, waste management and recycling) and resource management (including water supply, recycled materials, renewable energy production, nature protection and eco-construction).
In Europe, this sector employs some 3.4m people and generates €227b in turnover.
The potential role of eco-innovation in the EU's policy for growth is recognised in the context of the Lisbon strategy and of the EU's sustainable development strategy, as well as in the debate on sustainable consumption and production, whose most recent initiative is the action plan on sustainable production and consumption and sustainable industrial policy 
[65 KB] that the Commission adopted on 16 July 2008.
Eco-innovation and sustainability are central aspects of several of the sectors in the lead market initiative, notably sustainable construction, recycling, and renewable energy.
Some of the activities in Europe INNOVA and PRO INNO Europe are directly related to eco-innovation, notably, the three Europe INNOVA European Innovation Platforms for clusters, knowledge-intensive services, and eco-innovation. Results and conclusions from those projects will be relevant for DG Enterprise and Industry's innovation policy.
More information on the Commission's activities in the field of eco-innovation can be found on the web pages relating to environmental policies. One of the Commission's major contributions is the Environmental Technologies Action Plan ( ETAP) which is also supported by DG Enterprise and Industry.
