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Innovation for Sustainability is a program designed to help Canadian manufacturers bring commercially viable, innovative, retail-focused products and technologies to market.
Introduced as a pilot program in 2010, Innovation for Sustainability has successfully helped 13 Ontario-based manufacturers earn in-store trials with The Home Depot. After demonstrating retail viability during the trial, many of these innovative and environmentally preferred products have already graduated to larger markets.
In September 2011, the program will begin accepting applications from manufacturers to pitch their products to The Home Depot at an event to be held on November 24th, in Ottawa. Building on its early success, the program has expanded and will now accept submissions from manufacturers based in both Quebec and Ontario.
The program fosters cross-sector collaboration by bringing together The Home Depot Canada, the Governments of Ontario and Quebec, Summerhill and small and medium-sized Canadian manufacturers to bring innovative and environmentally preferred products to market. The program is administered through an on-line evaluation tool and an annual event that allows manufacturers to profile innovative products with Canada's largest home improvement retailer. These face-to-face events allow participants to assess retail market potential for their products and to learn about marketing and merchandising strategies that support growth for new, innovative products. The outcomes of this initiative are helping each sector to better understand and address the elements required to successfully retail innovative products, including the identification of barriers, policy gaps and opportunities for supporting manufacturers.
The Innovation for Sustainability initiative was launched at an important time in Ontario's economic transformation. Changing market dynamics have resulted in a negative impact on certain segments of Ontario's manufacturing sector, leading to job losses and uncertainty. In an effort to mitigate these impacts, the Ontario Government introduced policies such as the Green Energy Act to encourage innovation in the manufacturing, service and related sectors to stimulate both job creation and economic growth. Concurrent with progressive public policy development, the province had been investing heavily in research and development of new innovative technologies and products that support economic development, trade and employment for coming generations.
From the Quebec perspective, sustainable development is equally as important as economic development. In a worldwide context where economic efficiency, social justice and environmentally sustainable production are key issues, the Government of Québec adopted the Law on Sustainable Development (L.R.Q., chapter D-8.1.1) in April 2006. In addition, the Québec Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade has created an action plan, "An innovative and competitive Québec for now and the future" which emphasizes actions favouring informed development, the promotion of responsible actions and the involvement of the Ministry in sustainable development. These issues, together with the challenge of globalization, compel all stakeholders to coordinate their efforts in maintaining a competitive edge and the capacity to innovate and prosper in Québec. As such, the efforts of the Government of Québec to support innovative companies who offer sustainable and green solutions fits seamlessly into the Innovation for Sustainability program.
Investments made by the Ontario and Quebec governments in areas such as renewable energy,lighting technology and water purification,are an example of their efforts to develop innovative products. While there havebeen some successes in the commercialization of new technology, many innovative products never make it beyond the research and development phase. There are a number of factors responsible for this situation including financing, viability and performance. But a frequent underlying cause is the inability of various sectors to come together to foster and grow high potential products or technologies. Stronger collaboration between manufacturers, government, retailers and social innovation companies is required throughout the business lifecycle process to enhance the required conditions for success. This is the purpose of the Innovation for Sustainability initiative.
Summerhill is a leader in the development and implementation of innovative retail-based initiatives that bring government, utilities and related third parties together to drive sustainability. Innovation for Sustainability leverages the unique contributions of each sector to discover, evaluate, nurture and grow the market transformation potential of innovative products and technologies. It is at the intersection of mutual interests that the possibility of sustainable innovation begins:
The Home Depot: the Innovation for Sustainability initiative improves Canada's largest home improvement retailer's ability to become a destination for innovation. The program helps to build knowledge and expertise within The Home Depot of how to identify, support and grow high-potential vendors of innovative products. It also enables The Home Depot to access additional resources that help bridge the gap between small vendors and big-box retailers.
Governments of Ontario and Quebec: the Innovation for Sustainability initiative provides a return on invested public funds to manufacturers and developers of innovative technologies or products by providing a retail incubator. This time and scope-bound living laboratory provides businesses with the opportunity to test the viability of their offering in real market conditions. The program also supports the Government of Ontario's goal of creating 50,000 "green" jobs – in this case in the manufacturing, retail and service sectors of the economy. Innovation is becoming more important than ever for Canadian businesses to compete at the global level and to create long term economic well-being and security for people living in this country.
Manufacturers: the Innovation for Sustainability initiative offers a key channel to market for companies with innovative products and technologies. The incubator enables small and medium-sized businesses to better understand market conditions essential to future growth. The program improves manufacturers' literacy and skills needed to support the big box retail channel such as marketing, logistics, in-store service, pricing, and managing retailer expectations. The program builds the capacity of these firms who do not have the experience or expertise required to do business with The Home Depot, but possess breakthrough technologies/products that may have high future growth potential.
Third Parties: social innovation companies, such as Summerhill, form a critical component of the Innovation for Sustainability program. Summerhill's expertise, resources, networks and ability to execute provide valuable input throughout the program, including research, partnership development, project management, and branding. In the future, academia, angel investors, venture capitalists and other third parties may also prove to be valuable contributors to the growth and development of the program.
"When Dig It® heard about the Innovation for Sustainability initiative, we recognized a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring our revolutionary products to a larger audience. The goals of the IfS program aligned perfectly with the core values of Dig It® Handwear. Dig It® is optimistic that The Home Depot's discerning customers will recognize the benefits of using our products and this Innovation for Sustainability partnership will lead to long term distribution opportunities."
– Wendy Johannson and Claudia Harvey, Co-Founders, Dig It®
The Home Depot hosted the first Meet the Buyer event in London, Ontario in December, 2010.
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Justin Robertson
Program Manager, Innovation for Sustainability
Summerhill
jrobertson@summerhillgroup.ca
(416) 922-2448 ext. 256
WEBSITE ⇒ www.innovationforsustainability.ca