| Name | Eric Viardot |
| At SKEMA since… | September 2022 |
| Title | Professor of Corporate Strategy |
| Specialisation | Technology and Innovation Management |
| Research Centre | SKEMA Centre for Sustainability Studies |
Could you tell us more about your field of research, particularly Innovation, Resilience and Sustainability?
My current field of research sits at the crucial intersection of innovation and sustainability, with a specific focus on addressing climate change. The past decade has presented a stark reality, witnessing the ten warmest years on record. A central challenge in combating climate change is the concerning inadequacy of current global action, as efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C appear to be falling short. While some readily implementable solutions exist, achieving deeper greenhouse gas reductions necessitates the development and deployment of innovative technologies.
As a researcher specialising in corporate strategy, my work centres on the implementation of innovative climate technologies. My focus stems from the understanding that the mere availability of climate change mitigation technologies does not guarantee their timely adoption and widespread use – a crucial factor in making a tangible difference. Drawing parallels from other sectors, particularly high-tech and digital industries, I’ve observed numerous instances where promising technological solutions have failed to gain market acceptance and ultimately did not achieve their potential. This experience underscores the importance of understanding the strategic and organisational factors that facilitate or hinder the successful implementation of climate innovations.
What results surprised you the most?
One of the most striking findings I encountered when beginning my research into climate technologies was the significant potential of readily available and rapidly implementable solutions. For instance, improvements in energy efficiency alone could lead to approximately a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. Similarly, cutting methane emissions from the energy sector presents another opportunity for a 30% reduction in total emissions by the same timeframe. Furthermore, it’s notable that investments in certain climate technologies, particularly solar, onshore wind, electric vehicles (EVs), and batteries, are already generating revenue.
However, the primary challenge lies in scaling up other promising but nascent innovative technologies. These are either in the early stages of development (such as sustainable synthetic fuels and small modular nuclear reactors) or not yet fully mature (including advanced energy storage, next-generation EV batteries, alternative proteins, and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and engineered carbon removals (ECR) technologies). The fact that substantial near-term impact can be achieved with existing solutions, yet the scaling of crucial future technologies remains a significant hurdle, was a particularly surprising and important insight for my research.
What are the foreseen outcomes?
My hope is that my research can contribute, even modestly, to the suggestion and development of strategies that facilitate the scaling and acceleration of promising climate change technologies. A key aspect of my work involves analysing the processes through which a technology can become a dominant standard, thereby fostering its wider market adoption. These outcomes could be beneficial for various stakeholders, including the companies developing these innovations, the investors supporting them, and ultimately governments and international organisations that play a pivotal role in this necessary socio-technical regime transition. However, I am not focusing on very long-term projections, as the scientific consensus indicates a limited window of opportunity to meaningfully address anthropogenic climate change. This urgency underscores the critical importance of developing and implementing effective strategies – the very focus of my research – within this limited timeframe.
References
- Viardot, E. (2025), “Concrete steps to cementing sustainability: Holcim’s environmental strategy”, The CASE Journal, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 717-742. https://doi.org/10.1108/TCJ-05-2024-0161
- Matos, S., Viardot, E., Sovacool, B. K., Geels, F. W., & Xiong, Y. (2022). Innovation and climate change: A review and introduction to the special issue. Technovation, 117, 102612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102612