ECO-INNOVATION – AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

The whole development process along the history of the society was based on the innovation and the applications of the innovation in different areas. Especially during the last century, innovation was considered the engine of the development due to its huge importance in reaching and maintaining a high rate of growth for the world’s economies. The innovation process has now a specific feature, namely the orientation to the environmental problems which affect the whole planet; according to this orientation, a new type of innovation is recognized – the eco-innovation. Our paper aims to introduce and characterize the eco-innovation, to present the importance of this process in the context of sustainable development, to highlight the EU environmental policies which include the concept of eco-innovation and to exemplify some positive achievements in the field.