Fighting Climate Change through Innovation: Interview with WIPO GREEN

April 17, 2020

What technologies are considered “green”? Is the global intellectual property (IP) community responsible for incentivizing green innovation? And how does IP relate to climate change? Earlier this year, WIPO GREEN was interviewed by the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR) about the program’s strategy, its achievements since its launch in 2013, and its aspirations for the future. Today, WIPO GREEN publishes an excerpt of the interview; the full version of the interview can be found on the GRUR website.

GRUR: Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement have brought climate change issues and possible solutions to the forefront of media and into the awareness of the broader public. How does the topic relate to intellectual property rights?

WIPO GREEN (Amy Dietterich, Global Challenges Division Director): Innovation has a prominent role to play in tackling climate challenges, as affirmed in Article 10 of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The intellectual property system fosters innovation and the development and dissemination of technology, including green technology. Intellectual property rights (IPR) provide economic incentives to develop new solutions; they also help to diffuse innovation. WIPO GREEN, WIPO’s public-private partnership in the area of climate change, is an online platform that encourages the dissemination of sustainable technology by offering green technologies that range from prototype to marketable products. These technologies are available for license, collaboration, joint ventures, and/or sale. The WIPO GREEN platform also contains “needs” defined by companies, institutions, producers, local and national governments, and non-governmental organizations looking for technologies to address specific environmental or climate-change related issues.

GRUR: The platform aims to promote the diffusion of so-called green technologies. How do you define the term ‘green’, what are the requirements for a green technology and who evaluates and decides whether a technology meets these criteria?

WIPO GREEN (Peter Oksen, Senior Program Officer for Climate Change and Food Security): The definition of green technologies stems from Agenda 21-Chapter 34 of The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which outlines that: “Environmentally sound technologies protect the environment, are less polluting, use all resources in a more sustainable manner, recycle more of their wastes and products, and handle residual wastes in a more acceptable manner than the technologies for which they were substitutes.“ (34.1) When registering a new technology, users are required to outline the environmental benefits, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

GRUR: Can you tell us something about the governance of WIPO GREEN, how it is organized and how the team is structured?

WIPO GREEN (Anja von der Ropp, Senior Program Coordinator for Climate Change and Food Security): WIPO GREEN is governed by the Secretariat and an Advisory Board as per the regulations laid out in the WIPO GREEN Charter. The WIPO GREEN Advisory Board, a consultative and counselling body, is comprised of partners and WIPO GREEN staff. The WIPO GREEN core team is a small, multicultural group located within the Global Challenges Division of WIPO. WIPO GREEN receives support from, and collaborates with, many other divisions in WIPO, including communications, IT and the WIPO External Offices.

GRUR: The database is a crucial pillar of WIPO GREEN. What about artificial intelligence - is it already part of the system? Otherwise, do you have any plans to integrate it into the database, and in which way?

WIPO GREEN (Peter Oksen): Currently, the database has a simple user interface that does not apply AI. However, as part of the development and upgrade of the database, we plan to integrate AI functionalities. Together with the WIPO Advanced Technology Applications Center, we are in the process of building an AI classifier based on machine learning, which we hope will be able to automate the import of new technologies from Patentscope and other databases and assign them to our technology categories.

GRUR: Briefly, how would you describe WIPO GREEN’s main assets and challenges today?

WIPO GREEN (Anja von der Ropp): Our partner and user networks are our main assets. Our partners – from multinational corporations like IBM and Hitachi, to governmental organizations such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, to global associations like the International Trademark (INTA) – contribute to our role as a convener. They also help to spread the message about sustainable technology across their countries and sectors, and are effective advocates for green technology. Furthermore, users of the WIPO GREEN database showcase their innovative ideas on the database and thus contribute to this unique tool that can have tangible impact on achieving the SDGs.

GRUR: How can users and user associations such as GRUR, in particular, contribute to supporting your goals?

WIPO GREEN (Anja von der Ropp): The network effect means that the value of WIPO GREEN increases according to the number of companies and universities using it. Associations like GRUR can play a role in increasing visibility and encouraging participation from national stakeholders.

GRUR: All in all, WIPO seems to have taken on the role of pioneer for the promotion and diffusion of green technologies early on. What is the underlying mandate for WIPO to take on such a role?

WIPO GREEN (Amy Dietterich): WIPO’s mission is to lead the development of a balanced and effective international IP system that enables innovation and creativity for the benefit of all. WIPO’s Global Challenges Division was established to address IP in relation to global challenges such as climate change, but also global health and food security.

GRUR: How does the Organization see their role and responsibility – and the role and, possibly, even the responsibility of the wider IP community – with regards to incentivizing green technology and supporting its diffusion worldwide in the coming years?

WIPO GREEN (Amy Dietterich): On a daily basis, the world is learning more about how we urgently need to improve efforts to take better care of our planet and the incredible variety of living organisms we share it with. These efforts are required on all levels: as individuals, as organizations, and on a systemic level. WIPO recognizes its unique position to contribute to addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Based on its mandate to foster an effective international IP system that enables innovation for the benefit of all, WIPO is undertaking a more active role in green technology.