Sustainability and Intellectual Property in United Kingdom

Intellectual property (‘IP’) currently plays a strong role in sustainability, although its relationship with, and impact on, environmental, social and economic factors could be strengthened further. For example, at least six of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, namely zero hunger, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, industry, innovation and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities and responsible consumption and production, overlap directly with most ‘definitions’ of sustainability and will require a range of new technologies to implement. Technological innovation geared towards environmental or sustainable factors (which could also loosely be referred to as ‘green’ technology) will therefore be pivotal in achieving the UN’s goals.