Samenvatting

Conventional, technological innovation in a growth-oriented economy is not the solution to the existential problems we face today but rather the cause of them. It accelerates excessive consumption, depletes the natural environment, and leads to a socioecological crisis of which we are yet to understand the full consequences. We need to politicize this indispensable pillar of society because, in its conventional form, innovation is driving us towards a grim future. In this article, we review which conditions for innovation are necessary to mitigate current environmental and social crises. We argue that degrowth principles must lie at the basis of these conditions; using less material and energy in a just and democratic manner to improve well- being for all. We therefore plea that degrowth principles must be adopted as the new foundation for innovation.