Innovate, innovate, innovate: this is the magic formula that keeps coming out of the mouths of economists and politicians. But no one asks why this permanent frenzy of technological, managerial, financial, public or social innovations and, above all, for what purpose?
The injunction to innovate more and more quickly is in fact paradoxical: past innovations have often contributed to aggravate the ecological, geopolitical, social and financial crises we are experiencing today. To understand this paradox, this book tells how this culture of innovation was formed, based on the belief that innovation is the condition for economic, environmental or social progress, and how this culture is associated with positive values such as creativity and entrepreneurial freedom. This book shows that this enchanted vision is in fact dangerous: it underestimates the darker sides of innovations, which are all the more difficult to spot because they appear with a delay, at the moment when they are diffused on a large scale.
How can we innovate differently to avoid these undesirable effects and contribute to a more sustainable society? The book explores two complementary avenues of reflection: making innovators aware of the long-term consequences of their projects; and the potential for more sober innovations based on the transformation of lifestyles, consumption and production, compatible with planetary limits and the needs of future generations.

Franck Aggeri is a professor of management at Mines Paris - PSL, specializing in the circular economy, ecological transition and responsible innovation. He is also co-director of the "Mines Urbaines" chair dedicated to the circular economy and a columnist for Alternatives Économiques.