A catalytic regulatory framework for accelerating sustainable innovation

This paper argues that regulatory agencies whose activities determine the market access and commercialisation of products are often overlooked in calls for active stakeholder collaboration in securing a sustainable future. We situate this limited attention within two main constraints: (1) the nascent nature of sustainable innovations (SIs), which poses significant challenges for designing appropriate regulatory frameworks capable of evaluating novel SI products; and (2) concerns that regulatory agencies’ involvement in the market selection environment may impose preferences on the market. Drawing on the functional principles of a catalyst in a chemical reaction, we reconceptualise a mechanisms through which regulatory interventions can exert a direct influence on the commercial transition of SIs. We further present a catalytic regulatory review framework that offers core insights into the bundles of practices underpinning how regulatory agencies can be directly involved in the innovation process. We discuss the implications of this framework for the broader discourse on regulatory science and sustainable innovation. • Regulatory agencies are often overlooked in the call for active stakeholder collaboration in securing a sustainable future • We conceptualise a mechanism for regulators to have direct influence on the commercial transition of sustainable innovations • We present a catalytic regulatory review framework that unveils core practices that underpin this mechanism • We discuss implications for the discourse on regulatory science and sustainable innovation