Key findings: The geographical distribution of sustainable innovation and the patent owners driving it
SDG-related patents stem from global regions, demonstrating a collective push for sustainability. Some entities possess notable portfolios of SDG-related patents, with academia and research organizations playing a vital role in advancing SDG innovation through collaborative research and knowledge dissemination.
31.4% of all active patent families worldwide are related to the SDGs. There is a preference for SDG-related patents to be filed through international and regional routes to protection instead of through direct national filings. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), as administered by WIPO, is a popular route for SDG-related patents, with 35.4% of active PCT patents being related to the SDGs. Similarly, European patents filed through the European Patent Office (EPO) are popular for SDG-related inventions, with 42.4% of active European patents being related to the SDGs. This contrasts with 34.3% for the Republic of Korea, 33.7% for China, 32.8% for the United States of America, and 25.9% for Japan.
SDG-related patenting activity has grown across the world, but China shows an exponential increase in patent filings in recent years. Although China, the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea have the most SDG-related patents, by exploring the top inventor locations and top protection locations (jurisdictions) we can see the growth rate and share of SDG-related patents geographically across regions.
It’s a collective effort: industry, academia and research organizations are all driving sustainable innovation
The SDGs are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. This is reflected in the patent data with a relatively even mix of corporations and research organizations. There is a good mix of corporations and research organizations amongst the top patent applicants with the largest share of SDG-related patents within their IP portfolios. Amongst the key players in industry, CATL and Samsung SDI from batteries feature along with Roche and Merck from pharmaceuticals. However it is mostly electronics companies which the highest growth rates like Qualcomm, Ericsson, Baidu, LG Electronics, and TDK.
Within the academic and research landscape, the University of California and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have the most SDG-related patents, but there is significant SDG-related patenting activity from academic and research organizations across the US, China, France, the Republic of Korea, and Germany in particular.
