A radical new approach to innovation is urged by STEPS, Stockholm Resilience Centre and Tellus Institute in this new paper. As the world gears up for the Rio + 20 conference in June 2012, many are pinning hopes on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a concrete outcome. First mooted by the Colombian government, the idea is now supported by many governments north and south, and figures prominently in the conference’s ‘zero draft’ document and the recommendations of the UN High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (UN GSP)