Sustainable Innovation Practices Research Articles

Pengaruh Pengetahuan Hijau dan Religiusitas Terhadap Eco-Inovasi Produk Berbahan Baku Etnobotani Lokal

This study is driven by the significance of developing herbal medicine using local ethnobotanical ingredients, incorporating green knowledge and religiosity to influence the actions of individual production employees. It investigates the essential role of green knowledge and religiosity in the eco-innovation of herbal medicine from local ethnobotanical sources. Focusing on Solo Raya's herbal medicine agroindustry, the research aims to explore the interplay between green knowledge, religiosity, and product eco-innovation, particularly from the perspective of production employees. Employing a case study and explanatory approach, 100 randomly selected production employees participated, and data were analyzed using structural equation model-partial least squares (SEM-PLS). Results indicate that green knowledge and religiosity significantly contribute to promoting eco-innovation. Green knowledge facilitates the creation of environmentally friendly products with local ethnobotanical materials, while religiosity offers ethical support for sustainable innovation practices. The study underscores the pivotal role of production employees in balancing environmental sustainability and religious values, emphasizing the crucial link between these aspects for advancing eco-innovation in the herbal medicine industry. This research enriches our understanding of eco-innovation dynamics in the agro-industrial sector by embracing green values and religiosity.

Impact of environmentally sustainable innovation practices on consumer resistance: the moderating role of value co-creation in eco-hotel enterprises

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of environmentally sustainable innovation practices on consumer resistance to innovation in eco-hotel enterprises and the moderating influence of value co-creation based on the service-dominant logic and innovation resistance theory.Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the study’s hypotheses on a sample of 382 eco-hotel enterprise consumers surveyed online.FindingsResults reveal that adopting environmentally sustainable innovation practices and consumers’ participation in value co-creation can negatively influence consumer resistance to innovation. In addition, value co-creation partially moderates the influence of environmentally sustainable innovation practices on consumer resistance to innovation, implying that other variables can influence this relationship. Finally, the results showed that value co-creation is a multidimensional construct with dimensions of meaningfulness, collaboration, contribution, recognition and affective response.Originality/valueThis study contributes significantly to knowledge of value co-creation and innovation resistance in service ecosystems through the lens of sustainability. Incorporating value co-creation as a moderator demonstrates how to address sustainable activities to decrease consumers’ resistance to eco-hotel enterprises’ environmentally sustainable innovation practices. By empirically analyzing these relationships, this study makes various contributions and gives helpful decision-making insights.

Explicating the factors influencing successful implementation and management of sustainable innovation practices in research intensive organizations

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that contribute to the successful implementation and management of sustainable innovation in research-intensive sectors such as the life sciences industry. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted through a combination of two methods. The first was qualitative interviews of 21 sustainability experts and leaders in the life sciences industry who were responsible for implementing sustainable innovation. They were selected through nonprobabilistic purposive sampling. The second method was thematic content analysis using the MAXQDA software. Findings The study identified that successful implementation of sustainable innovation in research-intensive firms begins with the alignment of the executive vision for sustainability with the business objectives of the research-intensive firm. Furthermore, implementation of sustainability practices is identified as a function of organizational reconfigurations that facilitate purposeful inflow and outflow of ideas and knowledge between internal firm resources and external stakeholders, anchored by the objectives of the research-intensive firm. Research limitations/implications The study explicated factors only within life sciences industry based on qualitative interviews. The study offers scope for cross-sector quantitative evaluation. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first studies to systematically delineate the underlying factors that govern successful implementation of sustainable innovation in research-intensive industries, through integration of the resource-based view and stakeholder theory and thereby provide a framework for research-intensive organizations to implement sustainable innovation practices.

Ambidextrous employees and sustainable innovation practices - empirical validation of structural linkage

Present study: 1) focuses on establishing the structural relationship between exploratory and exploitative behaviour of ambidextrous employees working in innovation-based organisations in India; 2) attempts to link the ambidextrous behaviour of employees with sustainable innovative practices of these organisations. A theoretical model was proposed and for its empirical verification, primary data was collected from 200 innovative organisations across India. The data were analysed using statistical methods namely, EFA, CFA, and structured equation model (SEM). All the proposed hypotheses show significant statistical support, and thus it is concluded that the organisational and technological sustainable innovative practices are positively influenced by employees' ambidextrous behaviour. The study contributes to a novel set of theories on the interdependence of employees' ambidextrous behaviour fostering sustainable innovation practices of the organisations, in their unique way.

Sustainable Practices in Pattern-Making at Local Fashion Institutions: A Qualitative Study

Pattern making is one of the most important skill-based courses in fashion education, where students learn clothing construction through drafting, draping, and creating basic patterns for garment productions. Issues in fashion sustainability, such as textile waste and fast fashion, lead to this research. However, practices of sustainable innovation in local higher education institutions are still low compared to other countries. The objective of this research paper is to explore the current sustainable practices in teaching and learning pattern-making skills. A qualitative approach has been adopted to explore the current practices of teaching and learning in some local fashion institutions, and 21 fashion educators participated in semi-structured interview sessions. The results from the thematic analyses show six elements of sustainable innovation which currently being practised: minimization technique, pattern manipulation, upcycling, draping, digital learning, and innovative tools are part of the sustainable innovation practices.
 Keywords: Higher Education Research, Education for Sustainable Development, Innovation

The Influence of Crisis Management, Risk-Taking, and Innovation in Sustainability Practices: Empirical Evidence From Iraq

Aim/Purpose: This study examines the impact of decision-making, crisis management, and decision-making on sustainability through the mediation of open innovation in the energy sector. Background: Public companies study high-performance practices, requiring overcoming basic obstacles such as financial crises that prevent the adoption and development of sustainability programs. Methodology: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to the closure of businesses in Iraq, a survey was distributed. To facilitate responses, free consultations were offered to help complete the questionnaire quickly. Of the 435 questionnaires answered, 397 were used for further analysis. Contribution: The impact of crises that impede the energy sector from adopting sustainable environmental regulations is investigated in this study. Its identification of specific constraints to open innovation leads to the effectiveness of adopting environmentally friendly policies and reaching high levels of sustainable performance. Findings: The impacts of risk-taking, crisis management, and decision-making on sustainability have been explored. Results show that open innovation fully mediates the relationship between the factors of risk-taking, crisis management, decision-making, and sustainability. Recommendations for Practitioners: The proposed model can be used by practitioners to develop and improve sustainable innovation practices and achieve superior performance. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are recommended to conduct in-depth studies of the phenomenon based on theoretical and empirical foundations, especially in light of the relationship between crisis management, decision-making, and risk-taking and their impact on sustainability based on linear and non-compensatory relationships. Impact on Society: This study provides a reference for organizations with similar cultural backgrounds in adopting sustainable practices to minimize pollution in the Iraqi context. Future Research: A more in-depth study can be performed using a larger sample, which not only includes the energy industry but also other industries.

Sustainable innovation practices and the degree of innovation of business models in Brazilian industrial companies

PurposeThis study has aimed to analyze the relationship between the adoption of sustainable innovation practices and the degree of innovation of business models in Brazilian industrial companies.Design/methodology/approachThe study has been characterized as quantitative and comprised the conduction of a survey with Brazilian industrial companies.FindingsResults have shown that companies with a high degree of innovation in their business models invest more strongly in strategic dimensions of sustainable innovation, which in general involve stakeholders and cross the organization's internal boundaries, requiring proactive attitudes from the company, probably because this type of investment gives them greater competitiveness in their market and also requires a radical modification of their business model.Practical implicationsThis study seeks to present contributions to entrepreneurs and policy makers, in the face of the innovative and sustainable challenges imposed by society and the guidelines for sustainable development in order to reflect on positive impacts on local and global development.Social implicationsComprehending the behavior of industrial companies in Brazil in relation to sustainable innovation and its impact on society contributes to understanding the benefits of adopting a strategic management of sustainable innovation, minimizing negative socio-environmental impacts.Originality/valueBy analyzing the themes of sustainable innovation and business model, the present study may contribute to adopting business behavior that strategically and systemically integrates the objectives of sustainable innovation.

A SUSTENTABILIDADE SOB A PERSPECTIVA DO TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE NAS PEQUENAS EMPRESAS DE PRODUTOS VEGANOS

Economic and industrial development have enabled people to live better by developing products and services that make their lives easier. However, these processes generate impacts that have been increasingly questioned as to the forms of mitigation. Many companies already seek to analyze their processes from the perspective of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), or Sustainability Tripod, considering the dimensions: financial, environmental and social. In this context, a market that has been developed in recent years is the one of vegan products, since its consumers have sustainable balance as one of their ideals. Innovation oriented to sustainability or sustainable innovation is related to innovations that contribute to TBL. This work aimed to analyze the sustainable innovation practices adopted by small companies of vegan products and to identify their contributions to each of the three dimensions of the TBL. Multiple case studies were carried out, the information was collected through semi-structured interviews with the managers of the organizations and subsequently, a content analysis was made for the sustainable practices adopted by the companies. It can be observed that companies adopt several innovation practices oriented to sustainability in the environmental dimension, such as reverse logistics of packaging, the use of biodegradable or reusable resources, energy and water saving policy and selection of sustainable suppliers. In the social sphere, health and safety practices at work, use of personal protective equipment, training, promotion of events and social projects were identified. These practices, in general, increased revenues by attracting more consumers to their products and improving the company's image. Therefore, the small companies of vegan products that were surveyed develop practices aimed at balancing the sustainable tripod, generating environmental and social value, and not just obtaining economic gains.

Ambidextrous Employees and Sustainable Innovation Practices- Empirical validation of Structural Linkage

Ambidextrous Employees and Sustainable Innovation Practices- Empirical validation of Structural Linkage

Emotional Intelligence and Innovative Work Behaviour: A Review

With the headway of globalization, the achievement and endurance of an organisation are pawned to innovation and adaptability. Innovation plays a crucial role in gaining a competitive advantage within the organization. For any organization to be innovative, employees' innovative work behavior assumes an indispensable role. Capturing innovative ideas from employees at different levels, building an active and collaborative workforce within organisation, recognizing employees’ effort, and communicating effectively with all stakeholders are the vital building blocks of innovation. Building the culture of innovation that drives productive and sustainable innovation practices can spark from within the workforce helping organizations to remain competitive and stay ahead in the long haul. Research indicates that innovation and creativity are attained through emotional intelligence. Given this contention, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role emotional intelligence plays in bringing innovative work behavior within the employees. An extensive literature review on the said constructs was conducted where both variables were studied independently and the linkages that both variables exhibit together were also studied from different database sources like Emerald insight, Science Direct, Taylor and Francis, Springer, Google Scholar, etc. and also, the models of emotional intelligence were put forth.

Sustainable Innovation for Sustainable Business Performance-A Systematic Review of Recent Literature (2008-2018)

The concept of sustainable innovation has gained worldwide attention in recent years, which has enhanced its implementation. However, few studies have attempted to map the global research of sustainable innovation and its practices. This study utilises a systematic review of the global trend and structure of sustainable innovation research covering the time span of 11 years between 2008 and 2018. The descriptive statistics of published articles is examined firstly; i.e., year of publication, research techniques adopted the nature of the article, industry, field, and country of study. Thematic analysis was also carried out on sustainable innovative practices. The analysis shows an upward trend of literature and the growing importance of sustainable innovation practices like, sustainable branding, product recycling, corporate social responsibility initiatives, good governance practices, etc. In addition, the research paper highlights different new areas that deserve attention, such as the social dimension of sustainable innovation, the growing importance of corporate governance mechanisms, and sustainable branding.

Sustainable business model innovation and acceptance of its practices among Spanish entrepreneurs

AbstractSustainable business model innovation debate is mostly focusing on the use of certain practices and tools to implement sustainable objectives in new firms. Our paper contributes to this debate examining the factors influencing the entrepreneur's election of the practices to develop sustainable business model innovation (SBMI). We conducted an empirical analysis on a population of Spanish entrepreneurs (N = 234) and applied a sound behavioral framework and the PLS‐SEM algorithms to factor out those elements. On the basis of this analysis, we argue that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, habit, costs, speed, funding, and security and behavioral intention might affect the entrepreneurial acceptance of the practices leading to SBMI. We also argue that the knowledge of these factors benefit incubators, mentors, and agencies balance them into their support to sustainable business development. Our analyses open a novel research line by studying those factors influencing entrepreneurial use of sustainable innovation practices and facilitating future development of full‐scale models explaining this usage.

Sustainable innovation practices and their relationship with the performance of industrial companies

Purpose Conditioning factors of the globalized world have created new requirements and opportunities in developing management models for organizations that englobe sustainability aspects, which presume substantial investments in innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the relation between sustainable innovation practices and the performance of industrial companies. Design/methodology/approach This was a quantitative study and carried out by applying a research survey in Brazilian industrial companies. Findings The results showed that there are significantly positive associations between several variables related to sustainable innovation practices and company performance, being, therefore, possible to confirm the original proposed hypothesis. Research limitations/implications The main limiting factors were theoretical choices, comprehension of the phenomenon through the perception of the respondents, and the number of companies in the sample, as little representation was found in the researched population. In this manner, the results cannot be applied to the universe of considered research, being restricted solely to the group of companies in the sample. Practical implications From the main contributions, it is possible to highlight, at a theoretical level, the joint approach to issues of sustainable innovation and performance, since there are few studies covering the impact of adopting innovation practices on company performance. At a practical level, understanding of how the behavior of Brazilian industrial companies contributes to the wide distribution of practices that may contribute to better business performance and generate competitive advantages. Social implications At a social level, understanding of the benefits in adopting sustainable innovations practices favors the minimization of negative socio-environmental impacts. Originality/value By analyzing the themes of sustainable innovation and industrial performance, the present study may contribute to adopting business behavior that strategically and systemically integrates the objectives of sustainable innovation.

Linking corporate sustainability and innovation in supply chain management – evidence of a Taiwan leading glass recycling company

ABSTRACTThis empirical study presents a combination of insights from corporate sustainability practices, supply chain management, and innovation literature, and a case study to discover new understandings on factors influencing firms to incorporate sustainable innovation initiatives into their supply chain practices. There is an apparent lack of literature in this field due to its modernity and evolving nature. Also, there is a lack of insights into how firms could translate sustainable innovation initiatives into practice. This study addresses this gap by examining a successful glass recycling company through the lenses of sustainable innovation context and the Global Reporting Initiative G3 Guideline framework. Primary data are collected through observations and in-depth interview before it is coded and analysed using nVivo. The findings show that sustainable innovation practices are mainly directed at improving the technological processes, resource sharing, and reduction of production cost among supply chain partners. A conceptual sustainable innovation framework is also proposed. This study contributes to sustainable innovation literature by providing insights into the evaluation of a firm's innovative sustainability efforts.

A supply chain sustainability innovation framework and evaluation methodology

Sustainability is hinged on innovation. The importance of sustainable innovation management in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) cannot be underestimated. Studies on SSCM have emphasised the need for sustainable innovation in achieving sustainability but none provide deep insights into sustainable innovation management in SSCM implementation. This lack of research depth stimulates this study to identify and investigate criteria for sustainable supply chain management innovation advancement. This paper proposes a sustainable innovation criteria framework for investigating sustainable supply chains in manufacturing companies. To exemplify the applicability and efficiency of the proposed framework, a sample of five Indian manufacturing companies are used to evaluate and prioritise the sustainable innovation management criteria, using the ‘best–worst’ multi-criteria decision-making (BW-MCDM) model. The criteria weights for all companies from BWM are aggregated, averaged and used for ranking. The respondent managers viewed ‘financial availability for innovation’ as the most important sustainable innovation sub-criteria. The results of the study will inform industrial managers, practitioners and decision-makers on which criteria to focus on during the implementation stage, to increase sustainability in manufacturing supply chains, and further advance corporate and supply chain sustainable development. The framework may also serve as a theoretical construct for a future empirical study on sustainable supply chain innovation in the manufacturing sector. This paper sets the stage for further research in sustainable innovation practices in the manufacturing sector and its supply chains.

Sustainable innovations in the corporate sector – The empirical evidence from IBEX 35 firms

Sustainable innovation practices, those which simultaneously contribute to environmental, social and economic value creation, have drawn increased attention from academics, industry leaders and policy makers around the globe. There is a general agreement that innovation is a very important part of the puzzle in achieving long-term sustainability. Thus, a critical question to be answered is what factors actually differentiate, and appear to contribute to, sustainable innovations (SI) at the firm level. This paper addresses the question by examining empirical evidence from the IBEX 35 companies, from the years 2010–2015. Our results obtained from multivariate regression model indicate that the intensity of a firm’s SI activity is strongly and statistically significantly associated with the sector in which a given firm operates, with a rising level of environmental footprint acting as a stimulant for innovation. Additionally, firms characterized by higher net profit margins and returns on equity were also much more likely to introduce SIs. The findings also suggest that factors like size and age of a given company, as well as level of competition in a sector in which it operates are not significant predictors for the implementation of sustainable innovations. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the main characteristics of companies active in the area of SI.

Lessons for Responsible Innovation in the Business Context: A Systematic Literature Review of Responsible, Social and Sustainable Innovation Practices

This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing conceptual debate on responsible innovation, and provides innovation practices and processes that can help to implement responsible innovation in the business context. Based on a systematic literature review of 72 empirical scholarly articles, it was possible to identify, analyse and synthesise empirical findings reported in studies on social, sustainable and responsible innovation practices in the business context. The synthesis of the included articles resulted in a refined framework for responsible innovation in the business context. This framework includes an overview of innovation practices and processes that can enhance the dimensions of responsible innovation: anticipation, reflexivity, inclusion, deliberation, responsiveness and knowledge management. Additionally, knowledge gaps are identified and a research agenda for responsible innovation is proposed. This review can therefore serve as a next step in the theoretical and practical development of responsible innovation in general, and in the business context in particular.

Innovation and environmentally sustainable economy: Identifying the best practices developed by multinationals in Brazil

In view of the constant demand for environmentally sustainable innovations and considering the impact that multinational organizations' activities have to speed up or slow down the sustainable development process both locally and globally, this paper identifies and discusses the best environmentally sustainable innovation practices developed by multinationals operating in Brazil. To identify the best practices, we conducted a content analysis based on secondary data of a sustainability report prepared by Fundação Getúlio Vargas and published by a business magazine that annually appoints companies that stand out for their sustainable management practices. The results found in this study allow us to state that the sampled multinationals have been developing product, process, organizational and marketing innovation practices to balance business interests and environmentally sustainable growth. In short, the findings show that multinationals have developed a broad set of actions that cover most of the practices described in the literature. However, considering the practices observed, we note that those related to process innovation appeared more frequently, followed by activities related to organizational innovation, product innovation and marketing innovation. Such observations may be justified once that the shift from a reactive environmental behavior towards a proactive managerial posture involves evolutionary stages. Finally, this paper provides a synthesis of the product, process, organizational and marketing innovations developed by multinationals that may especially benefit researchers and practitioners in search of potential insights towards more sustainable processes, businesses and societies, as well as a framework that describes the transition of multinationals to an environmentally sustainable innovative behavior.