Sustainable Innovation Practices Research Articles

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.