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The purpose of this study is to explore and conducts a critical literature review to answer a fundamental question in the industrial district literature: are clusters and industrial (clusters/IDs) driving sustainability innovation? By intersecting different yet related strands of literature, the authors take stock of what the authors know about sustainability innovation in clusters/IDs.

This paper reviews the literature for conceptualizing sustainability innovation in clusters/districts.

Insights point out that the sustainability innovation process (development and diffusion) in clusters/IDs and their firms couples into mainstream cluster/IDs framework; clusters/IDs enable sustainability innovation through usual mechanisms, fostering collective change toward sustainability innovation, vis-à-vis other settings and strengthening firm sustainability innovation and performance. Sustainability innovation in clusters/IDs requires coupling different multi-scalar institutional systems effectively, and the cooperation of local organizations and policymakers for co-designing dedicated policies. Collective actions are important and firm heterogeneity needs to be considered in the clusters/IDs framework.

This study is original because it provides state-of-the-art on sustainability innovation in clusters/districts, enabling the topic to advance in this direction.

The objective of this work is to respond to the calls for research that, in retail and from the company’s perspective, support the importance of retaining a vision towards sustainability-oriented service innovation (SOSI), delving into the nature of this construct and examining its possible antecedent variables (information and communication technologies or ICT) and its consequent variables (volume and radicalness of innovation).

To contrast the proposed hypotheses and respond to the main objective of the research, an empirical study was carried out through face-to-face interviews with 200 managers of retail commercial establishments.

Empirical evidence highlights the important role that SOSI plays in fostering innovative capacity and disrupting innovative practices within the retail sector, particularly from the perspective of store managers, catalysed by the influence of ICT. The findings underline SOSI’s clear contribution to innovation dynamics in retail.

This research analyses SOSI from the perspective of the retail manager within the unique context of the current permacrisis. It contributes to progress in the conceptualisation of SOSI, offering a comprehensive understanding of the construct and its accompanying elements. It provides valuable insights for academics and policy development practitioners navigating the changing landscape of SOSI in the retail sector.

The concept of Sustainability-Oriented Service Innovation (SOSI) has been recently suggested from a conceptual reflection approach in an attempt to integrate innovation and sustainability in services, being an emerging field of innovation in services. This study aims to propose a scale to measure Sustainability-Oriented Service Innovation from the perspective of the company. Because the whole is different from the sum of its different parts, we need to better understand the synergy between sustainability and innovation for the future of tourism companies.

Upon a literature review, we propose a scale and explore its dimensionality with data from 268 to 256 Spanish hotel and travel agency managers, respectively. The dimensionality of the scale for measuring Sustainability-Oriented Service Innovation is similar in hotels and travel agencies.

Five factors emerge from the principal component analyses carried out: two dimensions referred to technological and non-technological innovation, respectively, and three dimensions labelled as economic, social and environmental sustainability.

To guide managers towards their operations, the proposed scale is expected to inspire models to assess the impact of SOSI practices in such a highly competitive industry and to identify the most influencing dimensions on the future performance of the tourism company.

To the best of our knowledge, no scale has been presented so far that brings together the dimensions of technological and non-technological innovation, as well as sustainability from a Triple Bottom Line approach.

This quantitative study, rooted in the resource-based view (RBV) theory, aims to investigate the relationships among green transformational leadership, green process innovation, employee environmental beliefs and firm environmental performance in Italian manufacturing companies. This study unfolds a nuanced narrative of how strategic green transformational leadership, coupled with environmentally conscious processes, can synergistically enhance an organization's overall environmental performance.

The multi-item survey questionnaire used in this study was distributed to leaders in a diverse sample of Italian companies. A total of 296 valid responses were obtained from the surveys. The collected data were analysed using statistical methods such as correlation, confirmatory factor and structural equation modelling using SPSS software.

The direct influence of green transformational leadership on firm environmental performance is supported. It also confirms the positive impact of green process innovation on environmental outcomes. It identifies green process innovation as a mediator between green transformational leadership and firm environmental performance, and employee environmental beliefs moderate the link between green transformational leadership and firm environmental performance.

This research contributes by advancing understanding within the RBV framework by elucidating the specific mechanisms through which green transformational leadership programs promote green process innovation, enhance environmental performance for organizational success, achieve sustainability goals and foster collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

This study emphasizes the significance of establishing green leadership programs, encouraging green process innovation and systematically monitoring environmental performance to accomplish organizational success and sustainability goals.

This study presents a novel and original examination by integrating the RBV theory on the relationships between green transformational leadership, green process innovation and firm environmental performance, shedding new light on the role of employee environmental beliefs.

Malaysian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are critical for economic development and meeting the sustainable development goals (SDGs); however, many struggle to survive in the long term. So, this study aims to present a model for sustainable growth that bridges the gap between desired growth and managerial competencies. By configuring university helix-induced crowdfunding and opportunity recognition competencies with industry helix-driven innovation, the study encourages a quadruple bottom line (QBL) strategy, helping SMEs attain competitiveness for sustainable growth.

This pilot study used a sequential mixed methods design and adhered to the pragmatic research paradigm. A survey of 52 SCORE-listed manufacturers yielded quantitative data, complemented by qualitative interviews with 7 SME decision makers. This study used NVivo 10 and SmartPLS 4.0 for the necessary analysis. In addition, an effective triangulation strategy has been implemented to explain causation among selected variables.

The findings show that opportunity recognition and crowdfunding are positively associated with SMEs’ ability to grow in a sustainable manner and that exploitative and explorative innovation also mediate those relationships. The qualitative part highlighted key insights for successfully applying this model in Malaysian SMEs. The interview results also suggest that corporate spirituality might help SMEs adopt sustainability-focused practices.

More research is required regarding both the methods and results of this pilot study. Although conducting a pilot study increases the likelihood of success in the main study, it does not ensure it.

This study equips Malaysian SMEs with a roadmap for achieving sustainable growth. The obtained findings indicate that Malaysian SMEs that develop strong crowdfunding and opportunity recognition competencies are more likely to achieve innovation-focused long-term survival. In addition, incorporating corporate spirituality can enhance their economic, social and environmental performance.

By supporting more innovation in SMEs, which can improve sustainability-oriented successes and support a healthy economic system, these findings may have a beneficial social change impact. The concept may also act as the foundation for SMEs’ promotion of the SDGs.

The study uniquely offers a holistic growth model for Malaysian SMEs founded on the helix-QBL understanding that explains a firm’s sustainability-focused competitive advantage.

Challenges related to sustainability have increasingly become pivotal in the realm of business strategy and innovation. Nevertheless, the incorporation of sustainability principles into business strategies and innovative practices remains a subject of ongoing scholarly debate. This paper aims to undertake a thematic literature review on this theme.

Data were gathered from the Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct databases. The final sample comprised 85 papers. For analytical purposes, this study adopted topic modeling using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) methodology.

The authors identified five dominant topics concerning the relationship between sustainability, innovation and business strategy. Through a cross-analysis of these topics, the authors theorize that a sustainable innovation strategy encompasses three complementary and interdependent dimensions: capabilities, management and firm. Building on this analysis, the authors outline a research agenda aimed at further exploration and advancement of this theme.

This review enhances the synthesis of research on the theme, prompting reflections on how companies can initiate innovative sustainable actions that align with their business strategy. Additionally, the authors identify specific elements that require improvement to enhance each of the three dimensions of sustainable innovation strategies, such as eco-efficiency, circular economy and the adoption of innovative business models oriented toward services/servitization.

By interweaving sustainability with innovation and business strategy, this study underscores the critical topics that companies and public policymakers should address to support sustainable development at the national level.

While previous literature reviews have focused on the dyadic relationships between sustainability and strategy, or sustainability and innovation, this study extends the boundaries of knowledge by integrating these three concepts into a hybrid theoretical stream.

Leveraging upper echelon theory and knowledge-based view of the firm, this paper aims to explore how chief executive officers’ (CEO) sustainability orientation influences explorative and exploitative knowledge management practices, which in turn influence incremental and radical sustainable innovation under boundary conditions of CEOs’ temporal focus and regional affiliation in the home country.

This study used a nonprobability convenience sampling strategy. Using survey-based research, the authors tested the study hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modeling on a sample of 298 CEOs from Indian small and medium enterprises. This study also tested the reliability and validity of the study variables by using internal consistency tests and convergent and discriminant validity procedures.

The study finds that CEO sustainability orientation affects incremental and radical sustainable innovation via the mediating effect of explorative and exploitative knowledge management practices. Furthermore, CEOs’ past temporal focus increases the influence of orientation on exploitative knowledge management. In contrast, future temporal focus increases the influence of CEO sustainability orientation on exploratory knowledge management practices. Finally, CEOs from the southwest, west and northwest regions of India increase the influence of exploratory knowledge management on radical sustainable innovation.

This study has significant implications for understanding upper-echelon factors that drive knowledge management practices. CEO temporal focus (time orientation) and demographic aspects (regional affiliation) influence CEOs’ investment in different knowledge management and, hence, sustainable innovation management practices. However, this study does not explore cross-cultural differences and the role of the entire top management team in influencing sustainability values on sustainability innovation via knowledge management practices.

This study comprehends upper-echelon factors that drive investment in knowledge management and sustainable innovation practices. Findings imply that CEOs with past and future temporal focus can influence sustainable innovation, but their investment in knowledge management strategies differs. Past temporal-focused CEOs invest more in exploitative and future temporal focus more in explorative knowledge management for influencing sustainable innovation.

The study provides novel insights into the influence of upper-echelon traits on knowledge management and sustainable innovation practices. Extant literature has largely explored firm-level factors such as organizational culture influencing a firm's knowledge management practices. However, by integrating the upper echelon with the knowledge-based view of the firm, we explain how the traits of the CEO, especially the temporal perspective, influence knowledge management and sustainable innovation practices of firms.

This study investigates the sustainability models of non-profit and hybrid organizations, which aim to balance economic, social and environmental objectives. The research introduces the Sustainability Model Canvas to analyze these organizations and identify common patterns, unique characteristics and managerial insights to balance the triple bottom line.

The research utilizes the Sustainability Model Canvas to examine the sustainability models of 200 non-profit and hybrid organizations. Data were collected from secondary sources, including articles, reports and websites. The analysis was conducted using the activity system theoretical framework, which helped to identify design elements and themes within the business models of the studied organizations.

The study reveals four primary sustainability model patterns: donated income, earned income, public income and auto-generated income. An additional mixed approach pattern is identified, combining elements from the four primary patterns. The research highlights the parallels between these sustainability models and multi-sided platform business models, offering managerial suggestions for leveraging these patterns to achieve sustainability.

The study is based on secondary data, which may limit the depth of insights compared to primary data collection. At the same time, the chance to consider hybrid organization through multi-sided platform lenses provides relevant contributions to both the literature streams.

The identified sustainability model patterns and managerial suggestions can serve as blueprints for non-profit and hybrid organizations aiming to design or innovate their sustainability models. The Sustainability Model Canvas offers a practical tool for organizations to visualize and balance their triple bottom line objectives.

The research underscores the importance of integrating social and environmental considerations into business models, promoting a holistic approach to sustainability that can lead to broader social and environmental benefits.

This research contributes to the business model literature by extending the focus beyond traditional profit-oriented organizations to include non-profit and hybrid organizations. The introduction of the Sustainability Model Canvas provides a new tool for designing and analyzing sustainability-oriented business models. The study also suggests considering sustainability models as multi-sided platforms, offering new insights for both academic and practical applications.

This study aims to investigate the causal relationships among environmental, social and governance reporting (ESGR), stakeholder sustainability awareness, use of artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability culture, innovation performance and climate resilience of organizations across diverse sectors in Sri Lanka.

A survey was conducted among 327 respondents, including senior accounting professionals, operations managers and functional heads to gather company-level data in various industries in Sri Lanka. A disjoint two-stage approach validated the measurement model, and the partial least squares structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

The analysis evidences the mediating role of stakeholders' sustainability awareness on the relationship between ESGR and sustainability culture. Furthermore, it emphasizes the role of sustainability culture in driving climate resilience. Innovation performance acts as a moderator, strengthening the relationship between the use of AI and sustainability culture.

The study suggests that organizations should strategically use ESGR, integrate AI and prioritize stakeholder engagement to strengthen their commitment to sustainability. These provide insight for decision-making in organizations seeking to align with sustainable business practices.

It explores the use of AI to enhance ESGR and sustainability culture, providing a broader understanding of how organizations manage AI and stakeholders in sustainability issues.

Environmental sustainability orientation has emerged to drive firms into eco-friendly production. Yet, the consequence of this new strategic thinking on firms’ green innovations, especially small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), remains unresolved. Recognizing that the connection between environmental sustainability orientation and green innovation may not always be direct, the study theorizes that dynamic capability and entrepreneurial orientation may form part of the boundary conditions that strengthen its effect on small enterprises’ green innovation. The study adjoins the dynamic capability theory with the entrepreneurial orientation theory to test this relationship among small businesses within a developing economy. Results from the partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) suggest that environmental sustainability orientation will result in green innovation when the SME’s dynamic capability can develop a creative reconfiguration of knowledge and new distinctive resources to support this new strategic direction. Similarly, findings from the study suggest that environmental sustainability orientation will translate into better green innovation outcomes when the SME entrepreneurial orientation has a solid attraction to protect the ecosystem and does not perceive green innovation as a risky enterprise.