Towards a comprehensive framework to analyse the benefits of openness for sustainability-oriented innovation: A systematic literature review

Abstract

This study systematically reviews the scientific literature on the role of open innova- tion in addressing current and emerging societal and environmental challenges. To do so, we analysed the what, how, who and why of integrating external partners for sus- tainability purposes. We found a clear predominance of open innovation mechanisms to develop environmental innovations rather than innovations focused on a triple bottom line. We identified at least four mechanisms associated with the inbound mode of open innovation (crowdsourcing, lead-user workshops, intermediation, and experiments and discussion sessions) and 10 mechanisms related to the coupled mode of open innovation (alliance, business-non-profit engagement, co-creation, joint ventures, cooperation, collaborative innovation contests, coopetition, cross- sector partnerships, joint development projects, and innovation networks). Even though sustainability-oriented innovation promises to be a source of societal trans- formation and entrepreneurial opportunities, we found that firms can face some ten- sions when simultaneously addressing financial, environmental and social purposes.