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In recent decades, the expansion of economic activity has been accompanied by negative environmental impacts. In response, there have been dramatic changes worldwide in terms of an increased demand for environmentally friendly products and services. To achieve these eco-innovations, firms have sought to acquire knowledge and implement operational flexibility by cooperating with different agents such as universities through a value cocreation system that is also expected to enhance firms’ performance. Using a sample of 250 companies, the present paper examines the role of cooperation with universities in the development of diverse environmental innovations and building operational flexibility and, through this, improving firm performance. Results show that firms that value cooperation with universities develop a wider range of environmental innovations and increase their sales and benefits.

Although literature on open eco-innovation has recently increased, empirical research on this topic in traditional low-tech sectors is still relatively scarce. The present paper examines how open innovation activities can promote eco-innovations in the food industry, an industry that is sometimes considered a technological laggard with traditionally low cooperation. The paper focuses on the relationship between a firm's interactions with stakeholders, particularly the breadth and the depth of the firm's knowledge network and the firm's propensity to develop different types of eco-innovations. Using a novel and more accurate measure of breadth and depth and addressing endogeneity with instrumental variables, the paper studies their influence on technological eco-innovation in a random sample of 279 food firms in Spain. The results show that coordination difficulties and bounded rationality explain an inverted U shape in the relationship of breadth of external knowledge sources and the propensity to eco-innovate both in product and process eco-innovations. Additionally, our findings confirm that it is important to rely on deep, frequent and intense relationships with stakeholders in order to create the required atmosphere to foster fluent knowledge sharing among partners specially to develop eco-process innovations, but a learning effect appears. Future research should extend the analysis to other countries and sectors to address the limitations of this study. • External search breadth is positively related to eco-innovation propensity. • Coordination with partners diminishes eco-innovation propensity. • Deep relationships improve knowledge flow among partners. • Deep, frequent and intense relationships foster eco-process innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing social and political awareness of the importance of sustainable innovations. Strategic partnerships between policy makers, businesses, researchers and citizens are keys to developing, implementing and applying eco-innovation, essential for the transition to a competitive green economy. Within this innovation ecosystem, universities can play a central role in creating viable alternative models that are driven by environmental sustainability. Based on evidence from the first survey on Eco-innovation in Europe- 'The Eurobarometer 315 Survey on Attitudes of European Entrepreneurs towards Eco-Innovation', the present paper examines the impact of university collaboration on eco-innovating small firms. It also considers how technology push, demand side factors and the regulatory framework, drive eco-innovation in European SMEs. This paper has several implications for managers, as well as for policy makers. For managers, it should be stressed that collaboration with universities is essential to drive all types of eco-innovations. Our findings also suggest that national government should foster cooperation with universities following EU example (eg. European Innovation Partnership in EcoAP), as national policies based on subsidies and fiscal incentives appear to be ineffective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eco-innovation is defined as any form of innovation aiming at significant and demonstrable progress towards the goal o sustainable development, through reducing impacts on the environment or achieving a more efficient and responsible use o natural resources, including energy. The chemical industry is usually considered one of the most polluting industries. Ensuring safe production, transport and handling of its products, with care for the environment and in full accordance with regulations, i of key importance for the image and reputation of today's chemical industry. Most chemical companies have been developing and introducing eco-innovations in an attempt to change this negative image. Using a sample of 544 companies in the Spanish chemical industry, we study the factors that have driven these companies to move towards this type of innovation activities. Ou empirical research shows that intra-group sources of innovations, together with clients and industry associations are the main driving forces of eco-innovation in the chemical industry. Furthermore our model establishes that innovations in products services, manufacturing methods and logistical systems are positively related to the achievement of environmental objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]