Turning sustainability into action: Explaining firms' sustainability efforts and their impact on firm performance
Journal
International Journal of Production Economics
ISSN
0925-5273
ISSN-Digital
1873-7579
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2013-02-27
Author(s)
Abstract
This research seeks to shed more light on how manufacturing firms adjust their strategy according to the sustainability challenge. Strategic decisions are influenced by strategic long-term considerations, which take into account aspects that lie within firms' boundaries and beyond. Therefore, the first step of this paper is to operationalise the sustainability challenge by identifying relevant drivers for sustainability that firms are exposed to. Second, we develop a framework showing which dimensions affect decisions concerning a sustainability move and which dimensions are affected by these decisions. A sustainability move can contain initiatives emphasising the adoption of new manufacturing technologies, the development of new, sustainable products or the integration of green practices into the supply chain. Next to the influence of sustainability drivers, we explain firms' decisions concerning a sustainability move with past performance, firm size and current level of sustainability action. Depending on whether initiatives are led by strategic or ad-hoc decisions, firms have to explore new knowledge and/or exploit existing knowledge to realise competitive advantage. The goal of this research is to provide an explanation of how decisions of sustainability moves are motivated and which dimensions in the firm are affected by these moves.
Language
English
Keywords
Sustainability
Sustainability drivers
Decision-making
New manufacturing technologies
Green products
Green supply chain management
Knowledge management
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Elsevier Science
Publisher place
Amsterdam
Volume
147
Number
Part A
Start page
73
End page
84
Pages
12
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
225557