Systematic Review - Network for Business Sustainability

Nevertheless, this field of study is increasingly finding
a voice in mainstream academic journals, which is
evidence of the growing importance of the topic,
a wider interest and increasing recognition. These
studies enable us to identify actions that firms are
taking in support of SOI. Especially in the context of
Organizational Transformation, many firms’ activities
remain exploratory and experimental.
The imbalance in the literature weights our findings
heavily in the direction of manufacturing and process
industries. Typically, SOI activity in these sectors has
focused on technological developments in products
and processes. Much SOI in automotive industries,
for example, was initially targeted at reducing CO2
emissions and subsequently at improving efficiencies;
in the electronics industry, SOI has been directed
toward reducing power consumption through product
modification and (re-)design; and, in the iron and steel
industry, concern about the availability of raw materials
is reflected in efforts toward process optimization
(OECD, 2010).
The imbalance in the literature suggests that the social
dimension of sustainability does not receive as much
attention from firms as environmental considerations.
Further, we found no studies identifying or reporting on
a fully sustainable business. Numerous commentators
observed that, despite some firms’ best efforts, there
exist no empirical examples of a truly sustainable
business, and we are unlikely to encounter any without
a wider, systems-level institutional change.
Innovating for Sustainability 60