Systematic Review - Network for Business Sustainability

4. Ensure functionality is not compromised
Developers should ensure that sustainable products
function as well as their non-sustainable alternatives
(Stafford & Hartman, 2001). A product with a
sustainable profile must be just as reliable, safe,
convenient, usable and aesthetically attractive as
other products. However, some firms in the context
of Organizational Transformation have replaced
this principle, for certain markets, with the idea that
products need only be good enough.
SUMMARY
Many activities characterize SOI in the context of
Operational Optimization, reflecting the range of the
business response to the sustainability challenge.
Operational Optimization can be pursued by modifying
existing innovation capabilities, pathways, skills, project
management arrangements, etc. (Seebode et al.,
2012). Indeed, few studies focus on reassessing the
core constructs of the innovation process (search,
select, implement and capture) in the context of
sustainability. Recognizably conventional processes
appear to be in play, but are adapted and extended
through the use of sustainability-oriented tools and
techniques.
By integrating sustainability principles into existing
quality and process management systems, firms
can make sustainability a primary consideration. For
example, in a study of the integration of environmental
considerations into technological innovation processes
in the UK chemical industry, most firms set up systems
for environmentally inclusive R&D project management
(Foster & Green, 2002). Although the processes were
integrative, they tended to be compliance-focused and
mostly relied on checklists.
These approaches are often called eco-efficient and
provide guidance on addressing environmental issues
from a firm and product/process perspective.
These approaches make an important contribution at
the firm-level, but their impact is limited and, on their
own, they are insufficient to address the sustainability
challenge. For example, any gains from eco-efficiency
may be offset by the “rebound effect” (Carrillo-
Hermosilla et al., 2010); in other words, increases in
environmental efficiency may be erased by subsequent
growth.
The key to sustainability is not optimizing isolated
parts of a system but rather enhancing the resilience
of the whole (socio-ecological) system. SOI beyond
Operational Optimization reflects this systemic view, the
pursuit of effectiveness over efficiency. To move from
Operational Optimization, firms need to extend beyond
risk reduction, cost-cutting and the notion of doing
less harm. Resilience refers to the ability of systems
to absorb disturbance and reorganize while both
undergoing change and continuing to retain essentially
the same function, structure, identity and feedback
(Westley et al., 2011).
Such a paradigm shift in the organization and
management of the enterprise is challenging. Some
firms are beginning to navigate a path in which they
experiment with and explore the implications of new
Innovating for Sustainability 35