Sustainable innovation networks: conceptual framework and institutionalisation

This paper deals with the conceptual framework of sustainable networks. What is special about these interorganisational networks is that their accomplishment of innovations explicitly takes into account not only ecological and economic improvements but also social concerns. Hence, they make important contributions to the implementation of sustainable avenues of development. Since sustainable networks are not yet widespread, proposals are put forward for their institutionalisation. This article shows that innovations in networks toward the industrial ecosystem vision are a very important area for future research when bridging industrial ecology to management and organisational studies.