Mapping Organizational Capabilities in the Eco‐Innovation Process: An Integrative Framework and Future Research Agenda

Despite the growing importance of eco‐innovation for sustainability and competitive advantage, the link between organizational capabilities and the stages of the eco‐innovation process remains underexplored. This study addresses that gap by examining how specific organizational capabilities influence each stage of the eco‐innovation process. Drawing on a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review of 721 studies published between 1990 and 2024 in Scopus and Web of Science, and guided by PRISMA 2020 protocols, the research identifies four distinct categories of capabilities that organizations draw on at various stages of eco‐innovation. These include (1) foundational capabilities, which encompass the essential skills, resources, and structures required before eco‐innovation can begin; (2) strategic capabilities, which help firms meet eco‐innovation and broader sustainability goals while enhancing competitive performance; (3) implementation capabilities, which support the effective translation of eco‐innovation efforts into environmental and business outcomes; and (4) emergent capabilities, which evolve as outcomes of eco‐innovation efforts. By mapping these capability types across the eco‐innovation process, the study offers a unified framework that connects previously fragmented research on organizational capabilities and eco‐innovation.