Pro-market reforms have disrupted the playing field and strongly affected the innovative behavior of electricity, gas and water utilities. Beyond a significant reduction in sectoral R&D investments, very little is known about how these firms accomplish their innovation strategies in this new scenario. Given this gap in the literature, the first aim of this paper is to identify the internal determinants of both the product and process innovation of utilities in a liberalized environment. Additionally, there is another external force that is also disrupting the specific landscape of utilities: the sustainability challenge. Therefore, the second aim of this paper is establishing whether sustainability-orientation is a driver of innovation in the utilities industries. The empirical study is carried out on a panel of 82 Spanish electricity, gas and water utilities over the period 2005–2012 (Technological Innovation Panel dataset (PITEC)). The main findings are: (i) the acquisition of disembodied knowledge does not play a relevant role for utilities; (ii) non-formal search processes are central to product innovation; (iii) some markets for technology –external R&D and technology embedded in equipment—are determinant factors for process innovation; (iv) sustainability orientation increases the likelihood of generating both, product and process innovations. These firm-level results are novel contributions to the field of utility management.

In the framework of the European Union’s Sustainable Development Policy, the promotion of sustainable consumption and production patterns has been a key issue. The explanation is given by their capacity to address social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems and decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation. The EU has established an extensive range of proposals on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), which include an energy- and resource-efficient economy, circular economy, waste prevention and recycling, among others. This paper contributes, by using both factorial and regression analysis, to the identification of fundamental constructs that define SCP in the EU-28, their links with resource productivity and the role of governments and enterprises in its improvement by means of investment in research, development and innovation over the period 2001–2018. Some recommendations to policy-makers are proposed in the paper in order to take actions directly on SCP, such as promoting the use of recycled raw materials in public works, or imposing the need for Ecolabel certification to contract with public administration.

No abstract

The European Union (EU) has developed important efforts in enacting various clean energy policies in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the last decades. Both supply-side and demand-side changes are required in the energy systems in the period of 2020–2030 and going towards 2050. In this context, a better understanding of the effects of these specific clean energy actions on reducing GHG emissions may be especially of interest for allowing policymakers to know the strengths and weaknesses of various climate-related power sector policies. This paper adds to the literature by presenting the effects of both supply-side and demand-side policies and empirical evidence of the impact of these policies on the reduction in carbon emissions. This analysis was done by means of a panel data set and several regression models that contribute to explaining the link between clean energy policies applied in the EU and carbon emissions over the period of 2000–2019. The results show that while supply-side policies have shown a positive and effective impact on the reduction in GHG emissions, on the demand side, more aggressive policy efforts are needed.