Open innovation as a practice to enhance sustainable supply chain management in SMEs

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can take advantage of existing market limitations by offering new sustainable technologies and business models. The literature on open innovation examines the capabilities of firms to integrate external actors in order to create value. In this context, the research highlights the need to understand practices, the processes implemented and the interfaces between certain internal functions and suppliers of SMEs. Our study is based on SMEs in the textile industry and allows us to observe the practices of sustainable purchasing and supply management in a type of organisation and an industry that are not often addressed in the literature. Our results highlight open innovation as a practice within a sustainable supply chain that offers opportunities for mutual gain and learning without creating imbalance between customer and supplier and by developing sustainable purchasing.

Mapping sustainable supply chain innovation: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis

“…Organizations increasingly use AI, Blockchain, and IoT for sustainable SCM [ 4 ]. Collaboration and alignment are vital for sustainable SC strategies [ 43 ], and organizational Innovation enhances SSCM [ 20 ]. These studies utilize the triple-bottom-line approach to balance environmental, economic, and social performance [ 40 ].…”

“…The SSCI literature shows trends shifting toward a stronger focus on social and transformational Sustainability and knowledge and innovation management integration [ 44 ]. However, economic Sustainability remains a priority for many companies, especially successful SMEs [ 40 , 20 ]. Ongoing research and literature reviews help identify trends, concepts, and models for future research and practical use.…”

“…However, these studies have limitations, as they may not encompass all relevant publications and concentrate on specific areas like operational management practices [ 17 ], inventory models [ 18 ], Circular Economy [ 19 ], open Innovation and SSCM in SMEs [ 20 ], and SSCM with futuristic technologies [ 21 ]. [ 22 ] Explore servitization in circular supply chains (SCs), emphasizing SSCI, Innovation, product service systems, digital technology, and circular economy, Sustainability [ 23 ].…”