IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i7p4000-d781572.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainability Strategies and Achieving SDGs: A Comparative Analysis of Leading Companies in the Automotive Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Edi Lukin

    (Department of Economics, University of Zadar, Splitska 1, 23 000 Zadar, Croatia)

  • Aleksandra Krajnović

    (Department of Economics, University of Zadar, Splitska 1, 23 000 Zadar, Croatia)

  • Jurica Bosna

    (Department of Economics, University of Zadar, Splitska 1, 23 000 Zadar, Croatia)

Abstract

Sustainability as a growing trend in the 21st century has encompassed almost the entire world economy, including the automotive industry. As a result of this trend, automotive companies are adjusting their strategies and operations to contribute to the achievement of the concept of sustainability at the global level. By turning to sustainability, the automotive industry is experiencing perhaps the biggest transition in its history. This paper therefore deals with the research of sustainable strategies of leading companies in the automotive industry. The paper aims to examine the extent to which the world’s leading companies in the automotive industry meet certain SDG UN goals. The method of the qualitative comparative analysis using the desk method alternative provided the information on sustainability strategies and their fulfilment within the top five companies in the automotive industry according to the Interbrand scale from 2021, considering the UN Agenda 2030 sustainability goals. The results of the analysis showed that the observed companies in the automotive sector meet most of the goals of sustainable development of the UN with their sustainability strategies, which indicates that they are successfully adapting their business operations to modern business requirements. This also makes their brands green, hence the application of the principle of sustainability also affects the strength of their brands, adding “extended customer value”. The paper contributes not only to the development of the framework and elaboration of business models of sustainability in the automotive industry, but also to the development of further theoretical and empirical research in this field and the conceptualization of the principles of sustainability in this area.

Suggested Citation

  • Edi Lukin & Aleksandra Krajnović & Jurica Bosna, 2022. "Sustainability Strategies and Achieving SDGs: A Comparative Analysis of Leading Companies in the Automotive Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4000-:d:781572
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/4000/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/4000/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anja Schulze & John Paul MacDuffie & Florian A. Täube, 2015. "Introduction: knowledge generation and innovation diffusion in the global automotive industry—change and stability during turbulent times," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 24(3), pages 603-611.
    2. Tetyana Pimonenko & Yuriy Bilan & Jakub Horák & Liudmyla Starchenko & Waldemar Gajda, 2020. "Green Brand of Companies and Greenwashing under Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Giampieri, A. & Ling-Chin, J. & Ma, Z. & Smallbone, A. & Roskilly, A.P., 2020. "A review of the current automotive manufacturing practice from an energy perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    4. Vanessa Oltra & Maïder Saint Jean, 2009. "Sectoral systems of environmental innovation: an application to the French automotive industry," Post-Print hal-00274413, HAL.
    5. Taryn Renatta De Mendonca & Yan Zhou, 2019. "Environmental Performance, Customer Satisfaction, and Profitability: A Study among Large U.S. Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-15, September.
    6. Lucian-Ionel Cioca & Larisa Ivascu & Attila Turi & Alin Artene & George Artur Găman, 2019. "Sustainable Development Model for the Automotive Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-22, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kai Rüdele & Matthias Wolf, 2023. "Identification and Reduction of Product Carbon Footprints: Case Studies from the Austrian Automotive Supplier Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Čečević Bojana Novićević & Antić Ljilja & Jevtić Adrijana, 2023. "Stock Price Prediction of the Largest Automotive Competitors Based on the Monte Carlo Method," Economic Themes, Sciendo, vol. 61(3), pages 419-441, September.
    3. Sehgal, Nidhi & Jham, Vimi & Malhotra, Gunjan, 2023. "Does green brand anthropomorphism influence repurchase intention? Understanding the impact of brand warmth, psychological ownership, and self-brand congruity," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Hasan, Mohammad Maruf & Hasan, Md Enamul & Ghosh, Tusher, 2024. "Transforming developing economies by shifting paradigms beyond natural resources. The fintech and social dynamics for sustainable mineral policy," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    5. Małgorzata Jasiulewicz-Kaczmarek & Katarzyna Antosz & Ryszard Wyczółkowski & Małgorzata Sławińska, 2022. "Integrated Approach for Safety Culture Factor Evaluation from a Sustainability Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-30, September.
    6. Javier Martínez-Falcó & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Eduardo Sánchez-García & Luis A. Millan-Tudela, 2023. "Sustainable Development Goals in the Business Sphere: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-20, March.
    7. Imke Rhoden & Christopher Stephen Ball & Stefan Vögele & Wilhelm Kuckshinrichs, 2023. "Minding the gap‐relating disclosure to contexts of sustainability reporting in the automotive industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 846-857, March.
    8. Renata Aguayo Lopes da Silva & Renato Cesar Gonçalves Robert & Thomas Purfürst, 2023. "How Is the Forest Sector’s Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Being Addressed? A Systematic Review of the Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-25, June.
    9. Maria Nicolae & Mirela Gabriela Sohaciu & Ruxandra Dumitrescu & Sorin Ciucă & Avram Nicolae, 2022. "Vectors of Sustainable Development and Global Knowledge in the Metallic Materials Industry in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-12, August.
    10. Jaime Menéndez-Sánchez & Jorge Fernández-Gómez & Andrés Araujo-de-la-Mata, 2023. "Sustainability Strategies by Oil and Gas Companies, Contribution to the SDGs and Local Innovation Ecosystems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-19, March.
    11. Gunjan Malhotra & Vimi Jham & Nidhi Sehgal, 2022. "Does Psychological Ownership Matter? Investigating Consumer Green Brand Relationships through the Lens of Anthropomorphism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-15, October.
    12. Letycja Sołoducho-Pelc & Adam Sulich, 2022. "Natural Environment Protection Strategies and Green Management Style: Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-25, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lirios Alos-Simo & Antonio J. Verdu-Jover & Jose M. Gomez-Gras, 2020. "Knowledge Transfer in Sustainable Contexts: A Comparative Analysis of Periods of Financial Recession and Expansion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-24, June.
    2. Kusa, Rafał & Suder, Marcin & Duda, Joanna, 2023. "Impact of greening on performance in the hospitality industry: Moderating effect of flexibility and inter-organizational cooperation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    3. Jianzhuang Zheng & Muhammad Usman Khurram & Lifeng Chen, 2022. "Can Green Innovation Affect ESG Ratings and Financial Performance? Evidence from Chinese GEM Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-32, July.
    4. Cristina Chueca Vergara & Luis Ferruz Agudo, 2021. "Fintech and Sustainability: Do They Affect Each Other?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-19, June.
    5. Jae Yun Jeong & Inje Kang & Ki Seok Choi & Byeong-Hee Lee, 2018. "Network Analysis on Green Technology in National Research and Development Projects in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-12, April.
    6. Ki‐Hoon Lee & Ji‐Whan Kim, 2011. "Integrating Suppliers into Green Product Innovation Development: an Empirical Case Study in the Semiconductor Industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(8), pages 527-538, December.
    7. Durán-Romero, Gemma & López, Ana M. & Beliaeva, Tatiana & Ferasso, Marcos & Garonne, Christophe & Jones, Paul, 2020. "Bridging the gap between circular economy and climate change mitigation policies through eco-innovations and Quintuple Helix Model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    8. Ghisetti, Claudia, 2017. "Demand-pull and environmental innovations: Estimating the effects of innovative public procurement," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 178-187.
    9. Guosen Miao & Guoping Chen & Fan Wang & Anupam Kumar Das, 2023. "The Effect of Corporate Greenwashing on Employees’ Environmental Performance: Person–Organization Values Fit Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    10. Ferdaws Ezzi & Mohamed Ali Azouzi & Anis Jarboui, 2015. "Environmental performance indicators of Tunisian companies: Analysis via the decision tree," Asian Journal of Empirical Research, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 5(8), pages 114-127, August.
    11. Yu, Wantao & Ramanathan, Ramakrishnan & Nath, Prithwiraj, 2017. "Environmental pressures and performance: An analysis of the roles of environmental innovation strategy and marketing capability," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 160-169.
    12. Ghazinoory, Sepehr & Nasri, Shohreh & Ameri, Fatemeh & Montazer, Gholam Ali & Shayan, Ali, 2020. "Why do we need ‘Problem-oriented Innovation System (PIS)’ for solving macro-level societal problems?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    13. Marine Agogué & Anna Yström & Pascal Le Masson, 2013. "Rethinking the role of intermediaries as an architect of collective exploration and creation of knowledge in open innovation," Post-Print hal-00707376, HAL.
    14. Andrei, Mariana & Rohdin, Patrik & Thollander, Patrik & Wallin, Johanna & Tångring, Magnus, 2024. "Exploring a decarbonization framework for a Swedish automotive paint shop," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    15. Yoon, Naeun & Sohn, So Young, 2024. "Assessment framework for automotive suppliers' technological adaptability in the electric vehicle era," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    16. Marilia Bossle & Marcia de Barcellos & Luciana Vieira, 2015. "Eco-innovative food in Brazil: perceptions from producers and consumers," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-18, December.
    17. Romain Debref, 2012. "The Paradoxes of Environmental Innovations: The Case of Green Chemistry," Post-Print hal-02047209, HAL.
    18. Ester Martínez‐Ros & Rasi Kunapatarawong, 2019. "Green innovation and knowledge: The role of size," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1045-1059, September.
    19. Fatigati, Fabio & Di Battista, Davide & Cipollone, Roberto, 2021. "Design improvement of volumetric pump for engine cooling in the transportation sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    20. Francesco Crespi & Claudia Ghisetti & Francesco Quatraro, 2015. "Taxonomy of Implemented Policy Instruments to Foster the Production of Green Technologies and Improve Environmental and Economic Performance. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 90," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58131, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4000-:d:781572. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.