IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v8y2016i4p307-d66620.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainability Benefits and Challenges of Inter-Organizational Collaboration in Bio-Based Business: A Systematic Literature Review

Author

Listed:
  • Gohar Nuhoff-Isakhanyan

    (Management Studies, Social Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN, Wageningen, The Netherlands
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Emiel F.M. Wubben

    (Management Studies, Social Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN, Wageningen, The Netherlands
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • S.W.F. Omta

    (Management Studies, Social Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN, Wageningen, The Netherlands
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

Bio-based businesses are often considered to be sustainable. However, they are also linked to sustainability challenges such as deforestation and soil erosion. Encouraged to exploit innovative solutions and enhance sustainability, organizations engaged in bio-based activities extensively explore collaboration possibilities with external partners. The objective of this paper is to integrate the available knowledge on sustainability of inter-organisational collaborations in bio-based businesses, while considering the three aspects of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. We collected data from three academic sources—Web of Science, Scopus, and EconLit—and conducted a systematic literature review. The results show the importance of geographical proximity and complementarity in creating sustainability benefits such as reduced emissions, reduced waste, economic synergies, and socio-economic activities. Based on the findings, we have developed a framework that illustrates sustainability benefits and challenges. Interestingly, the studies emphasize sustainability benefits more in emerging than in industrialised economies, especially relating to the social aspects of sustainability. In conclusion, although the scholars have not discussed mitigation of several sustainability challenges in bio-based businesses, such as land use conflicts, they have found evidence of vital sustainability benefits, such as energy availability, lower emissions, improved socio-economic life, and poverty reduction, which are essential in emerging economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Gohar Nuhoff-Isakhanyan & Emiel F.M. Wubben & S.W.F. Omta, 2016. "Sustainability Benefits and Challenges of Inter-Organizational Collaboration in Bio-Based Business: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:4:p:307-:d:66620
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/4/307/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/4/307/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefan Gold, 2011. "Bio-energy supply chains and stakeholders," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 439-462, April.
    2. Swinda F. Pfau & Janneke E. Hagens & Ben Dankbaar & Antoine J. M. Smits, 2014. "Visions of Sustainability in Bioeconomy Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-28, March.
    3. Vuylsteke, Anne & Van Gijseghem, Dirk, 2012. "Linking the agricultural knowledge and innovation system’s subsystems: the case of the Flemish ornamental plant production," Studies in Agricultural Economics, Research Institute for Agricultural Economics, vol. 114(2), pages 1-7, October.
    4. Irina Santiago-Brown & Andrew Metcalfe & Cate Jerram & Cassandra Collins, 2015. "Sustainability Assessment in Wine-Grape Growing in the New World: Economic, Environmental, and Social Indicators for Agricultural Businesses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-27, June.
    5. Kiraly, Annamaria & Pahor, Bojan & Kravanja, Zdravko, 2013. "Achieving energy self-sufficiency by integrating renewables into companies' supply networks," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 46-57.
    6. Klugman, S. & Karlsson, M. & Moshfegh, B., 2009. "A Swedish integrated pulp and paper mill--Energy optimisation and local heat cooperation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 2514-2524, July.
    7. Arndt, Channing & Benfica, Rui & Tarp, Finn & Thurlow, James & Uaiene, Rafael, 2010. "Biofuels, poverty, and growth: a computable general equilibrium analysis of Mozambique," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(1), pages 81-105, February.
    8. Philip Cooke, 2004. "Regional knowledge capabilities, embeddedness of firms and industry organisation: Bioscience megacentres and economic geography," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(5), pages 625-641, July.
    9. Maurizio Zollo & Jeffrey J. Reuer & Harbir Singh, 2002. "Interorganizational Routines and Performance in Strategic Alliances," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(6), pages 701-713, December.
    10. van Moorsel, Daryl & Cranfield, John A.L. & Sparling, David, 2005. "Factors Affecting Biotechnology Innovation in Canada: Analysis of the 2001 Biotechnology Use and Development Survey," Working Papers 34121, University of Guelph, Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    11. Mangoyana, Robert B. & Smith, Timothy F., 2011. "Decentralised bioenergy systems: A review of opportunities and threats," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1286-1295, March.
    12. Michael Hiete & Jens Ludwig & Frank Schultmann, 2012. "Intercompany Energy Integration," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 16(5), pages 689-698, October.
    13. Leo Baas, 2011. "Planning and Uncovering Industrial Symbiosis: Comparing the Rotterdam and Östergötland regions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(7), pages 428-440, 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. Shuai Yang & Yiping Song & Siliang Tong, 2017. "Sustainable Retailing in the Fashion Industry: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Wiśniewska-Paluszak, Joanna A. & Paluszak, Grzegorz T., 2018. "The Features and Categorization of Agribusiness Networks on the Example of the Polish Fruit and Vegetable Industry Enterprises," 2018 International European Forum (163rd EAAE Seminar), February 5-9, 2018, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 276858, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    3. Tulin Dzhengiz, 2018. "The Relationship of Organisational Value Frames with the Configuration of Alliance Portfolios: Cases from Electricity Utilities in Great Britain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-29, November.
    4. Verónica León-Bravo & Federico Caniato & Maria Caridi & Thomas Johnsen, 2017. "Collaboration for Sustainability in the Food Supply Chain: A Multi-Stage Study in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-21, July.
    5. Hakan Karaosman & Gustavo Morales-Alonso & Alessandro Brun, 2016. "From a Systematic Literature Review to a Classification Framework: Sustainability Integration in Fashion Operations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-19, December.
    6. Usama Awan & Andrzej Kraslawski & Janne Huiskonen, 2018. "Governing Interfirm Relationships for Social Sustainability: The Relationship between Governance Mechanisms, Sustainable Collaboration, and Cultural Intelligence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, November.
    7. Veronica S Ülgen & Maria Björklund & Niklas Simm & Helena Forslund, 2019. "Inter-Organizational Supply Chain Interaction for Sustainability: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-25, October.
    8. Mateusz Naramski & Adam R. Szromek, 2019. "Configuring a Trust-based Inter-organizational Cooperation Network for Post-industrial Tourist Organizations on a Tourist Route," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-20, June.
    9. Tae-Hwan Yoon & Saerom Wang, 2023. "How Important Is Stakeholder Collaboration in the MICE Industry: Antecedents and Outcomes of Supply Chain Integration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-19, October.
    10. Susana G. Azevedo & Minelle E. Silva & João C. O. Matias & Gustavo P. Dias, 2018. "The Influence of Collaboration Initiatives on the Sustainability of the Cashew Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-29, June.

    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. Arndt, Channing & Benfica, Rui & Thurlow, James, 2011. "Gender Implications of Biofuels Expansion in Africa: The Case of Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1649-1662, September.
    2. Channing Arndt & Kenneth Strzepek & Finn Tarp & James Thurlow & Charles Fant & Len Tiu Wright, 2010. "Adapting to Climate Change: An Integrated Biophysical and Economic Assessment for Mozambique," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2010-101, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. Ariño, Africa & Reuer, Jeffrey J., 2004. "Alliance contractual design," IESE Research Papers D/572, IESE Business School.
    4. Giada Baldessarelli & Nathalie Lazaric & Michele Pezzoni, 2022. "Organizational routines: Evolution in the research landscape of two core communities," Post-Print halshs-03718851, HAL.
    5. Mahzouni, Arian, 2019. "The role of institutional entrepreneurship in emerging energy communities: The town of St. Peter in Germany," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 297-308.
    6. Michele O’Dwyer & Raffaele Filieri & Lisa O’Malley, 2023. "Establishing successful university–industry collaborations: barriers and enablers deconstructed," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 900-931, June.
    7. Reuer, Jeffrey J. & Zollo, Maurizio, 2005. "Termination outcomes of research alliances," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 101-115, February.
    8. P. Giovani Palafox-Alcantar & Dexter V. L. Hunt & Chris D. F. Rogers, 2020. "A Hybrid Methodology to Study Stakeholder Cooperation in Circular Economy Waste Management of Cities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-30, April.
    9. Thanos Fragkandreas, 2022. "Three Decades of Research on Innovation and Inequality: Causal Scenarios, Explanatory Factors, and Suggestions," Working Papers 60, Birkbeck Centre for Innovation Management Research, revised Feb 2022.
    10. Sarah Jansen & William Foster & Gustavo Anríquez & Jorge Ortega, 2021. "Understanding Farm-Level Incentives within the Bioeconomy Framework: Prices, Product Quality, Losses, and Bio-Based Alternatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-21, January.
    11. James Thurlow & Giacomo Branca & Erika Felix & Irini Maltsoglou & Luis E. Rincón, 2016. "Producing Biofuels in Low-Income Countries: An Integrated Environmental and Economic Assessment for Tanzania," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 64(2), pages 153-171, June.
    12. Bohua Yu & Wei Song & Yanqing Lang, 2017. "Spatial Patterns and Driving Forces of Greenhouse Land Change in Shouguang City, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-15, March.
    13. Channing Arndt & Azhar Hussain & Sam Jones & Virgulino Nhate & Finn Tarp & James Thurlow, 2011. "Explaining Poverty Evolution: The Case of Mozambique," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2011-017, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Emilio Alvarez-Suescun, 2010. "Combining transaction cost and resource-based insights to explain IT implementation outsourcing," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 12(5), pages 631-645, November.
    15. Jacob, Jojo & Belderbos, René & Lokshin, Boris, 2023. "Entangled modes: Boundaries to effective international knowledge sourcing through technology alliances and technology-based acquisitions," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    16. Scaringella, Laurent & Burtschell, François, 2017. "The challenges of radical innovation in Iran: Knowledge transfer and absorptive capacity highlights — Evidence from a joint venture in the construction sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 151-169.
    17. Ozcan, Mustafa, 2018. "The role of renewables in increasing Turkey's self-sufficiency in electrical energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2629-2639.
    18. Johanna Choumert & Pascale Combes Motel & Charlain Guegang Djimeli, 2017. "The biofuel-development nexus: A meta-analysis," CERDI Working papers halshs-01512678, HAL.
    19. Dahlgrün, Philipp W. & Bausch, Andreas, 2019. "How Opportunistic Culture Affects Financial Performance in Outsourcing Relationships: A Meta-Analysis," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 81-100.
    20. Liwen Wang & Jin Jason Lu & Kevin Zhou, 2023. "Technological Capability Strength/Asymmetry and Supply Chain Process Innovation: The Contingent Roles of Institutional Environments in China," Post-Print hal-03954124, HAL.

    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:8:y:2016:i:4:p:307-:d:66620. 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.