Impact of Ecological Related Innovations Enhancing the Efficiency of Corporate Environmental Responsibility

The present research paper focused on the phenomenon of innovation as a key solution for business success as it relates to corporate environmental responsibility (CER). The ultimate aim of CER is to prevent and even eliminate, if possible, the harmful impact of business performance on the environment. Every modern company should adhere to the obligations of CER since environmental pollution is a serious hazard that endangers future existence of humankind. For example, it is essential to implement strategies that can contribute to air and water protection. Ecological innovation emerged on the grounds of such urgent needs of environment. Eco-innovation strives to make a transition from business with harmful effects to one of the accountability. Therefore, the present study aimed to review relevant, reliable and up-to-date sources dealing with eco-based innovations in the context of CER. A qualitative research is selected so as to collect sufficient amount of detailed credible data on the issue of concern. The given paper relied on a secondary research encompassing literature review and relevant case studies and a survey as the primary research. Based on the outcomes, several innovations were identified and presented to the target audience.


Introduction
Innovation is regarded as a core driver of the development and success of any Innovative technologies must be safe, justified and constructive in order to become a valuable strategic tool for a company. Along with this, the value for society and accountability for the corporate performance has become a topical issue in the modern business world. The standardized kinds of innovation phenomenon include organizational innovation, technological innovation, product innovation, and process innovation. Diverse novice types of innovation have emerged nowadays, reflecting the aforementioned stance of harm to the environment. Eco-innovation and social innovation are among them. According to the report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), eco-innovation is defined as "innovation that reflects the concept's explicit emphasis on a reduction of environmental impact, no matter whether or not that effect is intended" (OECD, 2009, p. 13) [4]. Furthermore, it is relevant to highlight that this definition is not limited to innovation in products, methods, and processes, but also encompasses social and institutional structures   [4]. Other reports provided by the OECD follow the given definition as well as direction in eco-innovative practical performances. Along with this, it highlights that eco-innovation, or green innovation in other words, is targeted at decrease of resources and energy consumption "while promoting sustainable economic activity" (OECD, 2012, p. 3) [5].
This issue has become urgent today as far as the previous motive behind innovation was almost exclusively for financial gain without taking into account potential or actual harm to the environment or human resources involved in the process. Therefore, while there is nothing objectively wrong about developing innovative technologies as a means of improving the financial standing of a company, another main driver behind innovation should gear towards protecting the environment and indeed humanity. The present research aims to align eco-innovative approaches and efficiency of modern business.
Despite the fact that the phenomenon of eco-innovation is presented and ad- were developed and introduced. According to the European Commission, CSR means responsibility each enterprise has for its influence on society and can be achieved by means of "integrating social, environmental, ethical, consumer, and human rights concerns into their business strategy and operations" (European Commission, 2017) [6]. CER implies the accountability of each company for the society concerning its actions (Dummett, 2008) [7]. To be more precise, such organizations recognize that they have a duty to abstain from such types of business activity that can damage natural environment either in direct or indirect way (Lavanya & Anbalagan, 2012) [8]. Mitigation of the effects is a starting point for currently functioning companies (Salem, Hasnan, & Osman, 2011) [9]. Gănescu and Dindire (2014) [10] underline that CER is a direct determinant of corporate reputation nowadays.
As a result, the concept of eco-innovation emerges, implying performance aimed at contributing to sustainable development. This, in turn, is designed to create novice products and services for the purposes of both enhancing business value and decreasing of serious environmental damage. The present study aims to review credible, relevant and up-to-date sources dealing with eco-based innovation phenomenon in the context of CER. Both primary and secondary research is employed for the given investigation. A qualitative research is used for the purpose of collecting itemized data sufficient for potentially effective, credible and justified inferences as well as constructive recommendations. The study relies on the literature review, a number of specific case studies, and survey outcomes. The findings based on such a solid background and significant research will provide several ideas on innovative technologies that can be used in practice.

Literature Review
The present research will require a significant number of sources to be reviewed and analyzed. The core concepts used in the given study include corporate social responsibility, corporate environmental responsibility, and eco-innovation.
The definition of this notion developed by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (hereinafter, OECD) is as follows: "the commercial use of new or improved processes or equipment or the introduction of a new approach American Journal of Industrial and Business Management to a Social service. R&D is only one of these steps" (Kotsemir & Abroskin, 2013, p. 4) [11]. Hence, innovation is a constructive evolution that contributes to further growth and improvements creating more results in the present and more perspectives for the future.
The issue of natural resources is crucial in the given context. Destructive corporate activities and overall negligence of humankind in terms of use of the natural resources have led to limited availability of these resources, excessive level of environmental pollution and serious transformations in the nature (Schaefer, Goldman, Bartuska, Sutton-Grier, & Lubchenco, 2015) [18]. Therefore, it is urgent that eco-innovations be implemented on the global scale so as to prevent further damage of natural resources (Sullivan, 2014) [19]. Meena and Singh (2013) [20] underline the ultimate significance of proper management of the remaining natural resources positioning this capacity as a key to a safe and promising future on this planet. Randers (2012) [21] states that it is crucial to start changes immediately if the goal is to reverse course.
The potential of innovation is significant and diverse. Hence, it is employed in different spheres nowadays. Consequently, there are several core kinds of the concept of innovation, as classified by the OECD; namely, product innovation, marketing innovation, process innovation, and organizational innovation (Kotsemir & Abroskin, 2013) [11]. The type of innovation marked as product innovation entails improvement in technical aspects, adjustments of materials and constituent elements of any final item; in turn, process innovation involves novice accomplishments and improvements in areas of equipment, technology and software; marketing innovation includes contribution to satisfaction of the target audience, customers, as well as expansion to novice markets or acquisition by a company a more perspective position in the given market niche; and the type of organizational innovation implies implementation of newly designed business strategies in the workplace and in cooperation with partners (Kotsemir & Abroskin, 2013) [11].
Nonetheless, such a classification does not suffice for the needs and priorities of modern society and the business world. Business performance acquires novice implications and values. To be more precise, business activity faces requirements and limitations related to its destructive impact on environment. Business activity often involves depleting important natural resources that are limited and nonrenewable. These resources are referred to as natural capital. Furthermore, nature is impacted by negligent attitude of business sector, and this negative influence results in evident damage, natural catastrophes and hazardous changes in natural processes. Hence, there is a need to adjust all the business processes to an eco-friendly mode and at the same time take responsibility for negative outcomes directly influenced by business activity. Based on such aspects, the no- Castel, Roman, and Charter (2013) [22] is as follows: an authentic approach to the issue of modern business activity that is based on "creating business models that are both competitive and respect the environment by reducing resource intensity of products and services" (p. 8).
Angelo, Jabbour, and Galina (2012) [12] underline that ecological innovation entails either incremental enhancements aimed at intensification of the potential of currently existing and applied things, or a radical alteration of the nature of company's performance so as to minimize destructive influence on environment. The alternatives or complete substitutions for the options affecting the nature and its resources are among core concerns the global community faces in the current course of time (Blok & Gremmen, 2016) [13]. It is hard for the majority of currently functioning companies to transform the course of performance instantaneously as far as it usually affects their revenue and this is not acceptable for the investors that focus only on the profitability of a business venture. In such cases, gradual substitution is the only appropriate recourse. In Eco-innovation is a major effort of mankind to implement sustainability as a trade-off between business needs and necessity to save natural capital (Jang, Park, Roh, & Han, 2015) [23]. Rennings (2011) claims that eco-innovation is not always a win-win situation in terms of achieving sustainability. On the other hand, this is the most optimal tool that can align economic and environmental protection (Rennings, 2011) [24]. Kemp (2010) [25] states that statistical analysis is insufficient for universally acceptable models of implementation and standar- It is also crucial to distinguish between disruptive and incremental types of eco-innovation. According to Miedzinski, Doranova, Castel, Roman, and Charter (2013) [22], "Incremental eco-innovation focuses on improving existing goods and services, whereas disruptive eco-innovation is about thinking outside of the box and bringing completely novel approaches to market" (p. 8). In any case, eco-innovation focuses on the full-cycle perspective rather than on envi-American Journal of Industrial and Business Management ronmentally relevant issues, and such a holistic approach contributes to its overall effectiveness and continuity of positive effects of innovative technologies.
All the facts and challenges of eco-innovation discussed above lead to the conclusion that this process is complex and multi-dimensional. Rizos, Behrens, and Taranic (2015) [28] underline the importance of proper measurement of eco-innovation. Identifying the leaders in eco-innovative practices and those with apparent deficits in it can help in determining the most effective practices, detection of gaps and drawbacks of the applied strategies, and more efficient implementation of eco-innovative tools worldwide. The scholars emphasize the complexity of the phenomenon of eco-innovation caused by its broadness (Rizos, Behrens, & Taranic, 2015) [28]. Tarnawska (2013) [29] claims  [30]. Despite such a clearly structured classification of the data, OECD (2009) [30] notes that collection of data is primary challenge for the researchers. The experts in the field of concern posit that it is necessary to collect valid information from surveys and product information databases in order to acquire justified and potentially effective data for subsequent evaluation.
Another approach for measuring eco-innovation efficiency is suggested by the Eco-Innovation Observatory (hereinafter, EIO). EIO (2012) [31] offers an eco-innovation scoreboard that is a constructive tool in the form of composite index indicator aimed to measure effectiveness of eco-innovation activity in different states that are members of the EU. The ultimate purposes of the given scoreboard are to assess the course and effectiveness of eco-innovation's unfolding process in several relevant areas, e.g., environmental scope, R&D investments, performance of firms and socioeconomic outcomes (EIO, 2012) [31]. The Eco-innovation scoreboard encompasses 16 indicators that address different thematic categories, such as eco-innovation inputs, eco-innovation outputs, eco-innovation activities, socio-economic and environmental outcomes (EIO,  [31]. Furthermore, the eco-innovation scoreboard proves when properly and regularly used that an indirect connection between some of the aforementioned categories exists (EIO, 2012) [31]. Hence, eco-innovation is a solid asset for the future of sustainable and eco-friendly business.

Corporate Social Responsibility
The basic comprehension and definition of the concept of CSR was formed relying on the studies conducted by Karassin [43], and Gănescu (2013) [44]. Hence, the concept of CSR is defined as a business approach that encompasses efforts to protect the environment via decreasing harmful practices, philanthropy, contribution to volunteering, and ethical labor practices. The ultimate mission of CSR is to contribute to sustainable development by means of delivering not only economic, but also social and environmental benefits to each stakeholder. Nevertheless, each company decodes the concept of CSR differently, and these differences may depend on economic peculiarities of the country, potential of the company, or development of environmental awareness and eco-friendly practices in the area. Along the same lines, implementation of CSR is a continuous process, which means that each company starts with one or two aspects, growing CSR experiences and contributions with the course of time and development.

Corporate Environmental Responsibility
Definition and study of nature of the term of corporate environmental responsibility (hereinafter, CER) is based on numerous studies, namely, works by Shah  Environmental consciousness is expected from every person, organization and business unit nowadays in order to prevent serious ramifications imposed by extensive environmental pollution (Duker & Olugunna, 2014) [47]. Since many corporations ignore the issue of CER based on the financial question, the experts in the field of interest underline that such negligence may result in higher costs for all the stakeholders in the long run (Duker & Olugunna, 2014) [47]. Along with this, Duker and Olugunna (2014) [47] claim that such negligence can also lead to questionable legitimacy of the company. Moreover, a range of crucial alterations have been detected in the global climate and, subsequently, this has provoked incremental public concern about urgent need of proper environmental protection (Holtbrügge & Dögl, 2012) [46]. Hence, the awareness of CER and concern about its proper and timely maintenance transformed into an important topic in both academic literature and the modern business world (Holtbrügge & Dögl 2012) [46].
Karassin and Bar-Haim (2016) [32] posit that the notion of CER is a result of evolution of the concept of corporate social responsibility (hereinafter, CSR), and is positioned as a measure of CSR on diverse levels currently. The evolution of this concept continues nowadays as far as the quantity of environmental problems has increased dramatically, the experts explore and compare the options, develop constructive alternatives, and a significant part of contemporary business world remains reluctant to join the side of business performance that prioritizes CER. Environmental responsibility of business units is curial since its absence endangers the future of the whole global community. If the companies continue their performance without proper accountability for the ramifications of their actions, in the near future humankind will face numerous problems, and some of them will be irreversible in nature, namely, a deficit or complete depletion of crucial natural resources that are currently limited; excessive pollution of environment that will lead to natural disasters and become a hazard for health condition of citizens; and destructive outcomes of irresponsible activity of human beings. There are numerous vivid examples of irrelevant performance of companies, for instance, excessive amount of waste that cannot be utilized properly when consequently returned to the biosphere; notorious carbon emissions affecting the quality of air that provokes negative alterations in atmosphere and is a threat to public health; unjustified extensive use of harmful materials during routine performance. Climate change and hazard of overly pollution are real issues that can put survival of mankind in the nearest future at stake. Hence, the issue of CER has ultimate significance nowadays on the global scale.

Case Studies
There are several cases that illustrate how ecological innovation can be employed

1) Bangladesh
One of these examples is research on the issue of CER actualization and its potential efficiency in one of the low income countries, Bangladesh, conducted by Belal, Cooper, and Khan (2015) [60]. This country is in the process of transitioning to middle income level, but the significant amount of money required to deal with Bangladesh's urgent environmental issues is a serious obstacle for this process (Belal, Cooper, & Khan, 2015) [60]. Bangladesh fights numerous challenges of overly competitive globalization trends (Belal, Cooper, & Khan, 2015) [60]. As Gallhofer, Haslam, and van der Walt (2011) [61] posit, "globalization threatens to silence local voices" (p. 772). Developing countries have serious domestic issues, and this is made more complicated given the pressure to compete in the globalized world and the necessity to adhere to its constantly emerging novice priorities and practices. In such a way, the developing countries find themselves in a challenging and problematic situation.
Brown (2013) [62] states that not only is the environment affected by destructive business activity, but so are the local communities and the public. In such cases, a responsibility of one party affecting the other one should emerge. Hence, the initiative of CER actualization is positioned as a potential solution in the case presented in Bangladesh, as Belal, Cooper, and Khan (2015) [60] examined. The major recommendation in the given case is to involve NGOs in the process of CER actualization. This is regarded as an approach to implementation of "sur-

2) Sweden and Denmark
Another relevant example encompasses process of eco-innovation in contemporary industrial water-service systems (Levidow, Lindgaard-Jorgensen, Nilsson, Skenhall, & Assimacopoulos, 2016) [63]. The research relies on the cases of two corporations, namely, the Swedish-base automaker Volvo and Danish dairy producer Arla Foods. These companies are well known worldwide and demonstrate how big and successful companies can adjust its processes according to CER. The experts in the field of concern conclude that diverse challenges exist in the process of implementing eco-innovations in the industrial sphere, whereas the general potential of their use is crucial, and further research in this area is recommended (Levidow, Lindgaard-Jorgensen, Nilsson, Skenhall, & Assimacopoulos, 2016) [63]. To be more precise, Volvo and Arla Foods employ environmental policies along with such external drivers as future higher costs and resource scarcity (Levidow, Lindgaard-Jorgensen, Nilsson, Skenhall, & Assimacopoulos, 2016) [63]. As a result, both companies "represent strong prospects for reducing resource burdens in water-service processes, especially from chemical inputs and wastewater" (Levidow, Lindgaard-Jorgensen, Nilsson, Skenhall, & Assimacopoulos, 2016, p. 54) [63]. Clearly, these changes require significant effort, finances and proper adjustment of the whole system, and are too complex, challenging, time-and profit-consuming for the cases of developing countries.

3) India
Another case addresses implementation of CER and its efficiency in India.

Methodology
The present study relies on both primary and secondary research. Secondary research involves review of credible, reliable and up-to-date sources that feature the core concepts of the research and relevant case studies in the area of interest.
Primary research encompasses conducting survey and consequent analysis of the acquired responses. The results lead to the ability to identify several ideas of innovation eligible for further practical use or future, more specific exploration.

Research Design
The given research adheres to the qualitative approach. The reason is that this approach aligns with the major aims of the given research, namely, to provide This framework encompasses criteria of scalability, capacity, security, speed of installation, error handling and validation of the data. Finally, the study will identify directions for further research and potential implications for practice with CER in developing countries.
The given study is regarded as cross-sectional. Such a choice is predetermined  [70], such a type of research aims at evaluating and identifying the prevalence of an action. All the measurements transpire within one particular point in time, in this particular case, within a week during which the data is collected. The aspect of prevalence is crucial in the given context as far as it challenges relevance and overall effectiveness of novice and essential aspects of modern business world.

Research Instrument
The To be more precise, the respondents will be asked about dilemmas, challenges and main problematic aspects of eco-innovation in terms of CER. The surveys will be distributed online so as to provide the participants with convenience and a sufficient amount of time to complete it.

Study Sample
The present study involves a comparatively small percentage of the major target audience.
To be more precise, the major target audience of the given investigation would be all the entrepreneurs in the world, whereas the given study is Only two respondents failed to provide their feedback, so it took 10 additional days to contact the representative of the back-up group and receive their responses.
Once 100 responses were collected, each aspect was analyzed and arranged into a set of inferences. Consequently, the outcomes of the primary and secondary research were compared and aligned or contrasted accordingly. Finally, a concise and comprehensive report was developed, revealing core findings, discrepancies and challenges of the issue in question. The most valuable empirical contribution of the study was a set of innovative ideas designed based on the given research course.

Limitations of the Study
The limitations of the study include a small sample size of participants, biases

Ethical Considerations
The present study will adhere to the following ethical considerations: 1) principle of informed consent. The participants will receive the form of informed consent and will be asked to fill it in as a sign of their willingness to partake in the present study; 2) principle of anonymity. The responses will be anonymous.
3) principle of confidentiality of personal data such as e-mail addresses or first names and surnames; 4) guarantee of the use of responses for scientific purposes of the given study only; 5) and free access to the results of the study once it is finished and presented officially.

Results
The results acquired via online survey were structured in accordance with the core efficiency criteria presented in the model.
All the participants of the study confirmed that proper implementation of eco-innovative technologies impacted efficiency of CER positively. 78% of the respondents agreed that eco-innovation always requires making crucial changes, but at the same time leads to better performance outcomes and higher quality of the final product or service level. Some respondents noted in their additional comments to the survey, that CER was impossible without eco-innovation and that awareness of urgent necessity to implement CER in all countries by all companies is a key to the future with resources available and natural conditions favorable for all living things on Earth. Seven respondents claimed that CER is being implemented too slowly and such a pace does not suffice for timely changes needed to save the natural capital. One of the participants posited that the course of implementation of eco-innovative technologies endangered the survival of many companies as far as it required much time, efforts, alterations and expenses, and, as a result, the company could face potential bankrupt since revenues could decrease or investors could pull out. This is an important aspect that should be studied further in the future studies.
The results on the criteria of scalability were as follows: 76% of the respondents stated that eco-innovation contributed to scalability, but only in the long run. Some respondents highlighted that their business needed around two to three years to cross the line of proper scalability after the introduction of eco-innovation technologies (34%), whereas others stated that qualitative implementation of eco-innovation led to positive results in terms of scalability of the business within a year (28%). The rest of the respondents stated they had no experience with eco-innovation aligned with scalability issues.
Capacity criterion acquired the following research outcomes: the prevailing majority of respondents (58%) stated that the primary threat to capacity of the business was eco-innovations; some respondents claimed it was of utmost importance to start eco-innovative practices only when the program aimed at CER provided transparent vision of adjusted performance that did not affect capacity, whereas others claimed it was crucial to start eco-innovative practices as soon as possible since it was hard to construct an impeccable scheme for every type of business without affecting any of the currently studied criteria of efficiency. One of the respondents expressed in the section for additional comments that capacity should be a main concern in the long run, i.e., the capacity decreased in the course of CER actualization is a logical consequence of serious transformations, and should be endured for the sake of the ultimate purpose-better capacity in the future.
Security issue received most of the attention of respondents in the section of additional comments. The following aspects were addressed: according to 98% of the respondents, security was considered to be the major concern in eco-innovative practices; 44% of the participants believed that security was a key measure in constructive eco-innovation; 28% of the respondents claimed they improved security in their businesses via introduction of eco-innovation, and 3% of them stated innovative technologies were hazardous to their businesses on the initial stage of implementation. 14% of the participants also highlighted that initial plan of implementation of eco-innovative technologies should include the predictions for potential threats to security and solutions or preventive measures. Furthermore, 7% of the respondents believed that eco-innovation could become a hazard to overall security measures only in cases in which it was implemented or conducted improperly. Finally, 78% of the participants also men-Y. S. Goli et al.
tioned that security was a consequence of constructive and qualitative eco-innovation and adequately functioning business.
Speed of installation was the next aspect studied in the given research. 77% of the respondents stated that implementation of eco-innovation was proceeding too slowly. Some respondents commented that they had the following problems because of the low speed of installation: loss of investors because of incremental rates of decreased revenues (11%); loss of partners because of failed deadlines and terms of their partnership (18%); reduced sales (12%); and lower rates in performance in the annual report (6%). On the other hand, three respondents mentioned that the slow speed of installation could be improved through higher expenses. One of the participants also added that speed of installation in his experience directly depended on the competence of the team. Finally, the need for constructive, maximally detailed plan of installation was mentioned by 28 respondents as a core basis of timely implementation.
Error handling was the most controversially perceived aspect in the context of the given research. To be more precise, 52% of the respondents believed that it

Discussion
The course of research confirmed some of the inferences and statements acquired in the process of secondary review as well as detected several novice insights in the field of concern. Hence, a list of core findings was formed and will be discussed in this section.

Conclusion and Recommendations
The present research paper dealt with innovation as a key to efficiency in busi-