Convergence of business, innovation, and sustainability at the tipping point of the sustainable development goals

Abstract

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a universal framework for addressing pressing global economic, environmental, and social challenges. Central to the SDG agenda is the vital role of business innovation in fostering positive change and promoting the triple bottom line of sustainability: people, planet, and prosperity. Many years have passed following the SDGs’ inception, yet the engagement of business innovation scholarship with the SDGs remains sparse. Moreover, a comprehensive review examining the convergence of business, innovation, and sustainability through the lens of the SDGs is notably absent, constraining insights into present advancements and prospective trajectories. In this regard, this study adopts the SDGs as a lens to investigate the contribution of business innovation to sustainable development challenges and its impact on the SDG agenda. To do so, this study conducts a systematic literature review, incorporating a bibliometric analysis of articles published in top-tier business journals, to offer an integrated overview of current trends in business, innovation, and sustainability research through the lens of the SDGs. In addition, this study performs a content analysis to consolidate and synthesize relevant research in this space, resulting in a multi-dimensional framework that illustrates the intricate, dynamic interplay between the drivers, dimensions, and impacts of business innovation on sustainability and their relationship with the SDGs. In doing so, this study accentuates extant gaps, delineates profound implications, and proposes meaningful directions to advance the understanding of the intersection between business, innovation, and sustainability in the context of the SDGs.