Decade of Green Innovation Research: Tracing the Intellectual Structure and Emerging Trends

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20372/star.V15.i2.R1

Keywords:

Green innovation, bibliometric analysis, VOS viewer, sustainability, eco-innovation

Abstract

This paper analyzes 3,931 publications on green innovation (2010–2023) using VOSviewer bibliometric software. Results reveal that while China dominates publication volume, Germany and Taiwan are more frequently cited, indicating higher research impact. Thematic analysis identifies three core research clusters: eco-innovation and environmental policy; management and technological aspects of green innovation; and sustainable business models with industry applications. These clusters reflect the field's multidisciplinary nature, integrating environmental economics, corporate sustainability, and innovation management perspectives. Co-citation analysis highlights the central role of the Journal of Cleaner Production, Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, and Resources, Conservation & Recycling. Temporal keyword analysis reveals a significant shift in research focus: early studies emphasized foundational concepts like eco-innovation and corporate social responsibility (CSR), while recent work prioritizes urgent issues including carbon emissions, renewable energy, and green finance. The analysis demonstrates that green innovation research increasingly emphasizes macroeconomic and regulatory dimensions, particularly in developing countries. This work offers valuable insights for future research, identifying financial strategies, policy frameworks, and localized implementations as priority areas for investigation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Geda Jebel Ababulgu, Wollega University

Department of Management, College of Business & Economics, Wollega University, Ethiopia

Zerihun Ayenew Birbirsa, Jimma University

Department of Management, College of Business & Economics, Jimma University, Ethiopia

Misganu Getahun Wodajo, Wollega University

Department of Management, College of Business & Economics, Wollega University, Ethiopia

References

Ahmed, R. R., Akbar, W., Aijaz, M., Channar, Z. A., Ahmed, F., & Parmar, V. (2023). The role of green innovation on environmental and organizational performance: Moderation of human resource practices and management commitment. Heliyon, 9.e12679

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12679

Adams, R., Jeanrenaud, S., Bessant, J., Denyer, D., & Overy, P. (2015). Sustainability-Oriented Innovation: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 18(2), 180–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12068

Baas, J., Schotten, M., Plume, A., Côté, G., & Karimi, R. (2020). Scopus is a curated, high-quality bibliometric data source for academic research in quantitative science studies. Quantitative Science Studies, 1(1), 377–386. https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00019

Berrone, P., Fosfuri, A., Gelabert, L., & Gomez-Mejia, L. R. (2013). Necessity as the mother of 'green' inventions: Institutional pressures and environmental innovations. Strategic Management Journal, 34(8), 891–909.

https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2041

Boons, F., & Lüdeke-Freund, F. (2013). Business models for sustainable innovation: state-of-the-art and steps towards a research agenda. Journal of Cleaner Production, 45, 9–19.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.07.007

Chang, C.-H. (2011). The influence of corporate environmental ethics on competitive advantage: The mediation role of green innovation. Journal of Business Ethics, 104(3), 361–370.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0914 -x

Chiou, T.-Y., Chan, H. K., Lettice, F., & Chung, S. H. (2011). The influence of greening the suppliers and green innovation on environmental performance and competitive advantage in Taiwan. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 47(6), 822–836.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2011.05.016

Dangelico, R. M., & Pontrandolfo, P. (2010). From green product definitions and classifications to the Green Option Matrix. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18(16), 1608–1628.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.07.007

Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070

Eck, N. J. van, & Waltman, L. (2014). Visualizing Bibliometric Networks. In Measuring Scholarly Impact,1, 285–320. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10377-8_13

El-Kassar, A.-N., & Singh, S. K. (2019). Green innovation and organizational performance: The influence of big data and the moderating role of management commitment and HR practices. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 144, 483–498.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.12.016

Ghisetti, C., Marzucchi, A., & Montresor, S. (2015). The open eco-innovation mode: An empirical investigation of eleven European countries. Research Policy, 44(5), 1080–1093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.12.001

Horbach, J., Rammer, C., & Rennings, K. (2012). Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact—The role of regulatory push/pull, technology push, and market pull. Ecological Economics, 78, 112–122.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.04.005

Lee, K.H., & Min, B. (2015). Green R&D for eco-innovation and its impact on carbon emissions and firm performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 108, 534–542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.05.114

Rogelj, J., Elzen, M. D., Höhne, N., Fransen, T., Fekete, H., Winkler, H., Schaeffer, R., Sha, F., Riahi, K., & Meinshausen, M. (2016). Paris Agreement climate proposals need a boost to keep warming well below 2 °C. Nature, 534(7609), 631–639.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature18307

Marchi, V. De. (2012). Environmental innovation and R&D cooperation: Empirical evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms. Research Policy, 41(3), 614–623.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.10.002

Oduro, S. (2024). Eco-innovation and SMEs' sustainable performance: a meta-analysis. European Journal of Innovation Management, 27(9), 248–279.

https://doi.org/10.1108/ejim-11-2023-0961

OECD/Eurostat (2018), Oslo Manual 2018: Guidelines for Collecting, Reporting and Using Data on Innovation, 4th Edition, The Measurement of Scientific, Technological and Innovation Activities, OECD Publishing, Paris/Eurostat, Luxembourg,

https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304604-en.

Ole, E., & Wallin, J. A. (2015). The bibliometric analysis of scholarly production: How great is the impact? Scientometrics, 105(3), 1809–1831.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1645-z

Porter, M. E., & Linde, V.D.C. (1995). Toward a new conception of the environment-competitiveness relationship. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9(4), 97–118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/jep.9.4.97

Raminta, P. (2021). Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus: The Titans of Bibliographic Information in Today's Academic World. Publications, 9(1), 12.

https://doi.org/10.3390/publications9010012

Schot, J., & Steinmueller, W. E. (2018). Three frames for innovation policy: R&D, systems of innovation, and transformative change. Research Policy, 47(9), 1554–1567.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.08.011

Singh, S. K., Del Giudice, M., Chierici, R., & Graziano, D. (2019). Green innovation and environmental performance: The role of green transformational leadership and green human resource management. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 150, 119762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119762

Singh, V. K., Singh, P., Karmakar, M., Leta, J., & Mayr, P. (2021). The journal coverage of Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions: A comparative analysis. Scientometrics, 126, 5113–5142.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03948-5

Small, H. (1973). Co-citation in the scientific literature: A new measure of the relationship between two documents. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 24(4), 265–269.

https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.4630240406

Van Noorden, R. (2014, May 7). Global scientific output doubles every nine years. Nature News.

http://blogs.nature.com/news/2014/05/global-scientific-output-doubles-every-nine-years.html

Waltman, L., Eck, N. J. van, & Noyons, E. C. M. (2010). A unified approach to mapping and clustering of bibliometric networks. Journal of Informetrics, 4(4), 629–635.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2010.07.002

Waltman, L. (2016). A Review of the Literature on Citation Impact Indicators. Journal of Informetrics, 10, 365-391.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2016.02.007

Wang, H., Khan, M. A. S., Anwar, F., Shahzad, F., Adu, D., & Murad, M. (2021). Green Innovation Practices and Their Impacts on Environmental and Organizational Performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1–15.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.553625

Wang, Y., & Yang, Y. (2021). Analyzing the green innovation practices based on sustainability performance indicators: a Chinese manufacturing industry case. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(1), 1181–1203.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10531-7

Wurlod, J.D., & Noailly, J. (2018). The impact of green innovation on energy intensity: An empirical analysis for 14 industrial sectors in OECD countries. Energy Economics, 71, 47–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2017.12.012

Zhou, M., Govindan, K., Xie, X., & Yan, L. (2021). How to drive green innovation in China's mining enterprises? From the perspective of environmental legitimacy and green absorptive capacity. Resources Policy, 72, 102038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102038

Zhou, P., & Leydesdorff, L. (2005). The emergence of China as a leading nation in science. Research Policy, 35(1), 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2005.08.006

Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2014). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629

Downloads

Published

30.06.2026

How to Cite

Jebel Ababulgu, G., Zerihun Ayenew Birbirsa, & Misganu Getahun Wodajo. (2026). Decade of Green Innovation Research: Tracing the Intellectual Structure and Emerging Trends. Journal of Science, Technology and Arts Research, 15(2), R1-R18. https://doi.org/10.20372/star.V15.i2.R1

Issue

Section

Review Article

Categories

Plaudit