The links between active cooperation and eco-innovation orientation of firms: A multi-analysis study

The environmental orientation of companies is key for firms to gain a competitive advantage against peers. However, the high level of novelty and uncertainty involved with eco-innovations requires additional knowledge and capabilities that go beyond the firm and that can be achieved through cooperation. Thus, it is crucial to analyse how cooperation affects the elements that drive eco-innovation. This study tests the impact of cooperation on the environmental orientation of companies while innovating using structural equation modelling with partial least squares and multigroup analysis and a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis for a sample of Spanish companies. Results suggest that companies that do not cooperate are less eco-innovation-oriented and show lower dependence on external information sources, although their impact on the orientation to product and process innovation is higher. This work leads to some theoretical conclusions and implications for researchers and practitioners.