Going green? Examining Sustainability in Dutch Industrial Firms

Abstract

This quantitative research focuses on the engagement of Dutch industrial firms with sustainable innovation. This topic stems from the knowledge gap regarding the characteristics of Dutch industrial firms that are trailing in the adoption of sustainable innovations. The thesis describes what type of characteristics are found in businesses, divided into dimensions of a company’s strategy, structure, and environment. Also, the notion of sustainable innovations is explained using a distinction between process and product innovations. Through multiple analyses, the statistical correlations between certain characteristics of businesses and their lack of sustainable innovation are presented. This allows for a better identification of trailing industrial firms regarding sustainable innovation in the Netherlands. The thesis uses data from European Manufacturers Survey of 2015.