Open Innovation and sustainability: a winning symbiosis

In recent years, sustainability has become a priority on governments' agendas due to the need to reconcile economic growth with environmental and social sustainability objectives. The United Nations has identified 17 fundamental objectives to be achieved by 2030 to orient the action of governments and society. Regarding the role of the private sector in achieving sustainability goals, scientific literature suggests that through Open Innovation and Sustainability Oriented Innovation practices, companies can successfully develop sustainable innovations. Despite the efforts of researchers, however, the contribution that the private sector can play in achieving these goals remains unclear. Referring to the 17 UN goals, this study aims to help to bridge this research gap, analyzing how OI and SOI practices implemented by companies are utilized to achieve sustainability objectives. Furthermore, this study aims to identify the themes and areas on which companies' efforts are concentrated and to analyze how the involvement of different stakeholders leads to the achievement of multiple sustainability objectives. To summarize the contributions of different disciplines and provide comprehensive results, a thorough literature review has been performed. Results show that business efforts are focused on a few key areas. In terms of the 17 UN development goals, the contribution of businesses is mainly about goal no. 7,8,9,12 and revolves around three main themes. The first concerns economic sustainability and includes investments in R&D activities, the development of new products, and better management of energy resources. OI and SOI practices are used to involve supply chain partners and users and reduce the risks and costs of such projects. The second theme concerns environmental sustainability, in terms of waste and emissions reduction through the use of recyclable materials and renewable energy sources. Engaging government entities and research organizations through OI practices can help businesses comply with laws and regulations. The third theme concern social sustainability: through the involvement of external actors companies can help define more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Ultimately, this study advances the understanding of how OI and SOI practices are used by companies to pursue sustainability objectives. From a practical perspective, it is suggested that companies could play a more central role and achieve better results by adopting a broader and long-term perspective, including sustainability objectives in their strategy