Driving Sustainable Innovation: Unveiling Key Drivers and Stakeholders in the Port of Rotterdam’s Industrial Cluster

This research delves into the intricacies of sustainable innovation within the industrial cluster of the port of Rotterdam, a pressing issue given the heightened imperative to curb emissions. Despite numerous reports on sustainable innovations, existing frameworks fail to adequately address the unique context of the port of Rotterdam and its industrial cluster. Our study aims to fill this gap in the academic literature by refining the innovation framework proposed by Hall et al. (2013). Through a comprehensive approach combining desk research, a balanced scorecard analysis and field research via semi-structured interviews, we conducted a SWOT analysis to ascertain key drivers and barriers to sustainable innovation. Our findings underscore the necessity of incorporating six additional moderators into the existing framework: planning, collaboration, flexibility, uncertainty, profitability, and the novelty of technologies. Moreover, our research indicates the imperative inclusion of two stakeholders overlooked in the framework by Hall et al. (2013): the market (encompassing customer demands and competitive forces) and society (encompassing broader societal pressures, including Dutch society, media, knowledge institutions, and non-profit organisations). These stakeholders exert significant influence on companies, compelling them to innovate sustainably. Thus, they warrant explicit consideration within the innovation framework.