Do inter-organizational collaborations enhance a firm's environmental performance? a study of the largest U.S. companies

Inter-organizational collaboration in bio-based business : sustainability-oriented networks inagro-industrial parks

“…Tackling the sustainability challenges of bio-based business has received priority in the agendas of various stakeholders. Accordingly, collaboration that addresses sustainability challenges in bio-based business has been promoted and collaborative practices have been increased around the globe (Albino et al, 2012). Collaboration allows the accumulation of diverse competences of organizations, enabling the tackling of challenges that individual organizations are not capable of solving independently (Austin, 2010;Lozano, 2007).…”

“…In general, network theory proposes that ties in a network can shape the network structures and enable/disable the establishment of new ties to achieve individual and/or common interests Salancik, 1995). Embedded in social network theory (Borgatti and Foster, 2003;Freeman, 1978), organizational network theory refers to ties among organizations and the complex structures of organizational ties (Albino et al, 2012;Bergenholtz and Waldstrøm, 2011;Provan et al, 2007;Schiller et al, 2014). Specifically, organizational network theory explains the ties among organizations, and their social and behavioral phenomena at network level (Ahuja, 2000;Ahuja et al, 2009;Borgatti and Foster, 2003;Burt, 1995;Gulati, 2007).…”

“…Inter-organizational collaboration among co-located organizations is claimed to increase the sustainability of bio-based business through the reuse of waste streams, such as CO 2 , heat waste and bio-waste, and through minimizing solid waste release (Albino et al, 2012;Anbumozhi et al, 2010). In addition, through collaboration organizations can meet the demand for more sustainable sourcing and better wastemanagement (Albino et al, 2012;Seitanidi and Crane, 2013) to achieve common sustainability goals (Lozano, 2008a). A wide variety of knowledge is available on bio-based business in general.…”

“…Inter-organizational collaboration for sustainable production has been intensely discussed in the field of industrial ecology and agricultural systems (Albino et al, 2012;Ehrenfeld and Gertler, 1997;Gibbs and Deutz, 2005;Lozano, 2008a, Smeets, 2011. A comprehensive approach to study the structure of inter-organizational networks is via the application of social network analysis (Bergenholtz and Waldstrøm, 2011).…”

“…Many organizations have already established interorganizational collaboration with external partners through joint ventures, strategic alliances, and public-private partnerships (Anbumozhi et al, 2010). These inter-organizational collaborations are often claimed to increase the sustainability of bio-based business through providing technological solutions for cleaner production, such as reuse of waste streams, reduction of solid wastes, and optimization of energy use (Albino et al, 2012;Mangoyana and Smith, 2011;Pellerin and Taylor, 2008). The aim of this study is to show the added value (if any) of such inter-organizational collaboration in terms of sustainability.…”