Joint Analysis of National Eco-Efficiency, Eco-Innovation and SDGS in Europe: Dea Approach

Abstract

The growing complexity and intertwining of different socio-economic issues both in individual countries and internationally mean that single-theme analyses do not consider all the relationships and thus have cognitive limitations. Therefore, studies that combine several research areas are increasingly common in the literature to clarify the connections and relationships. In this study, considering the sequential nature of the stages, a combined analysis of eco-efficiency, eco-innovation, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was performed. The analysis was carried out for 27 European Union countries in 2017–2019. Dynamic Network SBM and Dynamic Divisional Malmquist Index were used for the study. The research results show that the EU countries achieve relatively higher efficiency results in eco-innovation and SDG than ecoefficiency. The average overall efficiency level for all EU countries was only 0.63. The change in productivity was influenced by both the frontier shift and catch-up effect, but only with regard to eco-efficiency and eco-innovation. At the same time, the frontier-shift effect did not affect the change in SDG productivity.

Exploring the Nexus of Eco-Innovation and Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Review and Analysis

“…And the most trending topics discussed in the articles are sustainable development goals followed by carbon emission. Various articles have investigated the intrinsic role of eco-innovation in reducing carbon emissions [56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67]. Further, economic and social effects of eco-innovation have also garnered attention [12].…”

“…The articles were further examined to determine whether eco-innovation has been employed by the authors to target specific SDGs, and it was seen that a limited body of research is available in this area. Lacka et al [58] employed the dynamic network slackbased model for efficiency evaluation in 27 EU countries, using eco-innovation inputs like labor force, energy consumption, R&D investment, and skilled personnel. They considered availability of water and sanitation and access to clean and affordable energy as output.…”

The efficiency of scientific activities and technology transfer in higher education in Poland

“…This will make it possible to reduce the asymmetry of information between the worlds of business and science and create the basis for cooperation in innovative ventures. It is noteworthy that the literature (Łącka, Brzezicki, 2022) increasingly emphasises the need to create ecological innovations, which are, on the one hand, expected by decisionmakers of European countries, and, on the other hand, respond to the decisions of companies to implement corporate social responsibility and sustainable and ecological development of the business sector. Therefore, it is important for HEIs to play a significant role in this process.…”

Efficiency of using environmentally harmful inputs in field crop production in Bulgaria

“…Glavi et al claim that eco-efficiency is based on the assumption that it is possible to produce more goods and services with the same or fewer resources while causing less pollution. (2012, as cited in Łącka & Brzezicki, 2022).…”