Demystifying green Innovation: Past, present, and future research pathways guided by SDG mapping

Green innovations (GI) are rapidly becoming one of the most sought-after solutions to issues related to the depletion of natural resources, climate change, and biodiversity loss. A corresponding exponential growth is witnessed in academic publications related to GI, from 111 publications in 2019 to 1077 articles in 2023. This inorganic rise calls for frequent consolidation of knowledge, leading to effective and impactful future research that can be beneficial to all stakeholders in developing solutions for the well-being of mankind now and in the future. This study applies multiple methods: a) the sensemaking approach based on the 3S framework (partial adoption) to bibliometric analysis, b) thematic analysis, c) a unique method of SDG mapping to the thematic clusters, and d) a unique thematic mapping of the top 50 cited articles, among others, to arrive at focused themes and future research questions. The SDG mapping to thematic clusters provides impactful pathways that allow GI to impact the SDGs. The findings indicate that some of the most prominent clusters are sustainability/sustainable development, GI efficiency/environmental performance, and green technology innovation. The SDG mapping reveals that the top three SDGs mapped to the domain are SDG 7, SDG 9, and SDG 12. Future research can focus on prominent themes like environmental performance, green technology innovation, government credit policy, and government subsidy, among others.