Keywords
Sustainable Development (SD)
smart city
smart infrastructure
Artificial Intelligence
How to Cite
Abstract
Eco-innovation involves developing products, processes, services, and business models that strengthen environmental sustainability and resource efficiency. This study explores its contribution to reducing organisational environmental impact and supporting smart infrastructure. The research applies a critical literature analysis and a benefit–cost approach to assess monetary balances, complemented by the time-saving method as a planning instrument. The findings show that eco-innovation can reduce emissions, limit pollution, protect biodiversity, and enable renewable energy use, although high initial costs continue to hinder adoption, particularly in emerging economies. These constraints may restrict implementation capacity in less developed regions and highlight the need for supportive policy frameworks. The study offers practical guidance for smart cities pursuing sustainable, low-emission development through intelligent planning. Its originality lies in introducing the time-saving method into eco-innovation planning, providing a novel tool for policymakers and researchers seeking to strengthen environmentally responsible urban systems.
References
Attaran, H., Kheibari, N., & Bahrepour, D. (2022). Toward integrated smart city: A new model for implementation and design challenges. GeoJournal, 87(4), 511–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-021-10560-w
Berglund, E. Z., Monroe, J. G., Ahmed, I., Noghabaei, M., Do, J., Pesantez, J. E., Fasaee, M. A. K., Berdaka, E., Han, K., Proestos, G. T., & Levis, J. (2020). Smart infrastructure: A vision for the role of the civil engineering profession in smart cities. Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 26(2), 03120001. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IS.1943-555X.0000549
Carroll, B., & Turpin, T. (2002). Environmental impact assessment handbook: A practical guide for planners, developers and communities. Thomas Telford.
Carrillo-Hermosilla, J., Del Río, P., & Könnölä, T. (2010). Diversity of eco-innovations: Reflections from selected case studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 18(10–11), 1073–1083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.02.014
Changalima, I. A., & Mchopa, A. D. (2024). Trends in public procurement and innovation: A bibliometric analysis and future research agenda. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 89(3), 224–252. https://doi.org/10.1108/samamj-07-2024-0037
Charzyńska, M. (2012). Ekoinnowacje – szansą na rozwój gospodarczy Europy. In P. Misztal & W. Rakowski (Eds.), Przyszłość integracji europejskiej: Uwarunkowania rozwoju gospodarczego Unii Europejskiej (pp. 263-273). Warszawa: CeDeWu. (in Polish).
Colombo, L. A., Pansera, M., & Owen, R. (2019). The discourse of eco-innovation in the European Union: An analysis of the Eco-Innovation Action Plan and Horizon 2020. Journal of Cleaner Production, 214, 653–665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.150
Degrendele, C., Klánová, J., Prokeš, R., Příbylová, P., Šenk, P., Šudoma, M., Roosli, M., Dalvie, M. A., & Fuhrimann, S. (2022). Current-use pesticides in soil and air from two agricultural sites in South Africa: Implications for environmental fate and human exposure. Science of the Total Environment, 807, 150455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150455
De Jesus, A., Antunes, P., Santos, R., & Mendonça, S. (2018). Eco-innovation in the transition to a circular economy: An analytical literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 2999–3018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.111
European Parliament. (2006). Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) (2007–2013). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/competitiveness-and-innovation-framework-programme-cip-2007-2013.html
Fussler, J., & James, P. (1999). Die Öko-Innovation: Wie Unternehmen profitabel und umweltfreundlich sein können (1st ed.). S. Hirzel Verlag. (in German).
Garcia-Cuerva, L., Berglund, E. Z., & Binder, A. R. (2016). Public perceptions of water shortages, conservation behaviors, and support for water reuse in the U.S. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 113, 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.06.006
Hojnik, J., & Ruzzier, M. (2016). What drives eco-innovation? A review of an emerging literature. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 19, 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2015.09.006
Horbach, J., Rammer, C., & Rennings, K. (2012). Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact—The role of regulatory push/pull, technology push and market pull. Ecological Economics, 78, 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.04.005
Horváth, P., Pütter, J. M., Dagilienė, L., Dimante, D., Haldma, T., Kochalski, C., Král, B., Labaš, D., Lääts, K., Bedenik, N. O., Pakšiová, R., Petera, P., Ratajczak, P., Buhovac, A. R., Sava, A., Sucală, V., Tirnitz, T. J., & Wagner, J. (2017). Status quo and future development of sustainability reporting in Central and Eastern Europe. Journal of East European Management Studies, 30(1), 221–243. https://doi.org/10.5771/0949-6181-2017-2-221
Hui, C. X., Dan, G., Alamri, S., & Toghraie, D. (2003). Greening smart cities: An investigation of the integration of urban natural resources and smart city technologies for promoting environmental sustainability. Sustainable Cities and Society, 99, 104985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104985
Jasińska-Biliczak, A. (2022). Smart-city citizen engagement: The answer to energy savings in an economic crisis? Energies, 15(23), 8828. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15238828
Jeronen, E. (2023). Sustainable development. In S. O. Idowu, R. Schmidpeter, N. Capaldi, L. Zu, M. del Baldo & R. Abreu (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Sustainable Management (pp. 3462-3469). Springer Nature Switzerland.
Kowal, J., & Jasińska-Biliczak, A. (2016). Socio-demographic factors of innovative capacity of IT professionals in small regional enterprises in transition economies. In European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS).
National Polish Bank. (2025). www.nbp.pl
Neirotti, P., De Marco, A., Cagliano, A. C., Mangano, G., & Scorrano, F. (2014). Current trends in Smart City initiatives: Some stylised facts. Cities, 38, 25–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2013.12.010
Orjuela-Ramirez, G., Zuluaga-Jimenez, J. C., & Urbano, D. (2024). Drivers of eco-innovation: The role of appropriability strategies and complementary assets. Science and Public Policy, 51(2), 309–323. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scad072
Pereira, A. N. M., & Ribeiro, F. de M. (2021). Stakeholders’ participation in environmental regulation: A case study of the sectoral agreement of packaging reverse logistics in Brazil. Waste Management & Research, 39(10), 1256–1263. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X211048128
Pujari, D. (2006). Eco-innovation and new product development: Understanding the influences on market performance. Technovation, 26(1), 76–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2004.07.006
Rauter, R., Globocnik, D., Perl-Vorbach, E., & Baumgartner, R. J. (2019). Open innovation and its effects on economic and sustainability innovation performance. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 4(4), 226–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2018.03.004
Royal Academy of Engineering. (2012). Smart infrastructure: The future.
Skvarciany, V., & Astike, K. (2022). Decent work and economic growth: Case of EU. In 12th International Scientific Conference “Business and Management 2022”. Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, 184-190. https://doi.org/10.3846/bm.2022.916
Šlahor, Ľ., Barteková, M. K., Gasperová, J., & Palátová, D. (2016). Long-term social care – The problem of sustainable financing in Slovakia. In European Financial Systems 2019: Proceedings of the 16th International Scientific Conference, 529-537. https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2022-0005
Švač, V., & Cagáňová, D. (2020). Managerial skills for innovation support. Mobile Networks and Applications, 25(3), 925–931. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11036-020-01517-3
Szpor, A., & Śniegocki, A. (2012). Ekoinnowacje w Polsce. Stan obecny, bariery rozwoju, możliwości wsparcia. https://ibs.org.pl/publications/ekoinnowacje-w-polsce-stan-obecny-bariery-rozwoju-i-mozliwosci-wsparcia-2/ (in Polish).
Titko, J., & Bierne, J. (2019). Competence development of young entrepreneurs through educational innovations. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 3, 255–264. https://science.rsu.lv/en/publications/competence-development-of-young-entrepreneurs-through-educational/
Türkeli, S., & Kemp, R. (2018). Changing Patterns in Eco-Innovation Research: A Bibliometric Analysis. In J. Horbach & C. Reif (Eds.), New Developments in Eco-Innovation Research (pp. 13–54). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93019-0_2
Zimčík, P., Pakšiová, R., Semerád, P., & Brauner, R. (2024). The role of government in tackling income inequality: Evidence from Central and Eastern European countries. Danube, 15(4), 308–320. https://doi.org/10.2478/danb-2024-0017
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Economics and Environment