 Building an innovative sustainability culture through ESG certificationKenneth A. Fox and Mark Klassen Business Horizons, 2025, vol. 68, issue 6, 719-728 Abstract: With the growing focus on organizations’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, many companies consider obtaining certifications that attest to the sustainability of their products, processes, or organization. The multitude of available certifications to choose from, however, can cloud decision-making when seeking the right certification. Certifications can also be costly, and compliance with their requirements can be onerous. At the same time, organizations also tend to struggle with aspects of building innovative cultures to find ESG solutions—notably, processes and resources. This article first demonstrates that ESG certifications and their required compliance can fill in the missing gaps in innovative cultures—fostering rather than hindering them—and then provides a framework for managers to consider when evaluating sustainability certifications. Compliance with certification has often been thought to impede innovation, but we link this decision-making process to supporting a culture of innovation within the organization, increasing the likelihood of innovative solutions to ESG problems. Keywords: ESG certification; Innovation culture; Sustainability; Obstacles to innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:bushor:v:68:y:2025:i:6:p:719-728 DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2025.07.003 Access Statistics for this article Business Horizons is currently edited by C. M. Dalton More articles in Business Horizons from Elsevier |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.