THE RELEVANCE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GREEN INNOVATION: A DEVELOPING COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Green innovations are applied in various industries to promote corporate sustainability by adopting sustainable development practices. However, very little is known about how the knowledge management process influences corporate green innovation. To contribute to the development of this issue, this study explores the relationships between knowledge management, corporate sustainable development and green innovation. Data was collected from 210 respondents from private companies in a developing country context and analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The findings provide several conclusions. First, the components of knowledge management (application, acquisition and sharing of knowledge) significantly improve the dimensions of corporate sustainable development (environmental, economic and social dimensions). Second, sustainable environmental practices have no effect on the adoption and application of green innovations by companies, however, sustainable social practices have a positive effect on green innovations. The results of this research also show that investing in knowledge management is of great importance for achieving sustainable development, as well as investing in the application of sustainable social practices.