Factors affecting sustainable process technology adoption: A systematic literature review

Abstract

An important challenge facing firms and governments is the realization of sustainable development objectives. Sustainable technology, as an effective means to achieve sustainable development, has recently gained much interest from both society and academia. Prior research has investigated the effects of several factors on the adoption of sustainable technologies and provides a basic understanding of firms' sustainable technology adoption behaviours. However, the results of this research are scattered across different disciplines, making that knowledge on sustainable technology adoption fragmented. In this systematic literature review, Elsevier and Web of Science were used as databases to search articles in the field of sustainable process technology adoption. Based on criteria, i.e., document type, languages, definition of adoption and sustainable technology and analysis level, 34 out of 964 articles were selected in the review. A qualitative synthesis method was chosen because the aim of this study is to understand and explain the effect of a specific factor as well as to explain the often-contradictory evidence in different contexts, focusing on not only the convergence but also the divergence in prior studies. Based on the typology from United Nations Environmental Program of sustainable technologies, a classification of sustainable process technologies is provided: CO2/emission reduction, material/fuel substitution, energy/material efficiency and recycling technologies. Environmental regulations and firm characteristics are most widely studied factors influencing sustainable process technology adoption. Coercive pressure, market pressure, technology capability, internal support, adoption experience, certified systems, and cooperation are important for sustainable process technology adoption. Firm characteristics (e.g. firm size, ownership) and technology types (e.g. end-of-pipe technology vs. cleaner technology) are mostly discussed as reasons for different effects of factors in prior studies. Lastly, directions for future research are provided.