Work

Sustainability Gets Smarter: Competitive Pressure and AI Leading the Way

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Growing environmental concerns and the digital transformation of businesses have intensified the need to understand how sustainability and technology interact within organizational decision‐making. This study examines how external market pressures, customer expectations, and competitive pressure shape internal innovation mechanisms (marketing, process, organizational) and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, and how these factors influence decision‐making toward green innovation in companies. A quantitative approach was applied using a structured questionnaire administered to 394 consumers and professionals with work experience in companies that integrate sustainability and innovation. The research model was tested through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Results indicate that customer expectations positively affect marketing, process, and organizational innovation but do not significantly influence AI adoption, whereas competitive pressure strongly drives all innovation dimensions, including AI. All internal mechanisms positively impact green innovation decisions, with AI emerging as a strategic enabler. This study applies the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) framework to sustainability contexts by integrating AI as an organizational mechanism. It highlights the distinct roles of external pressures, showing that competitive pressure, not customer expectations, is the main driver for technological integration, offering actionable insights for advancing green innovation strategies.

Source: Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management

DOI: 10.1002/csr.70694

Authors: João M. Lopes, Cláudia Sofia Pinho, Rui Centeno Martins, Teresa Bandeira

Institutions: University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, University of Beira Interior, Universidade Lusófona do Porto, Centro de Estudos Transdisciplinares para o Desenvolvimento, Universidade Lusófona, ISLA Santarém - Instituto Politécnico, Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, Instituto Superior Miguel Torga

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Sustainability in Business

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Climate action, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7162073058

FWCI:

Cites: 86

Cited by:

Related to: