From green it to sustainable value: the path-dependent construction of sustainable innovation

Sustainable innovation is not only about reducing our footprint, it is also about changing our mindprint accordingly. In other words, treating the hazardous traces of our actions alone is insufficient without modifying our values and norms. Building on a longitudinal study of sustainability in the car industry, we argue that the prevailing techno-centered discourse on green information technology and the consequent actions are unlikely to yield the desired outcome. In turn, we suggest that an understanding of the sociomateriality of the construction and disruption of technological development is indispensible for triggering the desired change toward sustainable information technology. Therefore, we propose extending the prevailing scope of Green IT/IS discourse to include a wide array of sustainable value considerations. Sustainable value refers to value as worth and value as norms. Hence, rather than focusing on ecological sustainability alone, sustainable value refers to a broader conception of value that includes economic, social and environmental value for all stakeholders involved. Moreover, sustainable value is about nourishing normative values that support and promote system-wide sustainable attitudes, behaviors and practices. Following the analysis of the path-dependent nature and the sociomateriality of sustainable value creation in the automotive industry, we apply a number of relevant insights to the information technology domain. First, our results demonstrate the pathdependent nature of sustainable technological development, which is constrained and influenced by the materiality, social structures, and institutional frameworks that comprise the overall sociotechnical system. Second, our findings show that respective social and institutional support is needed to complement technological innovation in order to disrupt existing paths and construct more sustainable alternatives. Third, our results suggest that sustainable value creation requires a concerted effort of all stakeholders to reshape existing norms and values, formulate new standards, and reconfigure work systems vis-'-vis the social and environmental vistas of sustainable value. On the basis of our results, we provide recommendations and discuss implications for IT research and practice.