Lamb, R. (2024). "28: Social and environmental innovation". In Concise Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Over the last three decades, social and environmental innovation have emerged as distinct areas of innovation among academics and practitioners seeking solutions to some of society’s most pressing problems. The academic literature on social and environmental innovation draws from various disciplines, including management studies, entrepreneurship, innovation management, social
psychology, economics, public administration, sustainability, environmental studies and political science. As with any field which emerges from diverse origins, conceptual clarity is necessary to enable researchers to avoid ambiguity, identify research gaps and advance the field. This entry begins with a definition and discussion of social innovation and its relevance to corporate social responsibility (CSR). It continues with a discussion of its organisational forms, including its association with related concepts such as social enterprise. It discusses the conceptual development of social innovation and its relevance to CSR. It then discusses environmental innovation, its commonalities with social innovation and its differences.