Sustainable Development and Innovation : Reviewing the Concept and Malaysian Participation

Sustainable Development” has been the world agenda since 1972 which became official since Brundtland Commission’s 1987 report. The world has united under one umbrella for the future of mother Earth with one common objective, ‘the 2030 Agenda’. Malaysia’s influence and active participation is since then and is more inclusive from 1996. In this new borderless era, sustainable development has become very important particularly in business. Innovation as the savior could lead the world towards sustainable development. United Nations (UN) acknowledged that innovation plays important role in sustainable development goals. This paper sets its focus in innovation and its contribution to sustainable development as the key objective; especially when integrated to business organizations through social, environmental and economic enterprises, bringing competitive innovation advantage to the firm, industry and nation as a whole.


Introduction
Mahatma Gandhi (1869Gandhi ( -1948) ) mentions, "The future depends on what we do in the present".The sustainable development concept largely defined, accepted and used in these eras are from the Brundtland Commission's report 1987."Sustainable Development" defined by this report: 'the need to meet the demands and needs of present generation, but the present generation cannot compromise the need and ability of future generations to meet them themselves".Our Common Future as mentioned in Brundtland Commission's report 1987, also talks of the three pillars, which are economic growth, environmental protection, and social equality (Holden, Linnerud, & Banister, 2014).Sustainable development is not just achievable by new inventions, innovations, technological solutions, political agendas, regulations, law, and using financial instruments as solution tool alone.It starts with the people; the requirement and will to change especially in the mindset (think and act).This can only start with proper quality education especially emphasizing in the learning process in sustainable development starting from preschool level all the way to tertiary level not excluding proper training to all levels in social contexts.Education in sustainable development and for sustainable development enables us at present and future to be constructive with creativity to face challenges arising in sustainable development in the resilient societies (UNESCO, 2014).Starting from January 1, 2016, the outlined 17 goals in sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the Agenda2030 officially came in force and freely adopted by world political leaders since September 2015.It has a valid time line until 2030; the new sustainable development goals that apply to nations universally with shared a common goal globally for the future generations.Sustainable development viewed as a current business opportunity, issue, front, gateway, route, strategy, initiative, template and opportunity to multinational corporations and SME's who can have great influence and huge impacts, to economy, social and environment.Sustainable development creates opportunities in business, outlining new markets, new guidelines and new product requirements with new standards for users, all over the world.Success can be envisioned only come when these global goals are seen as our new impending opportunity to betterment of resource use and for business success as per required guidelines (United Nations Global Impact, 2016).Can innovation serve, create to better and integrate business organizations through social, environmental, and economic enterprises under the umbrella of sustainable development?These are the challenges that been directed to management thoughtful and the practitioners since the new millennia era (Whiteman, Hope, & Wadhams, 2013).Innovation through creativity relates to the problem solving process (viewed as the front-end through problem identifying and idea generation) and innovation through solutions related to problem solving through products (back end problem solving, focusing on acceptance and results) (Waples, Friedrich, & Shelton, 2011).The 2030 Agenda connects the world community as a single unit to "achieve sustainable development in its original three dimensions version -economic, social and environmental, but in a more balanced scorecard, caring, inclusive and integrate manner".Achieving economic, social and environmental growth in unity is to achieve sustainable development; the questions remain in all our mind is "how" this integration is achievable, especially when need for each nation differ but for the sake of the whole world and future generation, all nations must then unite under one common objective.Integrating the three dimensions with a single common scorecard is a policy approach due to the huge widening income disparity and gaps in our community and a planet with no boundary, bringing the world as a single community.The 2030 Agenda is clear -"protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production.Sustainable development manages natural resources and mandates immediate action on climate change, for the need of present and future (United Nations ESCAP, 2015).Seghezzo (2009) proposed an alternative sustainable development triangle, to include 'Place', 'Permanence', and 'Persons' as the new three Ps.(a) Place -physical and geographical location and includes cultural constructs that needs representation (b) Permanence -neglected in sustainable development debate, though we recognize only long-term success to our action, that is our real concern (c) Persons -people as individuals, community and society been excluded for very long period in notion of sustainable development.2030agenda in sustainable development goal addresses issues and targets;(a) People (b) Planet (c) Prosperity (d) Peace and (e) Partnership.The definition, concept and influence on sustainable development through innovations have indeed evolved with positive critic.Ernesto Ciorra, Head of Innovation and Sustainability at Enel, "we are not sustainable unless we innovate, and in order to innovate, we have to be sustainable" (GRI, 2016).Sheer number of SMEs' across the world represent and will create massive impact within all business community, offering potential changes in the existing sustainable development landscape.SME offer the breakthrough in innovation opportunity only if we can team them across world in this global business world (Global Forum on Migration & Development: Business Mechanism, 2016).

Sustainable Development Goal (2030 Agenda)
The goal in poverty eradication, agriculture and food security, energy, water, sanitation, and ultimately in climate change, links all the three in Science, Technology and Innovation with progress for people and planet.Sustainable development now faces its greatest challenge.Sustainable development achieved will advance Science, Technology and Innovation to achieve capably and achieve all sustainable development goals.Science, Technology and Innovation are not a stand from new technologies or new software, but also in mindset and attitude (Local and regional government members (UCLG, 2015).The expected outcomes from SDGs achievements are outlined in Table 1 below.Francis Laudato Si' 139, 2015).We, the people of this world are invited to participate and act through the global conversation for our future and planet through; (a) Make contact and connections, (b) Build the bridge to show people power and (c) Be real to strengthen participation (Francis, 2015).(Radieah, Koshy, & Ibrahim, 2015).The true sustainable development in decision-making must include elements integrated together for the project, nation and future (Kirsty et al., 2011).Malaysia is in her eleventh Malaysia Plan era 2016-2020, with the theme to achieve its own three goals of New Economic Model on high income, inclusivity and sustainability."Anchoring Growth on People" and achievements are listed in Table 2 and Table 3. Summary of 2015: 1) Above 50% forest cover 2) Above 10.76% as terrestrial protected areas 3) Above 1.06% as marine protected area 4) 33 reduction in carbon intensity (since 2009) and 5) New plans and increase in renewable energy capacity.
Source: Economic Planning Unit (2017)  (Alessia, Sybil, & Sue, 2009).This leads to multi-national corporations who are in position to create large-scale impacts related to innovation, wealth creation, inter and intra transfer technology, increase in productivity, and provide basic needs, to improve quality and standard of living, and life and living quality for global improvement including life span and health care, which are within the boundaries of sustainable development goals.Industry 4.0 when included enhances these desires and option, creating an added competitive advantage.Sustainable development innovation is defined as a process where sustainable development considerations (environmental, social, and economic) are integrated into company systems from idea generation through to research & development and commercialization" to reach the people (Boons, Montalvo, Quist, & Wagner, 2013).These processes include new technologies, services and products including business models and organizational or firm structural models, i.e. distinctively in sustainable development innovations, with continues improved performance, "where such performance need to include other categories like ecological, social criteria and economic" (Carrillo-Hermosilla, Del Río, & Könnölä, 2010).Sustainable development innovations include all innovations which must maintain or increase the current capital stock in comparison to past with no compromises (environmental, social, economic).Firm and entrepreneurs must try to remove internal negative and relating external effects using their innovations (Schaltegger & Wagner, 2011), but in totality should produce "net positive" measurable effects (Ehrenfeld, 2008) in sustainability values related to social, economy and environment as a whole.
Effective and committed leadership will create ways to new performance uplift and leadership by example in firms economy by this millennium seeking to be including sustainable development (Waite, 2014).This requires creative works in innovation (Vinarski-Peretz & Carmeli, 2011), and must cope to pressure of social and environmental issues (Leach et al., 2012).Historic context of innovation from both macro and a micro economic perspective (Hospers, 2005)and historic context of sustainable development since Brundtland Commission 1987, require a change in mindset with new leadership mentality, that is required to face this complex and dynamic phenomenon and to drive the much desired changes in sustainable development values though innovation (Waite, 2014).Innovation does serve and create better social, environmental, and economics value for a nation and enterprises (i.e. business organizations).These new challenges have drawn the attention and wisdom of researchers, management thinkers and practitioners (Whiteman et al., 2013).Innovations provides radically change to individuals, firm, and societies to relate individually and to relate with each another.Innovation changes course and path.Innovations is the fundamental reason for shrinking the society border through globalization, complex new interdependencies, worldwide borderless risks, natural resource usage and consumption, collapse in biodiversity, environmental changes and challenges, better health living style and an aging world population and more prominent urban living lifestyle (Motesharrei, Rivas, & Kalnay, 2014).This present academic work focuses on the complexity of sustainable development, where innovation viewed as the frontier for current and future of humankind.The challenges attributed by ignoring sustainable development in our life lead to multidisciplinary, immense and complex impact to humankind though multi-level social systems destructions (Hecht, Yang, Basnett, Padoch, & Peluso, 2015).In this context of sustainable development and work, the theoretical eye from resource base view and technology acceptance model has contributed in the valuable understanding on sustainable development and innovation in Strategic Management alliance.Stakeholders of an organization both external and internal are becoming more involved to the core especially with involvement of innovation and knowledge intensive content away from labor-intensive processes leading to sustainable development achievement.All contribute positively to; (i) External stakeholders:  (Shahbudin, Nejati, & Amran, 2011).Sustainable development merging with innovation related study intriguers' researchers (Kobayashi, Kato, Maezawa, & Sano, 2011;Sánchez-Medina, Corbett, & Toledo-López, 2011) and policy makers (OECD, 2011)with its relationships connected to competitive innovation advantage creation and sustainable firm performance.Researchers agree sustainable development innovation understood as "an innovation process incorporated in the firm's system that leads to improvement in sustainable development performance (environmental, social, and economic).Performance includes ecological/environmental, economic, and social criteria (Boons et al., 2013;Fritz & Schiefer, 2008).Sustainable developments through innovation research have created awareness for policy-makers, government, firms, non-government organizations, users and producers (Raynolds, Murray, & Wilkinson, 2007).Societal and environmental factors can be included positively for economic gains which leads to border shifting that business surrounding not aligned to market competition (A.Smith, Stirling, & Berkhout, 2005), but new borders of sustainable development through innovation walls once merged in success creates superior competitive innovation advantage.Sustainable development through innovation simply leads to firm survival and existence, this would also lead to policy surveillances, science, technology and innovation capabilities to change and adapt to surroundings (Teece, Pisano, & Shuen, 1997).Change in view, opinion and procedures lead to new growth of user's needs.Changes are inevitable but changes happen faster with huge improvements in information and communication technology, firm's face new competition through globalization, customization, and transformation (Chen, 2016).Sustainable development through innovation is becoming important, evident, through the firm's choice in sustainability existence, user satisfaction, and Science Technology and Innovation improvement (Boer & Gertsen, 2003).Sustainable development through innovation adds stepladder values and benefit value chain for firm to breathe and survive in borderless competitive surrounding globally (Lin & Kuo, 2007).Firms maintain their competitive advantage through continuous improvement in process and product innovation to support business strategy (Smeds & Boer, 2004).Sustainable development through innovation is important and indispensable even in literature studies or in practical works in a firm (Chen, 2016) Yang, Lin, Chan, & Sheu, 2010).This widens the understanding on the interlinked and direct implication of innovation through sustainable development in SME's in Malaysia, serving as a base for knowledge, commitment, importance and contribution of innovation -Sustainable development in Small Medium Enterprise (Mokthsim & Salleh, 2014).

Sustainable Development through Innovation and Competitive Innovation Advantage
Resource base view and its fundamental values is that multinational firms and small medium enterprises achieves its competitive advantages through it is a superior internal resources, not through market or industry's demands and nature (Aziz & Samad, 2016).Competitive advantages in a firm is established when it creates a benefit in and for a product or a process that creates success value positioning over competitors (Barney, 1991;Porter, 1980).Cost, product or service differentiation advantages are source of competitive advantages creating positioning (Porter, 2000).
Researchers have studied innovation as independent variables and dependent variables of cost, quality, time and flexibility; the four dimensions of competitive advantage and innovation does have positive impact on competitive advantage(Abou-Moghli, Abdallah, & Al Muala, 2012).Measurements of competitive advantages are measurable through dimensions of cost, perceived quality, period and time, and adoptability or flexibility activity (Bulankulama & Khatibi, 2014).Sustainable development can be associated and linked to competitive advantages (Falkenberg & Brunsael, 2011;Gutierrez, Alcaraz, Susaeta, Suarez, & Pin, 2015).Commitment and doing work related to sustainable development enhances competitive advantages of firm, building, image and brand that leads to differentiation from product, competition and competitors alike (Jones, Hillier, & Comfort, 2014).Sustainable development is a business issue, front, gateway, route, strategy, initiative or a template with a broad scope with huge impact, to economy, social and environment.The stakeholders: (a) employees, (b) customers, (c) consumers, (d) SC partners, (e) competitors, (f) investors, (g) lenders, (h) insurers, (i) non-governmental, (j) competitors (k) media, (l) government and (m) society to participate and, act for the goodwill of our own future and future generation (Hopkins et al., 2009).In summary, innovation when it merges successfully with sustainable development brings about competitive innovation advantage to the firm.

Discussion and Conclusion
Sustainable development relates to infrastructure, inclusive industrialization and innovation Key initiatives the focus on cradle-to-grave talent development and lifelong learning will improve labor productivity, deliver a higher skilled workforce, and create a virtuous cycle of job creation, growth, social development, green growth for sustainability and resilience to be a way of life.This will lead to strengthening food, water, and energy security, lower environmental risks, better well-being and quality of life andstrengthening infrastructure to support economic expansion.Eventually the growth will lead Malaysia in having access to basic amenities, connected through integrated transport and high-speed internet that will lead to new investment focusto lowering cost of business and enhancing competitiveness.Re-engineering economic growth for greater prosperity will ensure quality growth and international competitiveness.All economic sectors will migrate towards more knowledgeintensive and high value-added activities with greater productivity.Thegame changers; "Translating innovation to wealth" and "Embarking on Green Growth" , National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation (NPSTI) 2013-2020 and Strategic Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Roadmap are used in Malaysia to realize its goals in sustainable development.
Based on discussion, there is a general agreement that innovation is important for survival of firms in business and merging successfully with sustainable development brings implications related to competitive innovation advantage.This review relates innovation to sustainable development, impact and its' important.This review acknowledges the limited research, the need and requirement with greater futuristic understanding to generate new ideas for future research.Its implication and result is evident in firms, industry and nations, especially in Malaysia where the nation has taken innovation as key milestone and made huge progress to address sustainable development goals issues.
(a) Customers (b) Suppliers (c) Competitors (d) Environment and (e) Society and (ii) Internal stakeholders: (a) Human Resource and (b) Shareholder

Table 1 : Expected outcomes from SDGs achievements Item SDGs achievement
(UCLG, 2015)itz, & Boonstoppel, 2015), 40 years after Stockholm and 20 years after the Earth Summit.The global community reconvenes to secure agreement on "greening" world economies through clean energy, decent jobs with more sustainable and fair use of resources.In 2015, to transform our world, 2030 agenda for sustainable development, created and agreed on new sustainable development goals with universal set of goals effective over the next 15 years.The sustainable development goals follows with a set time line that starts in 2016 and ends at 2030.Sustainable development goals expands Millennium Development Goals' outline(United Nations, 2015b).Millennium Development  Goals (2001-2015)and the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals -2030 Agenda (2016-2030), a global issue led by United Nations.Sustainable development goals are beyond traditional development infrastructure, sustainable oceans, and inclusive economic growth (United Nations, 2015b).Policy making in terms of global ambition starts here.Sustainable development goals program has 17 goals and 169 targets.The implementation, financing and monitoring and measurability will be tough and complex, for both developed and developing nations(Kamphof, Spitz, & Boonstoppel, 2015).Local governments, industry organizations, non-governmental organizations, firms and their associations are actors in this global partnership towards sustainable development goals realization(United Nations, 2015a).Local governments are not mere implementers but the stakeholders for sustainable development goals accomplishment; they are the policy makers to their actual surrounding, the catalysts for realizing impending change and the link between the sustainable development goals global desire and local communities(UCLG, 2015).The gaps seen and accepted on sustainable development, as mentioned by the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki on 6 th Jun, 2016, also records that innovation is critical for sustainable development, through use of science and technology only then the assets can deliver the sustainable development delivery goals.The sustainable development goals are voluntary and free will in framework, no legal binding or report for on progress, the people, society and non-government organizations need to be the reminder for the governments (Pope In the year 1992 Rio Earth Summit, a UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was held in Rio de Janeiro, agreements reached in that summit was on action plan Agenda 21, also known as the Rio Declaration.In 1995, World Summit for Social Development then held in Copenhagen, a first international commitment, calling for eradication of absolute poverty worldwide.In 1996, ISO 14001 started and adopted as international standard for corporate environmental management.In 2000, United Nations Millennium Development Goals, world leaders agrees on a time-bound with measurable goals to fight poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental issue and gender discrimination with time line set and to end by 2015(United Nations, 2015b).In 2002, World Summit on sustainable development held in Johannesburg, marking 10 years since UNCED.Government lacks progress in climate issues and the way forward was that the summit promotes "partnerships" approach to sustainable development.In 2005, Kyoto Protocol, on Green House Gas (GHG) emission reductions, and establishing Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for countries with emissions reductions obligations until 2012.A legally binding goal was set among nations.In 2007, Montreal Protocol, on chemicals that deplete ozone, phasing-out hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).In 2009 Copenhagen, nations fail to achieve new agreements, in greenhouse gas emissions reductions commitments beyond 2012.In 2012, cooperation: (a) Ending hunger (b) Reducing maternal deaths, and (c) Ensuring all childgets educated.Sustainable development goals also pay attention to other deliverables in global public goods -energy access, resilient (Shamsul, 2012)hmad, 2014)concept and definition as stated in United Nations resolution(Abdulrazak & Ahmad, 2014).Malaysia participates actively in international sustainable development program and activities, since the 13th session of the commission in New York starting since 2005.Malaysian participation in sustainable development is through(a) Malaysia National Development Policy -started with poverty eradication program since 1993 (b) National Conservation Policy -for environmental considerations including planning and management and as per sustainable development of Agenda 21(c) Malaysia National Vision Policyan equitable society through economic development and environmentally protection as sustainable development requirement (d) Malaysia Vision 2020 or "Wawasan 2020" -development through economic, but not neglecting political balance, social acceptance, spiritually respect, psychological and cultural understanding.The participation of Malaysia in these programs did manage to reduce poverty and stands below 5% since 2005(Shamsul, 2012).To improve the standard of life and quality of rural communities through increasing access of basic physical infrastructure and social with quality under the National Key Result Areas is the Malaysian government effort since 2010 that focuses on three core and fundamental developments (a) Infrastructure (b) Human Capital and (c) Natural Resources.Protecting natural resource, protect ecosystem, water resources, natural forests, wild habitat, wildlife conservation, water source and biodiversity surrounding leading to climate resilience.Malaysia's public participation and awareness on environmental issues have very low participation The policy makers and implementers must have correct and precise knowledge and awareness on sustainable development and in process of sustainable development with knowledge to execute with clarity on (a) what to do (b) how to do (c) when to do (d) where to do and (e) done by whom.It is then (a) to educate all policy maker and implementers on sustainable development by constant meetings and trainings, (b) new product and technology acceptance for ensuring latest and correct with latest updated data, (c) Establish partnership and sectorial participative consultation (d) Promote sustainable development and environmental culture through awareness campaign and training including problem highlights (e) facilitate information transformation using public institutions between the different variable actors (g) Develop outlets and tools for implementation and effective outreach (via communication) and (h) Training all variable actors in the project technical framework for common knowledge and objective and implementation success and consequences (Rafika, Rym, Souad, & Youcef, 2016).Targets of sustainable development goals are related to (a)People (b) Planet (c) Prosperity(d) Peace and (e) Partnership.

Table 3 : Others remarkable achievements related to sustainable development
Porter & Kramer, 2011)t and Innovation: The Relationship ''Vision 2050'' leads the way in a world with 9 billion estimates; quality living, to use limited planet resource wisely by 2050'' (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 2010).Our society with huge appetite and demand with new consciousness has awakened the corporate business world to realize that the new appetite from the society's sustainable development hunger, fed and this helps the huge corporates to move away from risks and take opportunity from the created by this new demand (M.Porter & Kramer, 2011).Corporations around the world are struggling with this new role, which is to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the next generations to meet their own needs.Corporate social responsibility or to include sustainable development in multinational corporations are prominent feature that must be incorporated in business for society development to address good business ethics, social responsibility, global citizenship inclusivity, and belonging characters as stakeholder.New mega trends with global impacts and global commitment including financial obligations needed benefits to people and business have reshaped organizations frameworks, methods, rules, criteria and business models Yang, 2013)ll, 2012)titive innovation advantage.Innovation can also relate to beyond product and services.It can relate to quantitative innovations, sustainable development strategies, new material process and usage, new production methods, savings realization from act of use, optimization, new process and methods which are ecologicalfriendly can also relate to innovation, which in turn contribute to sustainable development goals effectively either directly or indirect associated methods.Standards, frameworks, associations and centers, International recognized and with self-regulatory incentives and initiatives, e.g.International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation.Sustainable Development Goals can be interconnected and prevalent that through achievement of an objective of a target, can then lead to fulfillment of other sustainable development goal and related targets.A clear example is seen in an electrification program(Solmecke, 2017)which can lead to new township, new community, improvement in communication, population wealth, new business, farming, agriculture, employment creation that can relate directly elimination of hunger and poverty.Life span of people will be enhanced with improvements in water quality, type of food availability, food quality, sanitation, medical treatment and medicine availability (Kooijman-van Dijk & Clancy, 2010), all possible through innovation that can lead to access to modern technology that leads to facilitation of education and gender equality (Terrapon-Pfaff, Dienst, König, & Ortiz, 2014).Industry 4.0 first used in 2011 by Henning Kagermann, a strategic initiative defined as digital transformation involving manufacturing and technology platform, involving numerous and continuity in innovation and resulting in; Big Data/Analytics, internet of things, information technology, operational technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, cyber security, cloud, simulation, additive manufacturing (3D) and augmented reality.They innovation relate to data capture, manufacturing processes, production methods, connecting to technology and factories, linking machines with people, smart manufacturing, decentralization -self-optimization in systems use, digitization of supply chain and cyber-physical environment(i-Scoop, 2016).Industry 4.0 relate to (a) Strategy, (b) Leadership, (c) Governance, (c) Culture and (d) People.It relates and fosters with innovation and with economy growth through job creation, leading to income increase and better living standard.Industry 4.0 creates new models related to service industry associated with sustainable development business opportunity.People constantly seek and pursue higher standard in living quality, this desire then applies pressure to deliver them.In the new millennium, these and more are constantly looked after by all, producing cheaper, better products whilst conserving utilization of resources, reduced energy consumption, reduced or no pollution and waste generation(Smith & Ball, 2012)and it is just not a desire but an ambition that must be met.Operational efficiency must improve (M.G.Yang, 2013)and generate new competitive advantage in relativeness to other products, which are lagging and obsolete (C.-L.