{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T23:28:53Z","timestamp":1792625333334,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":73,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,17]],"date-time":"2015-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1442448000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The field of eco-innovation is included in the area of sustainable development being closely related with ecological planning. In this context, this paper aims to evaluate Romanian eco-innovation performance during the period 2003\u20132013 by constructing a composite index and to also identify the main eco-innovation poles at the European level using multidimensional analysis techniques based on the eco-innovation specific indicators for the year 2013. This approach used the methodology of constructing composite indices proposed by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2008. The index measured the eco-innovation dimensions in 27 countries over the period 2003\u20132013. The empirical analysis revealed the conclusion that in Romania, the eco-innovation level is low compared with other countries, thus Romania cannot emphasize its eco-innovation performance. The empirical results of the study highlighted that eco-innovation represents a phenomenon leading to significant progress in achieving the objective of sustainable development in Romania, and also at the European level, only if the importance of this area is awarded and eco-innovation measures are enforced through adequate policies, leading to economic growth.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su70912723","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,17]],"date-time":"2015-09-17T16:40:26Z","timestamp":1442508026000},"page":"12723-12757","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":34,"title":["Evaluating Romanian Eco-Innovation Performances in European Context"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9847-1200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adriana","family":"Davidescu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Statistics and Econometrics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 15\u201317 Dorobanti St., Sector 1, 010552 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andreea","family":"Paul","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of International Economic Relations, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 15\u201317 Dorobanti St., Sector 1, 010552 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rodica-Manuela","family":"Gogonea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Statistics and Econometrics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 15\u201317 Dorobanti St., Sector 1, 010552 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marian","family":"Zaharia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Petroleum-Gas University, 39 Bucuresti St., 100680 Ploiesti, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"OECD Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/innovation\/green\/toolkit\/."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Bridging the Valley of Death: Public Support for Commercialization of Eco-Innovation. Available online: http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/enveco\/innovation_technology\/pdf\/bridging_valley_report.pdf."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Invention and Transfer of Environmental Technologies. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/env\/consumption-innovation\/inventionandtransferofenvironmentaltechnologies.htm."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"The Development and Diffusion of Environmental Technologies: Technology Transfer, Knowledge Flows and International Cooperation. Available online: http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/ecoap\/pdfs\/final-executive-summary-final-report-idea-consult-env_tech-transfe-13-11-2012_en.pdf."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"The Business Case for Eco-innovation. Available online: http:\/\/www.unep.org\/resourceefficiency\/Business\/Eco-Innovation\/TheEco-InnovationProject\/TheBusinessCaseforEco-innovation\/."},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Impact of P&D Incentive Program on the Performance and Technological Efforts of Brazilian Industrial Firms. Available online: http:\/\/idbdocs.iadb.org\/WSDocs\/getdocument.aspx?docnum=907639&Cache=True."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Rethinking the Benchmarking of Agricultural and Rural Innovation. Available online: http:\/\/www.ieri.org.za\/publications\/rethinking-benchmarking-agricultural-and-rural-innovation."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"The Market Valuation of Innovation: The Case of Indian Manufacturing. Available online: http:\/\/www.esocialsciences.org\/Download\/repecDownload.aspx?fname=A2014610165027_20.pdf&fcategory=Articles&AId=5911&fref=repec."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"Fussler, C., and James, P. (1996). Driving Eco-Innovation: A Breakthrough Discipline for Innovation and Sustainability, Pitman Publishing."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"52","article-title":"The sustainability circle: A new tool for product development and design","volume":"2","author":"James","year":"1997","journal-title":"J. Sustain. Prod. Des."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Klemmer, P., Lehr, U., and L\u00f6bbe\u2019s, K. (1999). Environmental Innovation, Incentives and Barriers, Analytica-Verlag."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Survey Indicators for Environmental Innovation. Available online: http:\/\/brage.bibsys.no\/xmlui\/bitstream\/handle\/11250\/226478\/Idea8.pdf?sequence=1."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"Employment Impacts of Cleaner Production. Available online: https:\/\/books.google.com.hk\/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hRfrCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=Employment+Impacts+of+Cleaner+Production&ots=EgOPoIIzLD&sig=87xhE_Q5mA8tkzYzexOFmtWVJgg#v=onepage&q=Employment%20Impacts%20of%20Cleaner%20Production&f=false."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"On the Faces and Phases of Eco-Innovation\u2014On the Dynamics of the Greening of the Economy. Available online: http:\/\/www2.druid.dk\/conferences\/viewabstract.php?id=501858&cf=43."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1016\/S0921-8009(99)00112-3","article-title":"Redefining innovation\u2014Eco-innovation research and the contribution from ecological economics","volume":"32","author":"Rennings","year":"2000","journal-title":"Ecol. Econ."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Huber, J. (2004). New Technologies and Environmental Innovation, Edward Elgar.","DOI":"10.4337\/9781781957936"},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"Achieving Eco-Innovation through Strategic Alliances: Study Case of Renault Strategic Alliances. Available online: http:\/\/citeseerx.ist.psu.edu\/viewdoc\/summary?doi=10.1.1.304.3115."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Eco-efficient and Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Development in Asia and Latin America. Available online: http:\/\/www.cepal.org\/publicaciones\/xml\/9\/51999\/Indicators_for_urban_freight_transport.pdf."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Prosperity without Growth? The Transition to a Sustainable Economy. Available online: https:\/\/research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk\/handle\/10023\/2163."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1016\/j.techfore.2014.11.007","article-title":"Beyond unsustainable eco-innovation: The role of narratives in the evolution of the lighting sector","volume":"92","author":"Franceschini","year":"2015","journal-title":"Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1002\/sd.244","article-title":"Sustainable development: Mapping different approaches","volume":"13","author":"Hopwood","year":"2005","journal-title":"Sustain. Dev."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1073","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jclepro.2010.02.014","article-title":"Diversity of eco-innovations reflections from selected case studies","volume":"18","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Clean. Prod."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"194","DOI":"10.1016\/j.technovation.2006.11.004","article-title":"Technological innovation, energy efficient design and the rebound effect","volume":"27","author":"Herring","year":"2007","journal-title":"Technovation"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"457","DOI":"10.1016\/S0301-4215(00)00020-3","article-title":"Prices, technology development and the rebound effect","volume":"28","author":"Birol","year":"2000","journal-title":"Energy Policy"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ecolecon.2005.03.020","article-title":"Jevons\u2019 paradox","volume":"54","author":"Alcott","year":"2005","journal-title":"Ecol. Econ."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1016\/j.energy.2004.04.055","article-title":"Energy efficiency\u2014A critical view","volume":"31","author":"Herring","year":"2006","journal-title":"Energy"},{"key":"ref_27","unstructured":"The Jevons Paradox and the Myth of Resource Efficiency Improvements. Available online: http:\/\/sspp.proquest.com\/archives\/vol5iss1\/book.polimeni.html."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"477","DOI":"10.1016\/j.enpol.2012.06.050","article-title":"Rebound effects for lighting","volume":"49","author":"Saunders","year":"2012","journal-title":"Energy Policy"},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"Historical Overview of the Jevons Paradox in the Literature. Available online: https:\/\/books.google.com.hk\/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nfHDSSqi4NQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA7&dq=Historical+Overview+of+the+Jevons+Paradox+in+the+Literature&ots=PX9NemSGv4&sig=Kw1S8uxl10rPWDocNPaRFXeJxmE#v=onepage&q=Historical%20Overview%20of%20the%20Jevons%20Paradox%20in%20the%20Literature&f=false."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Jevons Paradox. Available online: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jevons_paradox."},{"key":"ref_31","first-page":"131","article-title":"The Khazzoom-Brookes Postulate and Neoclassical Growth","volume":"13","author":"Saunders","year":"1992","journal-title":"Energy"},{"key":"ref_32","unstructured":"The Rebound Effect: An Assessment of the Evidence for Economy-Wide Energy Savings from Improved Energy Efficiency. Available online: http:\/\/aida.econ.yale.edu\/~nordhaus\/homepage\/documents\/UK_ReboundEffectReport.pdf."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gloenvcha.2007.01.004","article-title":"Barriers perceived to engaging with climate change among the UK public and their policy implications","volume":"17","author":"Lorenzoni","year":"2007","journal-title":"Glob. Environ. Change"},{"key":"ref_34","unstructured":"Theoretical Perspective on Rebound Effects from a Social Science Point of View. Available online: http:\/\/www.isi.fraunhofer.de\/isi-wAssets\/docs\/e-x\/working-papers-sustainability-and-innovation\/WP02-2012_Rebound_psychological_sociological_background.pdf."},{"key":"ref_35","unstructured":"Environmental Responsibility Denial Due to Optimism in Green Technology. Available online: http:\/\/dce-conference.au.dk\/fileadmin\/dce-conference.au.dk\/abstracts\/56_Soland.pdf."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"de Bruijn, T.J.N.M., and Tukker, A. (2002). Partnership and Leadership e Building Alliances for a Sustainable Future, Kluwer Academic Publishers.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-017-2545-3"},{"key":"ref_37","unstructured":"Measuring Eco-Innovation. Available online: http:\/\/collections.unu.edu\/view\/UNU:324."},{"key":"ref_38","unstructured":"Sustainable Manufacturing and Eco-Innovation. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/innovation\/inno\/43423689.pdf."},{"key":"ref_39","unstructured":"United Nations University\u2014Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology\u2014Working Paper Series. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/env\/consumption-innovation\/43960846.pdf."},{"key":"ref_40","unstructured":"Policies for the Development and Transfer of Eco-Innovations: Lessons from the Literature. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/environment\/consumption-innovation\/43811507.pdf."},{"key":"ref_41","unstructured":"Investment, Technology and International Competitiveness. Available online: http:\/\/www.nzdl.org\/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0envl--00-0----0-10-0---0---0direct-10---4-------0-0l--11-en-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0-0-11-1-0utfZz-8-00&cl=CL1.4&d=HASH01bfc6018d482de4457ad77c.8&gt=1."},{"key":"ref_42","unstructured":"Beyond the Producer-Driven\/Buyer-Driven Dichotomy\u2014The Evolution of Global Value Chains in the Internet Era. Available online: http:\/\/www.soc.duke.edu\/~ggere\/web\/gereffi_ids_bulletin.pdf."},{"key":"ref_43","unstructured":"Technology Transfer to Transition Countries: Are There Lessons from the Experience of the Post-War Industrializing Countries?. Available online: http:\/\/sro.sussex.ac.uk\/23027\/."},{"key":"ref_44","unstructured":"Eco-Innovation Policies in the People\u2019s Republic of China. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd.org\/china\/44293445.pdf."},{"key":"ref_45","unstructured":"Enhancing Developing Country Access to Eco-Innovation: The Case of Technology Transfer and Climate Change in a Post-2012 Policy Framework. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd-ilibrary.org\/docserver\/download\/5kmfplm8xxf5.pdf?expires=1441694281&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=405AF126CA59137385C168FFC45E6646."},{"key":"ref_46","unstructured":"K\u00f6nn\u00f6l\u00e4, T., Carrillo-Hermosilla, J., and Gonzalez, P.D.R. (2008, January 11\u201313). Dashboard of Eco-Innovation. Proceedings of the DIME International Conference\u2014Innovation, Sustainability and Policy, Bordeaux, France."},{"key":"ref_47","unstructured":"Key Business Factors for Eco-Innovation: An Overview of Recent Firm-Level Empirical Studies. Available online: http:\/\/www.ehu.eus\/cuadernosdegestion\/documentos\/110308ap.pdf."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1002\/bse.640","article-title":"Balancing product and process sustainability against business profitability: Sustainability as a competitive strategy in the property development process","volume":"18","author":"Bryson","year":"2009","journal-title":"Bus. Strategy Environ."},{"key":"ref_49","unstructured":"Voicu-Dorobantu, R., Paraschiv, D.M., and Marinoiu, A.M. (2011, January 1\u20133). Eco-Innovation in Romanian SMEs. Proceedings of the World Multi conference on Applied Economics, Business And Development, Iasi, Romania."},{"key":"ref_50","unstructured":"Exploring Eco-innovation Trends in the European Construction Sector. Focus on Romania. Available online: http:\/\/www.rejournal.eu\/sites\/rejournal.versatech.ro\/files\/articole\/2014-06-27\/2685\/paraschiv.pdf."},{"key":"ref_51","unstructured":"New Models in Support of the Eco-Innovative Capacity of Companies\u2014A Theoretical Approach. Available online: http:\/\/www.ecocyb.ase.ro\/2012pdf\/Paraschiv%20Dorel%20_T_.pdf."},{"key":"ref_52","unstructured":"Eco-Inovare, Leadership Responsabil \u0219i Schimbare Organiz\u021bional\u0103 \u00een Procesul de Sustenabilitate Corporativ\u0103. Available online: http:\/\/www.amfiteatrueconomic.ro\/ArticolRO.aspx?CodArticol=1133."},{"key":"ref_53","unstructured":"Comisia European\u0103. Available online: http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/pubs\/pdf\/factsheets\/ecoinnovation\/ro.pdf."},{"key":"ref_54","unstructured":"EcoAP for a Sustainable Future. Available online: http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/ecoap."},{"key":"ref_55","unstructured":"A Resource-Efficient Europe\u2014Flagship Initiative of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Available online: http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/resource-efficient-europe."},{"key":"ref_56","unstructured":"Eco-Innovation Observatory. Available online: http:\/\/www.eco-innovation.eu."},{"key":"ref_57","unstructured":"Sustainable Manufacturing and Eco-Innovation. First Steps in Building a Common Framework. Available online: http:\/\/www.symbiosis.dk\/sites\/default\/files\/Eco-Innovation%20in%20Industry%20OECD.pdf."},{"key":"ref_58","unstructured":"Governance Indicators: Where are We, Where Should We Be Going?. Available online: http:\/\/elibrary.worldbank.org\/content\/workingpaper\/10.1596\/1813-9450-4370."},{"key":"ref_59","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Measuring the Quality of Life and the Construction of Social Indicators. Available online: http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1007\/978-94-007-2421-1_10.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-007-2421-1_10"},{"key":"ref_60","unstructured":"Composite Indices for Multidimensional Development and Poverty: An Application to MDG Indicators. Available online: http:\/\/www.fao.org\/fileadmin\/templates\/ess\/pages\/rural\/wye_city_group\/2009\/Paper_3_b2_DeMuro-Mazziotta-Pareto_Measuring_progress_towards_MDGs.pdf."},{"key":"ref_61","unstructured":"Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators: Methodology and User Guide. Available online: http:\/\/ictlogy.net\/bibliography\/reports\/projects.php?idp=2308."},{"key":"ref_62","unstructured":"Composite Indicators of Country Performance: A Critical Assessment. Available online: http:\/\/www.oecd-ilibrary.org\/science-and-technology\/composite-indicators-of-country-performance_405566708255."},{"key":"ref_63","unstructured":"Constructing an Area-Based Socioeconomic Index: A Principal Components Analysis Approach. Available online: http:\/\/www.cup.ualberta.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/SEICUPWebsite_10April13.pdf."},{"key":"ref_64","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Psychometric Theory. Available online: http:\/\/rds.epi-ucsf.org\/ticr\/syllabus\/courses\/46\/2005\/10\/20\/Lecture\/readings\/Psychometric%20Theory.pdf.","DOI":"10.1525\/an.2005.46.5.20.2"},{"key":"ref_65","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1006931028334","article-title":"Measuring well-being in the Netherlands: The SCP index from 1974 to 1997","volume":"48","author":"Boelhouwer","year":"1999","journal-title":"Soc. Indic. Res."},{"key":"ref_66","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1361","DOI":"10.1002\/aic.690400809","article-title":"Monitoring batch processes using multiway principal component analysis","volume":"40","author":"Nomikos","year":"1994","journal-title":"AIChE J."},{"key":"ref_67","unstructured":"Towards a Fiscal Illusion Index. Available online: http:\/\/mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de\/9760\/."},{"key":"ref_68","unstructured":"Scott, W. (2004). Tracking Human Development: The Use of Statistics in Monitoring Social Conditions, United Nations Development Programme\u2014Bratislava Regional Center (UNDP Bratislava Regi)."},{"key":"ref_69","unstructured":"SPSS Software Version 18. Available online: http:\/\/www-01.ibm.com\/software\/analytics\/spss\/downloads.html."},{"key":"ref_70","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S45","DOI":"10.1136\/jech.49.Suppl_2.S45","article-title":"The importance of normalization in the construction of deprivation indices","volume":"49","author":"Gilthorpe","year":"1995","journal-title":"J. Epidemiol. Community Health"},{"key":"ref_71","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.3102\/00028312004001013","article-title":"Some empirical results concerning the power of Bartlett\u2019s test of the significance of a correlation matrix","volume":"4","author":"Knapp","year":"1967","journal-title":"Am. Educ. Res. J."},{"key":"ref_72","unstructured":"Tabachnick, B.G., and Fidell, L.S. (1989). Profile Analysis of Repeated Measures: Using Multivariate Statistics, Harper Collins."},{"key":"ref_73","first-page":"109","article-title":"Investigating the impact of unemployment rate on the Romanian shadow economy. A complex approach based on ARDL and SVAR analysis","volume":"4","author":"Davidescu","year":"2014","journal-title":"Romanian J. Econ. Forecast."}],"container-title":["Sustainability"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/7\/9\/12723\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T20:48:44Z","timestamp":1760215724000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/7\/9\/12723"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,17]]},"references-count":73,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,9]]}},"alternative-id":["su70912723"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/su70912723","relation":{},"ISSN":["2071-1050"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2071-1050","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2015,9,17]]}}}