Eco-innovation presents a tool that helps companies to transform environmental constraints into opportunities and advantages such as cost reduction, better reputation, and benefit for new markets. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the perception of eco-innovation and green brands in the context of sustainability in Slovakia and their mutual relation. The applied research focused on the perception of eco-innovation and green brands. The survey was realized by the Kano model that provides customers’ opinions regarding the requirements of the monitored object. In our case, the research object is ecological innovation evaluated in terms of selected parameters. To generalize the relationships among examined parameters, cluster analysis was applied to identify clusters of examined parameters of ecological innovations. The aim of the contribution is to present the output of the cluster analysis in a form of a dendrogram showing a graphical grouping of related objects in three clusters that include examined parameters according to their perception by customers.

The paper presents the results of a survey aimed at evaluating the attitudes of Slovak respondents toward eco-innovation purchasing power supplied on the Slovak market to propose an open business model that would support such purchasing power to increase sustainability. The primary method applied in the research was the Kano model, by which we determined the attitudes of the respondents to the issue. Based on the findings and using the analytical-synthetic method, we subsequently processed a proposal for a business model for implementation of ecological innovation in Slovakia. This model used innovative marketing communication tools to increase interest in eco-innovation and products, and created a learning algorithm to influence customers’ shopping behaviors. As a result of the research, we assumed that the main obstacles to increasing demand for eco-innovation and products were inexperience, cost, and lack of information held by respondents, and therefore it is necessary to build and improve customer relationships, in which, in addition to traditional forms of marketing, it is inevitable to use various innovative forms of corporate social responsibility to minimize these negatives.

Background: Systematic management of innovation in the context of sustainable development based on ecological innovation is an essential part of the global market. Therefore, it will be guided by ecological innovations, which represent a means of sustainable development. The traditional approach to the evaluation of innovations focused mainly on economic results and failed to capture the ecological dimensions of sustainability from the theme of view of their consumers’ application. Therefore, the paper has the aim of evaluating the sustainability of ecological innovations from the perspective of customers in Slovakia, focusing on the elementary characteristics of sustainability through ecological innovations from the point of view of consumers. In the research, we focus on the parameters of ecological innovations connected with the sustainability of buildings and their operation—energy, health, comfort, materials, living processes and the quality of the place and equipment from the point of view of mobility. Methods: The primary study method is the Kano model. Conclusions: The results point to the fact that Slovak respondents are largely unaffected by ecological innovations, but they perceive the use of cars with an internal combustion engine as a mandatory requirement; innovations in thermal insulation, the use of natural and renewable materials and mass transport are attractive requirements for the respondents. Heating and use of recyclable materials are one-dimensional requirements.

Background: In the current global market, innovations are one of the tools of sustainable development. Therefore, companies must change their attitudes toward innovation strategies in accordance with international and national environmental standards, laws, and market requirements. We often come across, in particular, the evaluation of economic factors of sustainability, which cannot capture the attitudes of companies to the solved issue of the perception of innovation as a tool of sustainable development. Therefore, the Kano model and cluster analysis are used to evaluate the attitudes of Slovak small and medium-sized enterprises towards innovation, and the aim of this paper is to evaluate innovation as a tool of sustainability in enterprises in Slovakia. Methods: This article’s main research method is the Kano model and cluster analysis. Conclusions: The findings of this paper reveal how small and medium-sized enterprises in Slovakia perceive innovation as a tool for sustainable development. Based on the results, we can state the positive attitude of small and medium-sized enterprises towards innovations supporting sustainable development, focusing on frugal innovations characterized by cost reduction, as well as innovation targeting functions, standards, laws, and performance optimization. They perceive these innovations as attractive and their implementation in corporate structures as a basic function for sustainable development through innovation.

The paper is focused on the issue of business logistics performance and sustainability of countries in the EU due to their constantly growing importance in the social, economic and environmental field. We assume a significant dependence between the mentioned quantities. To research the relationship between business logistics performance and sustainability, we used the data of the business logistics performance index and the sustainability index across each EU countries. The importance of the selected indices lies in the ability to identify possible opportunities and challenges of business logistics as a benchmarking tool to increase its performance. To assess the relationship of these researched parameters, we applied the correlation coefficient, cluster and geographic analysis to identify relatively homogeneous groups - EU countries - clusters with the greatest possible difference within the clusters. The results proved a statistically significant dependence between the performance of business logistics and sustainability in EU member states. From a geographic analysis perspective, we have identified a tendency to create geographically close groupings of EU countries within the examined parameters.

Digitization and innovation supported by various innovation systems have become key factors in the sustainable development of companies, countries (including UE countries), and the economy as a whole. The primary objective of this study is to explore the interconnections between the perspectives of the Quintuple Helix model and digitalization as a comprehensive innovation system supporting digitalization in EU countries. The study is grounded in the innovation systems theory, specifically employing the Quintuple Helix Model as a comprehensive framework, and addresses the challenge of digital divide across the EU. The research was conducted using K-means cluster analysis to identify homogeneous groups of countries within the EU. Subsequently, correlation analysis was applied to identify statistically significant relationships between the individual variables examined within the Quintuple Helix model and digitization within EU countries. Based on the results, we identified four distinct clusters of EU countries characterized by different degrees of digitization, governance, and intellectual Capital. It was found that countries with the highest level of digitization are also characterized by the highest levels of governance and intellectual Capital. Correlation analysis confirmed a strong interconnection between the examined perspectives of the Quintuple Helix model and their relationship with digitization.