The Mechanisms of Co-innovation in the Development of Bioplastic Packaging: Evidence from Practice

This study aims to explore the mechanisms of co-innovation in developing bioplastic packaging. We illustrate the co-innovation process in developing bioplastic packaging and identify the key co-innovation elements and their mechanisms, conceptualizing the mechanisms into a framework. This study explored eight cases representing the biopolymer producer, converter and product manufacturer. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that co-innovation consists of two stages (developing the packaging prototype and further developing the packaging for a specific application) and three key elements (co-innovation comprising joint activities, joint resources and relationship management). This study contributes to co-innovation literature, particularly the mechanisms and conceptualization.