Green Businesses in the Colombian Amazon: Dynamic Capabilities, Elements of Sustainable Development, and Characteristics of Innovative Performance

Abstract

In the Colombian Amazon, green businesses have emerged as key strategies for sustainable development, yet they face critical challenges such as low organizational capacity, limited innovation, weak institutional coordination, and regional inequalities. This study analyzed the interaction between dynamic capabilities, sustainability, and innovation in 120 green businesses across the departments of Putumayo, Caquetá, and Amazonas, using 111 variables grouped into three dimensions, sustainable development, dynamic capabilities, and innovative performance. The analysis identified three business types: (1) Businesses with Potential, characterized by high levels of innovation, learning, and absorptive capacity; (2) Developing Businesses, with strengths in social, economic, and human capital but limited environmental sustainability; and (3) Limited Businesses, which lag in all three dimensions. Putumayo had the highest proportion of potential businesses, supported by strong institutional coordination through CORPOAMAZONIA; Caquetá stood out in financial inclusion and human capital, while Amazonas faced more structural limitations. The novelty of this research lies in integrating three conceptual frameworks into a territorialized analysis, enabling a deeper understanding of how these dimensions interact across diverse Amazonian contexts. Its main contribution is a functional typology of green businesses, which offers a basis for tailored policy recommendations aimed at enhancing capacities and fostering more resilient and sustainable enterprises.