García García, ClaudiaFernández López, SaraTorrecillas Bautista, Celia2025-08-272025-08-272025-07García‐García, C., Fernández, S., & Torrecillas, C. (2025). Exploring external knowledge networks for catalysing material and energy eco‐innovations in spanish firms. Business Strategy and the Environment, bse.70115. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.701150964-473310.1002/bse.70115https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123453Several studies have suggested that collaborations between partners could be a key factor in obtaining eco-innovation results. However, there is still an unresolved question regarding the combinations of external knowledge networks that could stimulate eco-innovation. Using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) on a sample of Spanish firms in 2020, we found evidence that collaborations between different partners could affect eco-innovation and that those partnerships differ depending on the green goal (material or energy). This leads to three main results: (1) For material, six possible paths of collaboration were found, while for energy, we found five paths. (2) Only one common path has been found for both goals: the absence of collaboration with Customers, Competitors and Universities and Research Centres, simultaneously. (3) Among all possible paths, one partner was most repeated: Universities and Research Centres, appearing in four out of six paths for material and two out of five for energy eco-innovation.engjournal article1099-0836https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70115open accessL14L20O31O33Q50collaborationseco-innovationexternal knowledge networksqualitative comparative analysis (QCA)Economía industrial5306.02 Innovación Tecnológica