This theoretical direction interprets social innovation as a social pillar of sustainable development.
Since the 2010s, researchers (e.g. Howaldt, Domanski, Kaletka) have pointed out that social innovation is not only economic or technological development, but also a social engine of sustainability transition.

The essence of the theory is that the three dimensions of sustainability – economic, environmental and social – can only work together if new institutional and cultural patterns are created.

In this sense, social innovation serves to create an “enabling environment”: community structures and forms of cooperation that support the ecological and economic transition.

This approach forms an important theoretical bridge between the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and European social innovation policy, as both emphasize the need for long-term, socially embedded changes.