Sustainable Business Models: Literature Review of Main Contributions and Themes

Abstract

Literature on sustainable business models (SBM) has recently emerged and is rapidly expanding. This promising research field is aimed at intersecting traditional business model approaches with corporate sustainability. Most of the research to date has focused on existing case studies or examples of sustainability innovations in business models or on the use of frameworks and tools to categorise or design SBMs or suggest the stages of this innovative process towards sustainability. This article presents an integrative literature review aimed at describing the objective aspects of the SBM literature such as its temporal, industrial, geographical and methodological factors. As well as this descriptive analysis, the paper categorises the SBM literature in terms of its main purposes and themes. This categorisation is aimed at synthesising the main contributions of the SBM literature and to highlight gaps to suggest possible further developments. Despite presenting different perspectives on value (proposition, creation, delivery and capture), the current research on SBM has failed to take a holistic approach towards sustainable value measurement and representation in its models and frameworks.

Transformation and Design Thinking: perspectives on sustainable change, company resilience and democratic leadership in SMEs

“…Business transformations aiming at the limitation of a firm’s negative impact on the planet are therefore another aspect of transformation processes which include sustainable business models and strategies such as CO2- or climate neutrality, circular economy approaches, short supply chains and regional business cycles, eco-friendly products, and materials, sustainable investments, etc. (Murray et al 2017 ; Dentschev et al 2018 ; Cantele and Truzzi 2020 ).…”

Sustainable business models: between profit and sustainability

“…Chiar mai mult, în cazul în care sustenabilitatea nu este măsurată sau nu sunt raportate în mod adecvat procesele de luare a deciziilor, companiile se vor orienta în continuare spre aspecte financiare. Suntem de acord cu opinia conform căreia, abordarea strategică a sustenabilității sugerată de modele de afaceri sustenabile în vederea implementării și controlului acesteia trebuie să fie conectată cu abordarea managerială și contabilă [6].…”

The “milky ways”: emerging sustainable business models for sustainable value creation in the dairy industry

“…SBM has recently developed in literature as a separate field of research (Lüdeke-Freund and Dembek, 2017). Some literature reviews show that most research contributions on SBM examine tools, propose frameworks, or analyse case studies on SBM implementation (Cantele and Truzzi, 2020; Preghenella and Battistella, 2021). The examination of specific typologies and characteristics of BM may demonstrate how these models can contribute to large-scale transformation of society towards sustainability.…”