Business Models for Sustainability: A Co-Evolutionary Analysis of Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Transformation
Abstract
The relevance of business models for corporate performance in general and corporate sustainability in particular has been widely acknowledged in the literature while sustainable entrepreneurship research has started to explore contributions to the sustainability transformation of markets and society. Particularities of the business models of sustainable niche market pioneers have been identified in earlier research, but little is known about the dynamic role of business models for sustainable entrepreneurship processes aiming at upscaling ecologically and socially beneficial niche models or sustainability upgrading of conventional mass market players. Informed by evolutionary economics, we develop a theoretical framework to analyze co-evolutionary business model development for sustainable niche pioneers and conventional mass market players aiming at the sustainability transformation of markets. Core evolutionary processes of business model variation, selection and retention, and evolutionary pathways are identified to support structured analyses of the dynamics between business model innovation and sustainability transformation of markets.
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Environmental factors such as technical infrastructures, institutions, and actors provide both supporting and limiting influences (barriers) and shape a system while being shaped by it in a mutual coevolutionary relationship.
“This points to both supporting and limiting influences, that is, barriers, resulting from environmental factors such as technical infrastructures, institutions, and actors who shape a system while they are shaped by that system in a mutual coevolutionary relationship (Hannon et al., 2013;Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, et al., 2016).”
From Sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and business models: Integrative framework and propositions for future research (2020) · cites this paper as Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, et al., 2016
Sustainable entrepreneurs need to commercialise their problem solutions and transform markets to create private and public benefits on a significant scale and for various stakeholders.
“But regardless of personal motivations and success metrics, sustainable entrepreneurs need to commercialise their problem solutions and transform markets to create private and public benefits on a significant scale and for various stakeholders (Freudenreich et al., 2019;Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, Hansen, & Lüdeke-Freund, 2016).”
From Sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and business models: Integrative framework and propositions for future research (2020) · cites this paper as Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, Hansen, & Lüdeke-Freund, 2016
Commercialising ecologically and socially beneficial products, services, or product-service systems is not only driven by supply, demand, or public policies, it is also a question of business model design, making use of the business model's mediating function and its ability to connect green and social innovations to potential markets.
“In analogy, commercialising ecologically and socially beneficial products, services, or product-service systems is not only driven by supply, demand, or public policies, it is also a question of business model design, making use of the business model's mediating function (Doganova & Eyquem-Renault, 2009) and its ability to connect green and social innovations to potential markets (Boons & Lüdeke-F”
From Sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and business models: Integrative framework and propositions for future research (2020) · cites this paper as Schaltegger, Hansen, & Lüdeke-Freund, 2016
Sustainable entrepreneurs' integration of ecological, social, and financial performance by developing BMfSI does not occur in isolation or without interfering with their business environment.
“Although sustainable entrepreneurs aim at integrating their ecological, social, and financial performance by developing BMfSI, this does not occur in isolation or without interfering with their business environment (Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, et al., 2016).”
From Sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation, and business models: Integrative framework and propositions for future research (2020) · cites this paper as Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund, et al., 2016
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A Stakeholder Theory Perspective on Business Models: Value Creation for Sustainability
Freudenreich, B., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Schaltegger, S. (2020) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04112-z · Cited by 995 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Schaltegger, S., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Hansen, E. G.
- Affiliations
- Leuphana University of Lüneburg (DE)
- University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Corresponding author
- Schaltegger, Stefan
- Venue
- Organization & Environment
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-08-01
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 264-289
- ISSN
- 1086-0266 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7417
- OpenAlex
- W2291210707
- Cited by
- 774
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 88 · 2025: 97 · 2024: 86 · 2023: 81 · 2022: 86 · 2021: 89 · 2020: 85 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 49 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 129.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Organization & Environment (publishedVersion)
- Multilingual Matters (Channel View Publications) (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Business Strategies and Innovation
- Keywords
- business models, corporate sustainability, sustainable entrepreneurship, business model innovation, sustainability transformation, coevolution, evolutionary economics, business model selection, evolutionary pathways, upscaling
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