Shaping sustainable business models

Stakeholder collaboration for sustainable value creation

Sustainable development and the circular transition are gaining increased attention from science and practice. Since implementation of more sustainable solutions lags behind expectations and technological possibilities, scholars and practitioners are increasingly seeing sustainable business model innovation as the key pathway to show the value potential of new sustainable technology. Although they stress the importance of integrating the interests of multiple stakeholders and their economic, environmental and social value goals, little is known about which stakeholders are actively involved, how they interact and what the effect is on the business modelling process.

This thesis clarifies the dynamics of collaborative business modelling for sustainability by studying the role of stakeholder interaction from the level of a focal firm, as well as from the level of innovation ecosystems. Through three empirical studies and a design science study it establishes that stakeholder interaction and business modelling have a reciprocal relationship and unravels the processes that elucidate how stakeholder interaction actually influences the direction into which the sustainable business model develops. It further identifies the main contributors to business model innovation for sustainability, emphasises the distinction between stakeholders and their roles and provides a practical tool, therewith contributing to both science and practice.