Towards Strong Sustainability: Exploring Reconfigurations of Sufficiency‐Oriented and Regenerative Business Models

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Authors: Maike Gossen, Katrin Pakizer, Maren Kropfeld, Nancy Bocken
Cited by: 1
References: 122

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite increasing adoption of sustainable business models, environmental decline and social disparities continue to accelerate. Strong sustainable business models offer an alternative by prioritizing ecological limits and systemic change. Drawing on an integrative literature review and business model modularization, this study examines how sufficiency‐oriented business models and regenerative business models can be reconfigured to advance sustainability. Both share common elements such as longevity, stakeholder collaboration and reinvestment of profits for sustainable value creation, which indicates that they are compatible with different value logics. The study proposes a modular framework enabling businesses to reconfigure components from both models, while maintaining coherence of the dominant value logic by applying modularity principles. From a systemic perspective, three feedback dynamics—growth‐dependent logics, legitimacy erosion and socio‐ecological misalignment—are identified as critical conditions shaping viable configurations. The study also explores what makes strong sustainable business models difficult to realize in practice.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Innovation and Socioeconomic Development Environmental Sustainability in Business

Publication details

Journal / source
Business Strategy and the Environment
Publisher
Wiley
Publication date
13 May 2026
Language
EN