sd.2188.pdf (1.71 MB)
The imperative of embedding sustainability in business: a model for transformational sustainable development
journal contribution
posted on 2021-03-31, 14:16 authored by Hana Trollman, James ColwillJames ColwillSustainable development is the current strategic trajectory with transformative intent for complex global challenges including eradication of poverty, full social inclusion and prevention of ecological collapse. However, discourses related to the private sector emphasise economic and social development over the environmental components of sustainable development. Embedding sustainability is the related management imperative for business, supported by numerous frameworks, yet there is confusion about implementation in both literature and practice. This research addresses these issues with a mixed methods study combining a scoping literature review with a qualitative e‐Delphi study. The main findings are that the economic system constrains the embedding of sustainability in business; and that a paradigm shift towards ecocentric business models lacks support. The results are used to develop a novel model to aid transformational sustainable development that acknowledges the influences of the economic system in business whilst respecting social and ecological embeddedness.
History
School
- Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Published in
Sustainable DevelopmentVolume
29Issue
5Pages
974-986Publisher
WileyVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Rights holder
© The AuthorsPublisher statement
This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Wiley under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Acceptance date
2021-03-17Publication date
2021-03-28Copyright date
2021ISSN
0968-0802eISSN
1099-1719Publisher version
Language
- en