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An increasing number of corporations are adapting their strategies to include projects aimed at achieving United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Nonetheless, the implementation of these projects revives a fifty-year old question about the impact of sustainable activity on corporate financial performance and sustainability outcomes. This paper proposes the analysis of the Switching Costs of sustainable projects as a way to identify areas of improvement for corporate strategies, thus responding to the urgent need for models and assessment tools able to achieve financial and sustainability objectives as claimed by both practice and academia. A conceptual framework relating the Switching Costs of sustainable projects to sustainability and corporate financial performance has been developed and applied in this research to a case-study company, Walmart Mexico and Central America. This paper addresses the challenge of recognising, collecting and gauging the effect of the changes, particularly those of an intangible nature, generated by the sustainable projects. Image 109514 • Addressing corporate challenges of Sustainable Development Goals-oriented projects. • Achieving the dual strategic objective of sustainability and financial performance. • Switching cost analysis is able to reveal the intangible effects of changes. • A conceptual framework and an assessment tool for strategy improvement are developed. • The new analytical approach is applied to a 'best-in-class' case company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The private sector plays a crucial role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, implementation of the SDGs into corporate strategies is low, and there are as yet no practicable methods to assess the impact of business activities on the SDGs. Therefore, this paper identifies influencing factors of industries on the official SDG indicators, and we develop a top-down method to quantify industry footprints vis-à-vis the SDGs, including the manufacturing and use phase and supply-chain effects. We apply the proposed method to case studies for 19 industries (which is the entire private sector, with the exception of services) and 28 environmental SDG indicators, covering topics such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, microplastic emissions, and land take. First, the results show that the private sector has a high impact on the SDG indicators under analysis, with a total footprint of 66% for all industries on average. Second, large industries such as agriculture, construction, and motor vehicles usually have the highest footprints. Third, a few industries cause a major part of the footprint for each indicator, which means efficient improvements are indeed possible. Finally, every industry has some impact on any given SDG indicator, at least in a small way via the supply chain. By quantifying footprints for the private sector, this paper demonstrates where responsibility for achieving the SDGs lies, it also supports companies in making decisions and implementing the SDGs in their strategy. In addition, this data-based assessment helps to avoid "SDG-picking". • Top-down method for quantifying industries impact on the SDGs developed. • Influencing factors of the private sector on 28 SDG indicators identified. • High impact of the private sector on the SDGs and relevant SDG indicators identified. • Footprints of 19 industry sectors quantified; sectors with high impacts identified. • Solid foundation for strategic implementation of the SDGs in industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses sustainable business models (SBMs), as an attempt to systematically integrate corporate sustainability principles (including economic, environmental and social goals; multi-stakeholder perspective and long-term outlook) into core business. However, understanding the mechanisms for this systematic integration is still challenging, given complexities of sustainable development. Therefore, SBM concept risks that, by trying to include everything, it may end up losing meaning and connection to practical solutions. To do so, we employ a multi-method approach encompassing a systematic literature review to ensure conceptual basis for the proposed framework and thirteen qualitative interviews with practitioners for face validation of the tool. This paper proposes the Sustainable Value Exchange Matrix, a visual framework to help academics and practitioners discuss sustainable business models, based on solid theory analysis and practice-oriented application. The tool proposed provokes reflections about organization's reason of existence and deployment of this purpose into the business model dimensions from a multi-stakeholder and from a value exchange perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive and cohesive description of the most recent version of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), and also to describe and discuss the overall method for developing the FSSD, elaborate on the general rational for and general benefits of a framework of this type, and validate benefits of the FSSD through examples of its application. The purpose is also to point to pertinent future work. In preparation of this paper, we have reviewed previous publications and other documents related to the FSSD and reflected on the 25-year learning process between scientists and practitioners. We conclude that the FSSD has proven to aid organizations in thoroughly understanding and putting themselves in context of the global sustainability challenge, and to move themselves strategically towards sustainability, i.e., to stepwise reduce their negative impacts on ecological and social systems at large while strengthening the own organization through capturing of innovation opportunities, including new business models, exploration of new markets and winning of new market shares, and through reduced risks and operation costs. Specifically, we conclude that the FSSD aids more effective management of system boundaries and trade-offs, makes it possible to model and assess sustainable potentials for various materials and practices before investments are made, and offers the possibility for more effective collaboration across disciplines and sectors, regions, value-chains and stakeholder groups. We also conclude that the FSSD makes it possible to prevent damages, even from yet unknown problems, and not the least, to guide selection, development and combination of supplementary methods, tools, and other forms of support, which makes it possible to increase their utility for strategic sustainable development. Finally, we have shown that the FSSD is useful for structuring transdisciplinary academic education and research. Several examples of ongoing FSSD related research, as well as ideas for future work, are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore the role of leadership in enabling and accelerating the impact of strategic sustainability initiatives. We do this by first identifying the central integration challenges that strategic sustainability presents through an examination of the five levels of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). We describe the importance of relational leadership for strategic sustainability, or the ongoing process of meaning making and reflection within a nested system of the biosphere and society. We consider how this approach to leadership might address the relational tensions that continuously present themselves from this central challenge of integration. The primary contribution of this paper is that we have developed a conceptual model of relational leadership for strategic sustainability, grounded in practice, which describes specific practices and capabilities to support the FSSD in achieving its transformational potential. A secondary and related contribution is that we have examined two innovations advancing strategic sustainable organization management; the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Canvas and the Future-Fit Business Benchmark. We consider how these practices and capabilities embody relational leadership for sustainability, and how they help to support and measure success in the FSSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many large-scale photovoltaic (PV) energy programs have been launched and developed in the world without a thorough sustainable thinking resulting in an on-going misalignment between the demand and supply of the PV systems. The global PV industry has encountered a serious oversupply problem causing fierce competitions among the PV supply chains and also led to the dumping accusation and anti-dumping trade battles between the PV system importing and exporting countries. It is critical to develop better policy and business insights to redirect the current business exchanges and the industry policies for the PV supply chain development. This paper attempts to examine theoretically and numerically the business dynamics in a multiple PV supply chain system to acquire better insights and propose appropriate industry policy and business strategy directions for both the governments and businesses. This study mimics the contemporary PV supply chains with three supply chain game-theoretical models examining the equilibrium conditions of the multiple PV supply chains under Cournot competition. The numerical and sensitivity analyses of the theoretical supply chain models create several valuable findings on the dynamics regarding the economic decisions of the supply chain members in a pure centralized, a pure decentralized and a hybrid multiple supply chain system. The quantitative analytical results provide a strong support to the contemporary supply chain theory advocating “the world of the business competition has altered to supply chains rather than companies”. Several public and business policy directions are proposed. It is suggested that the PV supply chain members should find effective means to form partnership and build up their supply chains which would most likely strengthen their competitiveness in their current markets. For governments, there are opportunities on both the supply side and the demand side of the PV supply chains to regulate or encourage the PV industry to move toward a healthier industrial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subjectivity, complexity, and often competing interests of sustainable development have limited the effectiveness of integrating these important ideas into mainstream business strategy. With the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in January 2016, there are now global sustainability benchmarks that apply across diverse sectors and national contexts, allowing public and private organizations to orient and evaluate their activities, strategies, and business outcomes. However, it is not directly apparent where the advantage for business lies in pursuit of these actions within the prevailing economic paradigm, highlighting the need for new analytical frameworks and tools. Industrial ecology (IE) has been successfully used in engineering practice for decades and has been suggested as a method that can provide the concepts and methods necessary to bridge the gap between traditional business practice and sustainable development. To test this, literature bridging the fields of industrial ecology, business strategy, and sustainable development was collected and analyzed using the textual analysis software Leximancer™. The analysis showed that while the SDGs are primarily aimed at the national level, they also hold relevance for business through innovation, partnerships, and strategic positioning, inter alia. The analysis found that the integration of IE and business strategy is highly relevant for three of the SDGs, but captures elements of all 17 to varying degrees. IE has a strong focus on innovation and its potential in new markets, products, and business models. IE is also consciously aimed at the efficient use of energy and resources, ideas that are relevant to mitigating, adapting, and building resilience in a changing future, but are also relevant to traditional concepts of business strategy and competitive advantage. This paper shows that through the combination of IE and strategic management theory, commercial organizations can positively contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals while building competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analytical design framework for sustainable future-proofing (DfSFP). The framework provides a systematic approach to deal sustainability and to address future requirements across the entire lifecycle of the system. Future-proof design is one way to obtain a design which defers obsolescence and extends the system's service life and generally includes additional elements in the current solution in order to accommodate future capabilities as projections of the future solutions required to meet those future requirements. However, not all long-life systems are sustainable. In the DfSFP process, future capability elements are integrated in the system capability model in such a way that the system is future-proofed and remains sustainable throughout the system lifecycle. We begin by examining the principles of future proofing and the principles of sustainable design and integrating them to obtain a set of sustainable future-proofing (SFP) design principles. The SFP principles address the entire system lifecycle and account for the impact on the system of additional future proofing elements. The impact is categorised in accordance with the system lifecycle and assessed using a rating system which has been developed to integrate future-proofing elements in the system ensuring overall system sustainability. In order to select the most-suitable design based on the principles developed in this work, a modified analytic hierarchy process is proposed. Finally, an illustrative example is presented where the proposed DfSFP methodology is used to design a house with sustainability and future-proofing requirements. It is shown that the framework provides a systematic analytical basis to assist the designer in addressing the future requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business models have received much attention in recent years due to their importance in the fundamental logic of every company. This paper is based on a qualitative, empirical research study conducted in cooperation with 10 Austrian companies in 2014. It aims to investigate business models for sustainability in order to better understand how they operate and what the drivers for developing these business models are. This is a cross-industry sample covering companies showing notable sustainability activities. In fact, half of the companies were founded with the intention of complying with sustainability principles. The results show that business models incorporating aspects of sustainability do not differ substantially from traditional business models. However, they do require specific adaptations and extensions. Furthermore, the findings highlight the significance of company leaders in organizing change processes so as to encompass sustainable business practices. The findings reveal that business models undergo constant change, and that sustainability plays a central role, both internally and externally. The results gained allow for a deeper understanding of the motivational aspects and drivers needed in developing business models for sustainability, and serve as a solid basis for further research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful business is increasingly about understanding the challenges and opportunities linked to society's transition towards sustainability and, e.g., being able to innovate, design and build business models that are functional in this context. However, current business model innovation and design generally fails to sufficiently embrace the sustainability dimension. Typically, the business case of sustainability is not understood profoundly enough; the planning horizon and system scope are insufficient; the competence to bring together people into systematic ventures towards sustainable business is too low. A unifying framework for sustainability analyses, planning, cross-disciplinary and cross-sector cooperation, and cohesive use of the myriad sustainability tools, methods and concepts has been developed: the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). Similarly, a generic approach to business model design has been put forward: the Business Model Canvas (BMC). In this paper we explore how the FSSD could inform business model innovation and design by combining it with the BMC and supplementary tools, methods and concepts such as creativity techniques, value network mapping, life-cycle assessment, and product-service systems. The results show that the FSSD-BMC combination can support business model innovation and design for strategic sustainable development, as well as strengthen each supplementary tool, method and concept in its own primary purpose. We apply the combined approach, for the purpose of initial testing and presentation, to a real case of business model evolution. Based on our findings we propose a new approach to business model innovation and design for strategic sustainable development. The new approach facilitates, e.g., business scalability and risk avoidance and clarifies the interplay between classical business model development and strategic sustainability thinking. The new approach highlights the opportunity for novel business model design for future sustainable success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development refers to an economic, environmental and social development that meets the needs of the present and does not prevent future generations from fulfilling their needs. In this context, businesses play an important role. However, progress towards sustainable development has been slow, indicating the need for more concrete guidance that will allow businesses to act strategically and successfully in a sustainable way. This theoretical paper connects three distinct, but complementary, dimensions of strategic management as viewed from the perspective of sustainability in order to encourage the integration of sustainability issues into corporate activities and strategies. These three dimensions are: strategy process, strategy content and strategy context. Sixteen propositions related to these dimensions have been developed to explore the contributions of corporate sustainability management to the creation of value for businesses, society and nature. This theoretical discussion contributes to existing research in that it reveals relationships between strategic management and sustainable development and provides an agenda for further empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even when restricting our observations to the business context, it is evident that the concept of sustainability is interpreted in quite different ways, which hinders the achievement of sustainability transitions. Approaching sustainability as an ‘essentially contested concept’, this paper unpacks it into three constituent, management-relevant dimensions – scope, substitutability, and goal orientation – and demonstrates how different conceptions within these dimensions result in hugely different, often incompatible, yet legitimate interpretations of sustainability, with significant consequences for management and with significant differences in their outcome promise. The end result is a novel typology for categorizing conceptions of sustainability into eight basic types. The theoretical value added of the analysis lies in the fact that it improves clarity around a key concept, adds structure to debates on sustainability in a business context, and is able to build a common frame of reference without having to select a single common definition for sustainability. The findings can help with strategic, operative, and communicational problems that practicing managers face with regard to sustainability. Researchers and managers are encouraged to be explicit about the conceptions of sustainability they themselves adhere to and show awareness of those of others. This will, in turn, improve future research on business sustainability and future management of sustainable businesses alike, thus enhancing our ability to contribute to the building of a more sustainable society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Enterprise Zone (EZ) based on cleaner production is an increasingly popular government policy to accelerate the sustainable cities agenda. The purpose of this review paper is to critique EZ theory and the credibility of policy transfer to sustainable production in cities. To this end we undertook a literature review on EZ theory; produced a survey of cleaner production EZs to highlight its application in England; and developed a conceptual framework for a triple bottom line form of EZ. Based on our findings we argue that for the credible transfer of EZ theory to the sustainable cities agenda, policy should align to our conceptual framework for an Ecological Empowerment and Enterprise Zone (EEEZ). The EEEZ is an EZ which is ecologically restorative, places an emphasis on community involvement to better harness market forces, and understands the utility of state with the public sector as an entrepreneur. These research results will be of value to the literature focused on spatial low carbon enterprise strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the current situation in the adaptation and adoption of industrial ecology in Asian Developing Countries (ADCs). The objective of this paper is to consider the possibilities to develop an eco-industrial development (EID) strategy for these developing countries. We review the regional indigenous resources of ADCs and use the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) grouping to classify the preconditions of industrial ecology in ADCs. The authors of this paper argue that unlike the usual way of applying industrial ecology as a technical tool or a practical instrument, ADCs need to adopt industrial ecology as a strategic vision and as a strategic approach to plan the economic, social and ecological development of their national economies. In this way, it can be possible for the ADCs to avoid the same problems that occurred when the developed countries experienced industrialization and rapid economic growth, and move toward more sustainable development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Emerging economies account for a fast-growing share of the global energy market. In particular, energy use in China has become significant from both economic and environmental standpoints. This trend makes it necessary to balance the need for affordable, reliable electricity supply with the need to ensure that the power infrastructure is environmentally sustainable. As such, this paper presents a multi-dimensional pinch analysis (MDPA) of the power generation sector in China; the analysis considers five key indices: carbon footprint, energy return on investment (EROI), water footprint, land footprint, and risk to humans. By simultaneously quantifying five different indices under a common methodological framework, we are able to coherently assess the impact on five different environmental concerns. This approach provides a more complete picture of the true environmental impact of China's power sector. This information can thus help policymakers avoid the problem of shifting environmental impacts to other domains, which can occur when the analytic procedure used focuses on a single environmental dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research objective is to analyze how companies address their contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to manage their legitimacy. Reaching the SDGs by 2030 is considered vital for the well-being of humanity and the planet with multiple parties challenged to contribute. This requires changes in current routines, including the "business as usual" of companies, as achieving the SDGs without companies is unlikely. However, how companies address their contribution to the SDGs is unexplored. Informed by legitimacy theory, FTSE 100 reports on sustainability performance are analyzed deductively with a classification scheme, complemented by an inductive thematic analysis. Two-thirds of companies address the SDGs and legitimize their contributions by mapping the SDGs to existing activities or using them as inspiration for future activities, either for their core business or sustainability as an add-on. The resulting four legitimization strategies - conciliatory, transparency, stimulation, and transformation - largely indicate symbolic rather than substantive disclosure without changes to the "business as usual". The paper contributes to literature and practice by developing a framework of four corporate legitimization strategies and evaluates these efforts critically. The paper concludes that at this point, while all four strategies might be suitable from a legitimacy perspective, if the aim is to achieve the SDGs by 2030, the dominantly symbolic legitimization strategies are insufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fostering business activities has been advocated as a more appropriate strategy, replacing aid-based initiatives for achieving sustainable economic development of underprivileged societies. However, the little familiarity with the working of supply chains serving the respective markets is obstructing our efforts to devise suitable strategies to promote corporate activity in underdeveloped areas. The paper aims to critically evaluate applicability of established supply chain management related constructs in base of the pyramid market setting. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data in 60 face-to-face interviews, with buyer–supplier dyads, focusing micro-entrepreneurs in Pakistan. We used partial least squares algorithm (SmartPLS 3) to fit a structural equation model to the data. Communication emerged as prime driver construct linked to tactical purchasing, technological integration with customers, technological integration with suppliers and supply chain partner development. The paper, while extending largely formal market–focused supply chain literature to informal settings, enriches our understanding of related phenomena in base of the pyramid markets. Findings of the paper will not only assist practitioners in grasping dynamics of business-to-business markets at the base of the pyramid but will also aid in understanding causality of certain supply chain management practices. The paper is among first contributions to evaluate business-to-business interactions among micro-entrepreneurs in the base of the pyramid markets employing a survey methodology. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current approaches to supply chain management generate large amounts of food waste due to the growing urbanization levels, increasing consumer demand for organic products and the growth of e-commerce distribution channel. These trends require the organizations to rethink their approaches to supply chain management, so that they could cope with the upcoming challenges. This research paper focuses on the ways a logistics cluster can provide the abilities to share information and thus improve the forecasting accuracy. The main novelty of the paper has been to work out a collaborative technological strategy which promotes information sharing in order to improve forecasting accuracy and inventory control for better alignment of demand and supply. The secondary contribution of the article is the determination of the influence of information sharing on forecasting accuracy in different market sizes, types and the consideration of consumer integration. Lastly, a sensitivity analysis has been completed to identify the optimal size of the logistics cluster the determination of which provides support when implementing the proposed strategy in practice. For the results validation we have implemented an agent-based model of the food supply chain. Our results have confirmed that information sharing increases the forecasting accuracy in multiple scenarios. Moreover, consumer integration is beneficial in a perfect competition market; however, its positive effect is less significant in an oligopoly market. These findings should be taken into consideration when developing e-commerce business strategy and forming logistics clusters. The usage of machine learning algorithms in the forecasting process provides adaptation capabilities for the supply chain members. The adaptation emerges as system resilience and it improves the alignment of demand and supply, reduces food waste levels and maintains higher nutrition value. The proposed strategy can ensure a long-term sustainable development to logistics cluster members. • The majority of supply chain management approaches have been developed in astable business environment. • Supply chain collaboration tends to fail due to lack of collaborative technologies and strategies. • The inability to align demand and supply in the food supply chain generates a lot of food waste and reduces nutrition value. • An agent-based model identified how collaborative demand forecasting improves alignment of demand and supply. • Application of machine learning provides adaptation abilities for supply chain members, and ensures system resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sustainability strategies create many synergistic effects for SMEs working collaboratively, as well as systemic benefits for the commons. After setting forth the business case for sustainable SMEs, and considering SME sustainability advantages in contrast to MNEs, this paper discusses several different incentives for SMEs to optimize sustainability: (1) becoming valuable sustainable investment targets for larger firms; (2) creating highly competitive networks of sustainable SMEs in market spaces where large enterprises are less successful; (3) becoming highly efficient suppliers in global supply chains through sustainable practices. While several successful models of the sustainable SME are evolving, it may be that networks of SMEs will become essential for addressing the systemic problems that underlie industrial ecology, enterprise resilience, and global supply chain sustainability. SMEs represent the majority of all enterprises, and rapidly evolving communication technologies allow for various routes of network formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed upon by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 encompass a set of 17 Goals, aimed at integrating matters of humanity's most pressing problems. Although the SDGs were initially suggested to be carried out by governments, enterprises are key players for the achievement of these goals through their business activities. Among for-profit firms, Certified B Corporations (B Corps) are a legal form of hybrid organizations (HOs) that has received scarce attention in the literature. Building on business model and corporate social innovation (CSI) literature, this paper aims to identify to what extent and how B Corps contribute to the SDGs when focusing on the solution of renowned social problems highlighted by the UN. A multiple-case study based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 18 enterprises in an emerging economy in Latin America (Colombia), shows that B Corps are great contributors to the solution of social problems, such as agriculture-related challenges, corruption, climate change, labor, poverty, and unsustainable habits. Results elucidate that Colombian B Corps show great potential in the empowerment of communities, the introduction of novel organizational practices, the creation of alternatives that shape new lifestyles and consumption patterns, and the introduction of novel environmental solutions. Overall, Colombian B Corps show relevant contributions to Goals 2, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 16. Finally, this research provides a model for analyzing CSI in HOs and gives avenues for future research. • Hybrid Organizations can contribute to the SDGs by giving solution to domestic social problems. • The role of B Cops in an emerging economy in Latin America is highlighted. • Colombian B Corps are great contributors to the SDGs, specifically on Goals 9 and 16. • B Corps are involved in the SDGs as a business strategy for attracting new customers. • B Corps have the potential to drive Corporate Social Innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has two main aims: firstly, to examine the effect of pessimistic (sell) recommendations made by analysts to investors on the implementation of business communication strategies in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through the adoption of the SDG Compass. Secondly, it considers the possible corrective effect produced by these strategies on analysts' recommendations, i.e. modifying their perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an agency cost. Based on a sample of 989 international companies which disclose CSR information, obtained by merging the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Thomson Reuters databases, our analysis of the results obtained shows that the companies receiving most sell recommendations were among the first to adopt the SDG Compass in a given year or in the year immediately following it. Nevertheless, this effect is limited, because the long-term implementation of CSR strategies has a relatively trivial impact on analysts' recommendations, since there is little likelihood of change in these strategies. • Analysts' recommendations affect and are affected by the adoption of the SDG Compass. • Pessimistic recommendations of analysts fostered the adoption of the SDG Compass. • The adoption of the SDG Compass has a short-term effect on analysts' recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the uses and characteristics of environmental and managerial information for cleaner production (CP) strategies to achieve corporate sustainability from an environmental management development perspective. Based on a development stage model, an analytical framework was developed to identify the organizational uses and dimension characteristics of information for three different CP strategies, namely, efficiency, consistency and sufficiency. Based on twelve case studies of businesses in Sri Lanka, the uses and characteristics of information are explored at three different environmental management development stages (i.e. functional specialization, internal integration and external integration). Overall, the study found that the organizations at the functional specialization stage, with limited information uses and characteristics, adopt a narrow view of CP strategies by associating them with efficiency. As organizations progress to higher stages of environmental management development, the information uses and characteristics for CP are expanded to encapsulate sufficiency and consistency strategies while strengthening the efficiency uses. Further, the findings show that limited uses and characteristics of information in some respects such as for pricing decisions, internal reporting of environmental aspects (e.g. material, water and waste with the exception of energy) and external collaboration can undermine the efforts of companies to use CP strategies for corporate environmental sustainability. • This study examines the uses and characteristics of information for cleaner production (CP) strategies. • In many organizations CP is still associated with efficiency strategies. • As organizations develop, CP is extended to sufficiency and consistency strategies. • Limited uses and characteristics of information undermine corporate environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically examines the role of a sustainability strategy in the relation between a digital business strategy and financial performance. By classifying two capabilities (managerial capability and operational capability) that are needed to realize a digital business strategy, this study suggests that a sustainability strategy serves as a promoter in the relation between managerial capability and financial performance but inhibits the relation between operational capability and financial performance. Using a structured survey questionnaire, the data was collected from 280 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which operate in both the service and manufacturing industries in Finland. Four developed hypotheses were tested using the regression analysis to find the relationship between digital business strategy, sustainability strategy and financial performance. The findings suggest that a sustainability strategy serves as a promoter in the relation between managerial capability and financial performance but inhibits the relation between operational capability and financial performance. • The relations between a digital business strategy, a sustainability strategy and financial performance are studied. • Two capabilities (managerial capability and operational capability) are needed to realize a digital business strategy. • Sustainability strategy facilitates the relation between a digital business strategy and financial performance. • Sustainability strategy serves as a promoter in the relation between managerial capability and financial performance. • Sustainability strategy inhibits the relation between operational capability and financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]