Towards a sufficiency-driven business model

Towards a sufficiency-driven business model: Experiences and opportunities

Bocken, N.M.P. (TU Delft Design for Sustainability)
Short, SW (External organisation)

2016

Business model innovation is an important lever for change to tackle pressing sustainability issues. In this paper, ‘sufficiency’ is proposed as a driver of business model innovation for sustainability. Sufficiency-driven business models seek to moderate overall resource consumption by curbing demand through education and consumer engagement, making products that last longer and avoiding built-in obsolescence, focusing on satisfying ‘needs’ rather than promoting ‘wants’ and fast-fashion, conscious sales and marketing techniques, new revenue models, or innovative technology solutions. This paper uses a case study approach to investigate how companies might use sufficiency as a driver for innovation and asserts that there can be a good business case for sufficiency. Business models of exemplar cases are analysed and insights are gained that will contribute to future research, policy makers and businesses interested in exploring sufficiency.

Sustainability
Sustainability consumption
Slow consumption
Product longevity
Frugal innovation

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:86d03319-38b5-48c6-861b-f007ac2184c6

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2015.07.010

2210-4224

Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 18, 41-61

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2016 N.M.P. Bocken, SW Short