A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Enacting ‘true business sustainability’ − Market shaping for environmental impact




AuthorsSyväri Mariia; Tähtinen Jaana; Nordberg-Davies Sini

PublisherElsevier

Publication year2025

JournalJournal of Business Research

Journal name in sourceJournal of Business Research

Article number114949

Volume186

ISSN0148-2963

eISSN1873-7978

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114949

Web address https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114949

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/458217880


Abstract

Market-shaping research on firms’ efforts to transform markets for environmental aims is scarce and limited to incumbent actors’ efforts to replace existing technologies with more sustainable alternatives. While important, these studies implicitly adhere to the ‘business case for sustainability’ approach, in which CSR is harnessed to facilitate profitability and competitive advantage. We offer a new perspective by examining market shaping explicitly aimed at inducing environmental impact. Using the lens of for-profit hybrid firms, which enact a ‘true business sustainability’ approach by blending environmental impact goals with commercial objectives, we explore the case of a hybrid shaping an existing EU regulation-born ‘sustainability market’ built around the Guarantees of Origin for renewable electricity. We contribute to the contextual understanding of market shaping for sustainability by presenting a model of firm-level market shaping for environmental impact, unfolding through six intertwined processes inherently connected to the organization’s development.


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Funding information in the publication
This work was supported by the Dr. h.c. Marcus Wallenberg's Foundation. Mariia Syväri's doctoral research was supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation the Foundation for Economic Education. Sini Nordberg-Davies benefitted from funding from the KAUTE Foundation.


Last updated on 2025-11-02 at 08:55