Exploring business models for sustainability: A bibliographic investigation of the literature and future research directions

This study aims to review the state of the art on the topic of business models for sustainability. The paper screens 1744 peer-reviewed papers with no temporal limitation and undertakes three stages of literature review analysis of a final set of 134 papers with a combination of systematic, bibliometric and multivariate techniques. The first output is the identification of six wide different but interconnected research streams of business model for sustainability: namely, elements and structure; applications; different types of business model for sustainability; transition process; circularity as sustainability; and technical aspects of innovation. A theoretical framework that allows to understand the themes explored by the literature so far and gives an interpretation of the evolution of the literature has been produced. Finally, the analysis provides opportunities and research directions for future research. The paper originality lies in providing the first co-citation analysis of business models for sustainability with a descriptive and critical study by identifying main research trends and relevant gaps in the literature and by providing future research directions.

Automated summary

This study reviews the current state of business models for sustainability by analyzing 1744 peer-reviewed papers and identifying six main research streams. It produces a theoretical framework for understanding the themes explored in the literature and offers opportunities and research directions for future studies. The study's originality lies in providing the first co-citation analysis of business models for sustainability and identifying main research trends and gaps in the literature.