A bibliometric analysis on the notion of sustainable business models and its relationship with the creation of territorial value for the environment
Abstract
In a context where sustainability has become a central issue for companies and territories, this study aims to identify the importance of new sustainable business models (NBMS) and their interactions with territorial creation value. This study is one of the first to use bibliometric methods to describe and analyze the evolution of the literature published on the subject. The bibliometric analysis method was based on a 25-year study on a data set (1999-2024), collected by analyzing 115 articles via Zotero in a reliable way and randomly by analyzing 1,648 via Web Of Science. Using the VOSviewer software, the visualization of bibliometric data offers a glance at the articles, authors, journals, countries and fields that have the most effect on territorial value creation and the emergence of new sustainable business models. The analysis summarizes the most influential papers, authors, journals, and research topics. The results show the occurrence of three study themes: sustainable business models, territorial creating value, and innovation. In summary, this publication highlights the key findings of the study analysis and makes recommendations for future research areas in the subject.
References
Amit, R., & Zott, C. (2012). Creating value through business model innovation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 53(3), 41–49. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/creating-value-through-business-model-innovation/
Berne, D. F., Coda, R., Krakauer, P., & Donaire, D. (2019). The innovation challenge in micro and small enterprises (MSE): An exploratory study at São Paulo metropolitan region. Innovation and Management Review, 16(3), 235–252. https://doi.org/10.1108/INMR-03-2019-0031
Bocken, N., Boons, F., & Baldassarre, B. (2019). Sustainable business model experimentation by understanding ecologies of business models. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 1498–1512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.159
Bocken, N. M. P., Short, S. W., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2014). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.11.039
Bocken, N. M., & Short, S. W. (2021). Unsustainable business models–Recognising and resolving institutionalised social and environmental harm. Journal of Cleaner Production, 312, 127828.
Bocken, N. M. P., & Geradts, T. H. J. (2020). Barriers and drivers to sustainable business model innovation: Organization design and dynamic capabilities. Long Range Planning, 53(4), 101950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2019.101950
Bocken, N., Short, S., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2013). A value mapping tool for sustainable business modelling. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 13(5), 482–497. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2013-0078
Böttcher, T. P., Empelmann, S., Weking, J., Hein, A., & Krcmar, H. (2024). Digital sustainable business models: Using digital technology to integrate ecological sustainability into the core of business models. Information Systems Journal, 34(3), 736–761. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12436
Del Giudice, M., Di Vaio, A., Hassan, R., & Palladino, R. (2022). Digitalization and new technologies for sustainable business models at the ship–port interface: A bibliometric analysis. Maritime Policy & Management, 49(3), 410–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2021.1903600
Dentchev, N., Rauter, R., Jóhannsdóttir, L., Snihur, Y., Rosano, M., Baumgartner, R., Nyberg, T., Tang, X., Van Hoof, B., & Jonker, J. (2018). Embracing the variety of sustainable business models: A prolific field of research and a future research agenda. Journal of Cleaner Production, 194, 695–703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.156
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Evans, S., Vladimirova, D., Holgado, M., Van Fossen, K., Yang, M., Silva, E. A., & Barlow, C. Y. (2017). Business model innovation for sustainability: Towards a unified perspective for creation of sustainable business models. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(5), 597–608. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1939
Foss, N. J., & Saebi, T. (2018). Business models and business model innovation: Between wicked and paradigmatic problems. Long Range Planning, 51(1), 9–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.07.006
Freudenreich, B., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Schaltegger, S. (2020). A stakeholder theory perspective on business models: Value creation for sustainability. Journal of Business Ethics, 166(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04112-z
Gomes, J. G. C., Okano, M. T., Guerra, R. S., Cordeiro, D. D. S., Dos Santos, H. C. L., & Fernandes, M. E. (2022). Analysis of sustainable business models: Exploratory study in two Brazilian logistics companies. Sustainability, 14(2), 694. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020694
Hassan, W., & Duarte, A. E. (2024). Bibliometric analysis: A few suggestions. Current Problems in Cardiology, 49(8), 102640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2024.102640
Hayat, K. (2022). A bibliometric and systematic analysis on the notion of human capital and its relationship with environmental performance. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5909966
Ikram, B., & Ben Elhaj, F. (n.d.). Bibliometric analysis of the literature on the co-thematic: Portfolio management and decision-making. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo
Jabłoński, M. (2018). Value migration to the sustainable business models of digital economy companies on the capital market. Sustainability, 10(9), 3113. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093113
Karuppiah, K., Sankaranarayanan, B., & Ali, S. M. (2023). A systematic review of sustainable business models: Opportunities, challenges, and future research directions. Decision Analytics Journal, 8(February), 100272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dajour.2023.100272
Lahti, T., Wincent, J., & Parida, V. (2018). A definition and theoretical review of the circular economy, value creation, and sustainable business models: where are we now and where should research move in the future?.Sustainability,10(8), 2799.
Laukkanen, M., & Tura, N. (2020). The potential of sharing economy business models for sustainable value creation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 253, 120004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120004
Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Dembek, K. (2017). Sustainable business model research and practice: Emerging field or passing fancy?.Journal of Cleaner Production,168, 1668-1678.
Maillefert, M., & Robert, I. (2018). New economic models and creation of territorial value around the circular economy, the functional economy and industrial ecology. Revue d'Économie Régionale & Urbaine, (5), 905–934. https://doi.org/10.3917/reru.175.0905
Madsen, H. L. (2020). Business model innovation and the global ecosystem for sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 247, 119102
Martínez-Campillo, A., Wijesiri, M., & Wanke, P. (2020). Evaluating the Double Bottom-Line of Social Banking in an Emerging Country: How Efficient are Public Banks in Supporting Priority and Non-priority Sectors in India? Journal of Business Ethics, 162(2), 399–420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3974-3
Merlin-Brogniart, C. (2017). Nature et dynamique de l’innovation des nouveaux modèles de croissance: le cas de l’écologie industrielle et de l’économie de la fonctionnalité. Innovations, 54(3), 65–85. https://doi.org/10.3917/inno.pr1.0021
Parida, V., Sjödin, D., & Reim, W. (2019). Reviewing literature on digitalization, business model innovation, and sustainable industry: Past achievements and future promises. Sustainability, 11(2), 391. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11020391
Parmentola, A., Petrillo, A., Tutore, I., & De Felice, F. (2022). Is blockchain able to enhance environmental sustainability? A systematic review and research agenda from the perspective of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(1), 194–217. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2882
Piscicelli, L., Ludden, G. D. S., & Cooper, T. (2018). What makes a sustainable business model successful? An empirical comparison of two peer-to-peer goods-sharing platforms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 4580–4591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.08.170
Plečko, S., & Bradač Hojnik, B. (2024). Sustainable business practices and the role of digital technologies: A cross-regional analysis. Systems, 12(3), 97. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12030097
Ramdani, B., Binsaif, A., & Boukrami, E. (2019). Business model innovation: a review and research agenda. New England Journal of Entrepreneurship,22(2), 89-108
Silvestre, B. S., & Ţîrcă, D. M. (2019). Innovations for sustainable development: Moving toward a sustainable future. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.244
Ujwary-Gil, A. (2017). The business model and intellectual capital in the value creation of firms: A literature review. Baltic Journal of Management, 12(3), 368–386. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-10-2016-0224
Waddock, S. (2020). Reframing and transforming economics around life. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(18), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187553
Wen, Q. J., Ren, Z. J., Lu, H., & Wu, J. F. (2021). The progress and trend of BIM research: A bibliometrics-based visualization analysis. Automation in Construction, 124(July 2020), 103558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103558
Yu, C. S., Lin, C. H., Lin, Y. J., Lin, S. Y., Wang, S. Te, Wu, J. L., Tsai, M. H., & Chang, S. S. (2020). Clustering heatmap for visualizing and exploring complex and high-dimensional data related to chronic kidney disease. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9020403
Berne, D. F., Coda, R., Krakauer, P., & Donaire, D. (2019). The innovation challenge in micro and small enterprises (MSE): An exploratory study at São Paulo metropolitan region. Innovation and Management Review, 16(3), 235–252. https://doi.org/10.1108/INMR-03-2019-0031
Bocken, N., Boons, F., & Baldassarre, B. (2019). Sustainable business model experimentation by understanding ecologies of business models. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 1498–1512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.159
Bocken, N. M. P., Short, S. W., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2014). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.11.039
Bocken, N. M., & Short, S. W. (2021). Unsustainable business models–Recognising and resolving institutionalised social and environmental harm. Journal of Cleaner Production, 312, 127828.
Bocken, N. M. P., & Geradts, T. H. J. (2020). Barriers and drivers to sustainable business model innovation: Organization design and dynamic capabilities. Long Range Planning, 53(4), 101950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2019.101950
Bocken, N., Short, S., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2013). A value mapping tool for sustainable business modelling. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 13(5), 482–497. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2013-0078
Böttcher, T. P., Empelmann, S., Weking, J., Hein, A., & Krcmar, H. (2024). Digital sustainable business models: Using digital technology to integrate ecological sustainability into the core of business models. Information Systems Journal, 34(3), 736–761. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12436
Del Giudice, M., Di Vaio, A., Hassan, R., & Palladino, R. (2022). Digitalization and new technologies for sustainable business models at the ship–port interface: A bibliometric analysis. Maritime Policy & Management, 49(3), 410–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/03088839.2021.1903600
Dentchev, N., Rauter, R., Jóhannsdóttir, L., Snihur, Y., Rosano, M., Baumgartner, R., Nyberg, T., Tang, X., Van Hoof, B., & Jonker, J. (2018). Embracing the variety of sustainable business models: A prolific field of research and a future research agenda. Journal of Cleaner Production, 194, 695–703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.156
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Evans, S., Vladimirova, D., Holgado, M., Van Fossen, K., Yang, M., Silva, E. A., & Barlow, C. Y. (2017). Business model innovation for sustainability: Towards a unified perspective for creation of sustainable business models. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(5), 597–608. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1939
Foss, N. J., & Saebi, T. (2018). Business models and business model innovation: Between wicked and paradigmatic problems. Long Range Planning, 51(1), 9–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2017.07.006
Freudenreich, B., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Schaltegger, S. (2020). A stakeholder theory perspective on business models: Value creation for sustainability. Journal of Business Ethics, 166(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04112-z
Gomes, J. G. C., Okano, M. T., Guerra, R. S., Cordeiro, D. D. S., Dos Santos, H. C. L., & Fernandes, M. E. (2022). Analysis of sustainable business models: Exploratory study in two Brazilian logistics companies. Sustainability, 14(2), 694. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020694
Hassan, W., & Duarte, A. E. (2024). Bibliometric analysis: A few suggestions. Current Problems in Cardiology, 49(8), 102640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2024.102640
Hayat, K. (2022). A bibliometric and systematic analysis on the notion of human capital and its relationship with environmental performance. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5909966
Ikram, B., & Ben Elhaj, F. (n.d.). Bibliometric analysis of the literature on the co-thematic: Portfolio management and decision-making. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo
Jabłoński, M. (2018). Value migration to the sustainable business models of digital economy companies on the capital market. Sustainability, 10(9), 3113. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093113
Karuppiah, K., Sankaranarayanan, B., & Ali, S. M. (2023). A systematic review of sustainable business models: Opportunities, challenges, and future research directions. Decision Analytics Journal, 8(February), 100272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dajour.2023.100272
Lahti, T., Wincent, J., & Parida, V. (2018). A definition and theoretical review of the circular economy, value creation, and sustainable business models: where are we now and where should research move in the future?.Sustainability,10(8), 2799.
Laukkanen, M., & Tura, N. (2020). The potential of sharing economy business models for sustainable value creation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 253, 120004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120004
Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Dembek, K. (2017). Sustainable business model research and practice: Emerging field or passing fancy?.Journal of Cleaner Production,168, 1668-1678.
Maillefert, M., & Robert, I. (2018). New economic models and creation of territorial value around the circular economy, the functional economy and industrial ecology. Revue d'Économie Régionale & Urbaine, (5), 905–934. https://doi.org/10.3917/reru.175.0905
Madsen, H. L. (2020). Business model innovation and the global ecosystem for sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production, 247, 119102
Martínez-Campillo, A., Wijesiri, M., & Wanke, P. (2020). Evaluating the Double Bottom-Line of Social Banking in an Emerging Country: How Efficient are Public Banks in Supporting Priority and Non-priority Sectors in India? Journal of Business Ethics, 162(2), 399–420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3974-3
Merlin-Brogniart, C. (2017). Nature et dynamique de l’innovation des nouveaux modèles de croissance: le cas de l’écologie industrielle et de l’économie de la fonctionnalité. Innovations, 54(3), 65–85. https://doi.org/10.3917/inno.pr1.0021
Parida, V., Sjödin, D., & Reim, W. (2019). Reviewing literature on digitalization, business model innovation, and sustainable industry: Past achievements and future promises. Sustainability, 11(2), 391. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11020391
Parmentola, A., Petrillo, A., Tutore, I., & De Felice, F. (2022). Is blockchain able to enhance environmental sustainability? A systematic review and research agenda from the perspective of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(1), 194–217. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2882
Piscicelli, L., Ludden, G. D. S., & Cooper, T. (2018). What makes a sustainable business model successful? An empirical comparison of two peer-to-peer goods-sharing platforms. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 4580–4591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.08.170
Plečko, S., & Bradač Hojnik, B. (2024). Sustainable business practices and the role of digital technologies: A cross-regional analysis. Systems, 12(3), 97. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12030097
Ramdani, B., Binsaif, A., & Boukrami, E. (2019). Business model innovation: a review and research agenda. New England Journal of Entrepreneurship,22(2), 89-108
Silvestre, B. S., & Ţîrcă, D. M. (2019). Innovations for sustainable development: Moving toward a sustainable future. Journal of Cleaner Production, 208, 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.244
Ujwary-Gil, A. (2017). The business model and intellectual capital in the value creation of firms: A literature review. Baltic Journal of Management, 12(3), 368–386. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-10-2016-0224
Waddock, S. (2020). Reframing and transforming economics around life. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(18), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187553
Wen, Q. J., Ren, Z. J., Lu, H., & Wu, J. F. (2021). The progress and trend of BIM research: A bibliometrics-based visualization analysis. Automation in Construction, 124(July 2020), 103558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2021.103558
Yu, C. S., Lin, C. H., Lin, Y. J., Lin, S. Y., Wang, S. Te, Wu, J. L., Tsai, M. H., & Chang, S. S. (2020). Clustering heatmap for visualizing and exploring complex and high-dimensional data related to chronic kidney disease. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9020403
Authors
Mansri, S., & Lahrach, R. (2025). A bibliometric analysis on the notion of sustainable business models and its relationship with the creation of territorial value for the environment. Journal of Environment and Sustainability Education, 3(2), 162–172. https://doi.org/10.62672/joease.v3i2.52
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.