A corporate effort towards a sustainable business model: A case study from the Norwegian furniture industry

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a corporate effort to implement a sustainable business model.

Design/methodology/approach

A Norwegian producer of office chairs, selling products across Europe, is examined in this study. Information has been collected from semi‐structured interviews with top‐level management, as well as available internal and external documentation.

Findings

The company's efforts towards a more sustainable business model can broadly be divided into factors within the company and factors outside the company. The case study demonstrates how the carbon footprint on the Earth can be reduced by focusing and influencing factors outside the company's own production facilities.

Research limitations/implications

In a highly competitive market, the case study demonstrates that focusing on the corporate impact of the natural environment can be highly profitable.

Practical implications

The process towards sustainable business operations must be anchored and supported by the top‐level management and owners of the company, and it has to be a long‐term commitment.

Originality/value

The principal contribution from the presented case study is how a more sustainable business model can be achieved even when the majority major part of the carbon footprint on the Earth is generated outside the company's production facilities. The case study illustrates how already known technologies are used to create a sustainable and profitable business.

Citation

Høgevold, N.M. (2011), "A corporate effort towards a sustainable business model: A case study from the Norwegian furniture industry", European Business Review, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 392-400. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555341111145771