The Competitiveness of Firms through the Sustainable Business Model: A Decade of Research

The theme of the Sustainable Business Model has received increasing attention in recent years, spanning many areas of interest. Several initiatives promoted by the European Union emphasize the role of sustainability in industrial development, with the aim of driving firms to pursue global competition. In this context, it is interesting to step back and reflect on the topics studied regarding Sustainable Business Models, as well as the theories used - or even developed - and methods applied in the academic literature. The purpose of this paper is to provide a survey of the literature on the Sustainable Business Model to identify in which way it influences the competitiveness of firms. The review is based on a systematic query of journal articles and reviews included in Scopus and the Web of Science. The results are organized into the three components: extant frameworks referenced, research methods adopted, and findings. The findings are categorized according to the following areas of interest: Components, Frameworks, Implementation, Performance, and Drivers & Barriers. Additionally, this paper provides a discussion on the role of the European Union initiatives (based on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Circular Economy) as a regulatory driver to integrate sustainability into the Business Model of firms.