Business model for sustainability and digitalization : the empirical case of an ecosystem participation

As digitalization can improve an organisation's sustainability performance, the literature calls for more research into the relationship between digitalization and the organisation's portfolio of business models for sustainability (BMfS). This research addresses the role of the organisation's ecosystem in this relationship. Building on an inductive analysis, we use the case of a proactive multinational company. An in-depth investigation, relying on an analysis of secondary data and interviews, reveals that the ecosystem plays different roles. Firstly, it acts to maintain a balance between the organization's core business model (BM) and its emerging new BMfS that rely on digitalization. Additionally, it supports the optimization of the organization's digital resources for its emerging new BMfS that rely on digitalization. Finally, it helps generate new value for the organization's BMfS. We discuss the implications for practitioners in fostering partnerships to develop more BMfS, and create more environmental benefits through digitalization.