concept

Triple Bottom Line (TBL)

Also known as: TBL, Triple Bottom Line (TBL), triple bottom-line

Facts (17)

Sources

Does the combination of sustainable business model patterns lead ... link.springer.com Springer Feb 20, 2023 13 facts

claimTruly sustainable business models are theoretically underpinned by the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) concept, as defined by Elkington (1997), and support the need to extend the perception of TBL beyond its interpretation as merely a tool for sustainability accounting.

claimAccording to Lüdeke-Freund et al. (2018b), only two Sustainable Business Model (SBM) patterns—"shorter supply chains" and "sharing business"—are integrative, meaning they cover all three Triple Bottom Line (TBL) dimensions.

claimA business model is considered truly sustainable if it satisfies three characteristics: activities resulting from the combination of sustainable business model patterns foster all dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (inherent consistency), the business model is sustainable within the wider system-of-interest (sustainability at system level), and the business model adapts over time to accommodate changes in contingencies that might degrade its sustainability performance (contingencies of sustainable business models).

claimUnilever’s business model demonstrates the importance of a firm’s stakeholders and value network for achieving sustainability, specifically regarding the Triple Bottom Line (TBL).

claimThe assumption that enhancing one sustainability dimension leads to higher overall sustainability is only true if the three dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) are orthogonal; however, it is more realistic to assume these dimensions are interconnected, meaning environmental and social sustainability may incur economic costs, while economic optimization may jeopardize other dimensions.

claimThe integration of sustainability pattern types along the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) dimensions is a necessary but not sufficient condition for achieving true sustainability.

claimBusiness model inconsistencies typically arise from a lack of internal fit among business model elements, such as combining incompatible patterns like the razor and blade model with its reverse, or from tensions between the three dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL).

claimThe authors of the study argue that designing a truly sustainable business model requires leveraging Sustainable Business Model (SBM) patterns across the three dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and challenging the design at three levels.

claimThe definition of a truly sustainable business relates to the strong sustainability perspective (Victor et al. 1998; Ayres et al. 2001) and the concept of the Triple Bottom Line (Elkington 1997).

referenceJohn Elkington coined the phrase 'triple bottom line' in 1997, but in 2018 he argued that it was time to rethink the concept.

claimMost Sustainable Business Model (SBM) patterns do not cover all dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), which necessitates the combination of multiple patterns to achieve comprehensive sustainability.

referenceThe triple bottom line (TBL) framework, introduced by Elkington in 1997, is a sustainability framework used in management research.

claimLüdeke-Freund et al. (2018b) classify sustainable business model patterns according to the weak sustainability perspective, which views the three dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line as being in trade-off, meaning a business model can be strongly economic while being weakly ecologic and social.

Business Models for Sustainability - Oxford Academic academic.oup.com Oxford University Press 1 fact

claimA sustainable business model requires a value proposition that caters to the triple bottom line, which consists of people, profit, and planet.

Business Model Innovation: a Framework for Assessing Corporate ... link.springer.com Springer Apr 18, 2025 1 fact

claimThe 'Sustainable Mirror Framework' emphasizes the internal strategic integration of sustainability and bridges 'anchored' and 'steered' elements within corporate discourse to determine if sustainability is embedded or performative, distinguishing it from the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and ESG frameworks.

Sustainable Business Models | Springer Nature Link link.springer.com Springer Nov 8, 2020 1 fact

claimSustainable business models (SBMs) are defined as models that draw on economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability to define an organization’s purpose, use a triple bottom-line (people, profit, planet) approach to measure performance, consider the needs of all stakeholders rather than prioritizing shareholder expectations, treat nature as a stakeholder, and encompass both system-level and firm-level perspectives.

An integrated climate-biodiversity framework to improve planning ... ecologyandsociety.org R. Newell, A. Dale, N.-M. Lister · Ecology and Society 1 fact

quoteA municipal-level interviewee stated: "[Ecosystem] services and the valuation of these assets, if we had a true understanding of these assets, and we could put them in a common framework and create a triple bottom line."