Heightening Sustainability Transition Through Business Transformation in the Fresh Produce Industry: Conceptual Framework and a Case Study

Implementing more sustainable business operations has become increasingly crucial for the survival of agri-food industries as environmental and social pressures are intensifying. However, limited attention has been given in scientific literature to the relationship between business planning and sustainability implementation, especially in scholarly studies focused on food companies and supply chains. This contribution aims to address this research gap using the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) model as a framework for enhancing sustainable value creation schemes in the fresh produce industry with a focus on Spain. We propose a conceptual framework and perform a case study where the standard, economic-centered business model is innovated and transformed in a sustainable business model through the integration of sustainability concerns. Findings indicate that the TBL model can be an effective tool to expanding classical economic business models, which can significantly transform the value propositions and differentiate the offerings. More importantly, the TBL approach facilitates the identification of potential business model innovations and improvements in terms of sustainability goals, consequently providing diverse options on how the fresh produce industry can benefit from integrating sustainability into business practices. It is also shown that the transition toward sustainability is crucial since the efficient integration of sustainability objectives may lead to increasing sustainable performance as well as the development of sustainable operations, which can improve market positioning. Companies focused on sustainable value creation integrating socio-environmental standards tend to operate in supply chains based on trust, transparency and close stakeholder relationships, which are ultimately key assets for competitive advantage. These companies are also more capable of adapting swiftly to unforeseen external shocks, these being related to climate, health, geopolitics or finance.