Strategic processes towards sustainable development in large, international companies: A cross-case analysis using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD)

Abstract: The discussion of human activities exploiting natural resources and their environmental impact has gained more traction throughout the past decade. Especially the role corporations play in these developments has caused a shift within corporate strategic considerations. As a result, today, many companies assume increasing responsibility to improve their sustainability performance. Large, international corporations have a unique position to make significant contributions to global efforts towards sustainable development. However, in order to develop a successful sustainability strategy, companies must first understand the magnitude of the challenge of strategic sustainable innovation. We, therefore, set out to contribute to a more holistic understanding by identifying the key features of ongoing strategic sustainable innovation processes in large, international companies. Using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), we conduct a cross-case analysis through document reviews of, and semi-structured interviews with three large, international companies. Our findings suggest that companies need to consider three key success factors when developing a comprehensive sustainability strategy: (1) building strong communication channels throughout the organization and within the system, (2) creating a flexible and agile decision-making process by applying backcasting from an overarching principle-based vision, and (3) developing a holistic strategy covering all aspects of sustainability while focusing on core operations of the business.