Exploring the Landscape of Contemporary Sustainability Philosophies: Origins, Synergies and Corporate Applications

Recent decades have seen substantial increase in efforts to appease environmental challenges and to foster sustainability in business and society. As a direct result, numerous philosophies for sustainability have emerged, including Circular Economy, Sustainable Development Goals, Natural Capitalism, amongst many others. All of these are movements set to inspire, set goals, and guide towards improved sustainability performance, and as such, they can be described as a sustainability philosophy. Whilst each has its own origins and reason for emergence, plus its own target group(s), it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the philosophies apart and, therefore understand their nuanced differences. The chosen philosophies influence strategies, tools, and initiatives chosen by organisations. Particularly when these are seen from a corporate perspective, it is often difficult to know which one(s) to adopt and how to relate a company’s efforts to a particular sustainability philosophy. This study sets out to identify and review the current sustainability philosophies in an attempt to understand their origins, the similarities, and synergies between and across them and to identify gaps. By performing a systematic literature review divided into three phases, this study systematises fifteen sustainability philosophies based upon their key characteristics, such as the dominance and prevalence of sustainability dimensions, fulfilment of societal needs and integration of philosophy elements into company business processes. Additionally, it identifies patterns of geography, industry sector, and general application area to provide an overview and question the extent to which the philosophies can guide the transition to sustainability.