Triple Bottom Line toward a Holistic Framework for Sustainability: A Systematic Review
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Vittoria Loviscek
Abstract
Context: 25 years after it was coined, the triple bottom line (TBL) is now considered a failure by its own author. The concept can be considered the foundational base for the development of a necessary new business model for sustainable operations management. Objective: this paper aims to present systematic literature updates, controversies, limitations, and future framework developments of the TBL concept presented by Elkington in 1998. Methodology: through a systematic literature review spanning from 1998 to 2019, considering two main bibliographical databases, it was possible to evaluate the use of the concept in the sustainability literature. Results: the main results present that the concept has not lost its credibility; on the contrary, it reached its peak in the past five years, due to environmental and societal pressures. Also, it has been used inadequately considering only two of its three spheres (either financial and social, or financial and environmental). Conclusion: the study also exposes capabilities that if included to the TBL concepts can result into success of the business model. Therefore, our aim is to scrutinize how the concept has been used along these years, reflect on its impact in the academia and the business segment, and draw some conclusions on future research agenda and the transition toward a holistic framework for sustainable operations.
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Loviscek, V. (2020). Triple Bottom Line toward a Holistic Framework for Sustainability: A Systematic Review. Journal of Contemporary Administration, 25(3), e200017. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2021200017.en
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References
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Ferro, C., Padin, C., Svensson, G., Sosa Varela, J. C., Wagner, B., & Høgevold, N. M. (2017). Validating a framework of stakeholders in connection to business sustainability effort in supply chains. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 32(1), 124-137. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-12-2015-0253
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Høgevold, N. M., & Svensson, G. (2012). A business sustainability model: A European case study. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 27(2), 142-151. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858621211197001
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Linnenluecke, M. K., & Griffiths, A. (2010). Corporate sustainability and organizational culture. Journal of World Business, 45(4), 357-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.08.006
Loorbach, D., Bakel, J. C. van, Whiteman, G., & Rotmans, J. (2010). Business strategies for transitions towards sustainable systems. Business Strategy and the Environment, 19(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.645
Marcelino-Sádaba, S., González-Jaen, L. F., & Pérez-Ezcurdia, A. (2015). Using project management as a way to sustainability. From a comprehensive review to a framework definition. Journal of Cleaner Production, 99, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.03.020
Marcus, J., Kurucz, E. C., & Colbert, B. A. (2010). Conceptions of the business–society–nature interface: Implications for management scholarship. Business & Society, 49(3), 402–438. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0007650310368827
Martins, C. L., & Pato, M. V. (2019). Supply chain sustainability: A tertiary literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, 995-1016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.250
Matthews, L., Power, D., Touboulic, A., & Marques, L. (2016). Building bridges: Toward alternative theory of sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 52(1), 82-94. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12097
Meredith, J. (1993). Theory building through conceptual methods. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 13(5), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443579310028120
Milne, M., Gray, R. (2013). W(h)ither ecology? The triple bottom line, the global reporting initiative, and corporate sustainability reporting. Journal of Business Ethics, 118(1), 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1543-8
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The Prisma Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
Moneva, J. M., Archel, P., & Correa, C. (2006). GRI and the camouflaging of corporate unsustainability. Accounting Forum, 30(2), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2006.02.001
Montabon, F., Pagell, M., & Wu, Z. (2016). Making sustainability sustainable. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 52(2), 11-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12103
Norman, W., MacDonald, C. (2004). Getting to the bottom of “triple bottom line”. Business Ethics Quarterly, 14(2), 243–262. https://doi.org/10.5840/beq200414211
Reim, W., Parida, V., & Örtqvist, D. (2015). Product–Service Systems (PSS) business models and tactics - a systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 97, 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.07.003
Schaltegger, S., & Burritt, R. L. (2010). Sustainable accounting for companies: Catchphrase or decision support for leaders? Journal of World Business, 45(4), 375-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.08.002
Schulz, S. A., & Flanigan, R. L. (2016). Developing competitive advantage using the triple bottom line: A conceptual framework. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 31(4), 449-458. https://doi.org10.1108/JBIM-08-2014-0150
Shrivastava, P. (1995b). Ecocentric management for a risk society. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 118-37. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9503271996
Shrivastava, P. (1995c). Environmental technologies and competitive advantage. Strategic Management Journal, 16(S1), 183-200. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250160923
Shrivastava, P. (1995a). The role of corporations in achieving ecological sustainability. Academy of Management Review, 20(4), 936-60. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9512280026
Sridhar, K. (2012). Corporate conceptions of triple bottom line reporting: An empirical analysis into the signs and symbols driving this fashionable framework. Social Responsibility Journal, 8(3), 312–326. https://doi.org/10.1108/17471111211247901
Svensson, G., Ferro, C., Høgevold, N., Padin, C., Varela, J. C. S., & Sarstedt, M. (2018). Framing the triple bottom line approach: Direct and mediation effects between economic, social and environmental elements. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197, 972-991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.226
Svensson, G., Høgevold, N., Ferro, C., Varela, J. C. S., Padin, C., & Wagner, B. (2016). A triple bottom line dominant logic for business sustainability: Framework and empirical findings. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 23(2), 153-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2016.1169119
Walker, H., Seuring, S., Sarkis, J., & Klassen, R. (2014). Sustainable operations management: Recent trends and future directions. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(5), http://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-12-2013-0557
Winter, M., & Knemeyer, A. M. (2013). Exploring the integration of sustainability and supply chain management: Current state and opportunities for future inquiry. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 43(1), 18–38. https://doi.org/10.1108/09600031311293237
World Comission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our commom future. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ashby, A., Leat, M., & Hudson-Smith, M. (2012). Making connections: A review of supply chain management and sustainability literature. Supply Chain Management, 17(5), 497-516. https://doi.org/10.1108/13598541211258573
Banerjee, S. B. (2003). Who sustains whose development? Sustainable development and the reinvention of nature. Organization Studies, 24(1), 143–180. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0170840603024001341
Barbier, E. B. (1987). The concept of sustainable economic development. Environmental Conservation, 14(2), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900011449
Beal, D., Eccles, R., Hansell, G., Lesser, R., Unnikrishnan, S., Woods, W., & Young, D. (2017). Total societal impact. A new lens for strategy. BCG Report. Retrieved from https://www.bcg.com/en-ar/publications/2017/total-societal-impact-new-lens-strategy
Beck, U. (1992). Risk society: Towards a new modernity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Bolderston, A. (2008). Writing an effective literature review. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 39(2), 86-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmir.2008.04.009
Brandenburger, A. M., & Nalebuff, B. J. (2011). Co-opetition. New York: Crown Business.
Burnham, J. F. (2006). Scopus database: A review. Biomedical Digital Libraries, 3, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-5581-3-1
Carter, C. R., & Rogers, D. S. (2008). A framework of sustainable supply chain management: Moving toward new theory. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 38(5), 360-387. https://doi.org/10.1108/09600030810882816
Elkington, J. (1997). Cannibals with Forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. Mankato, MN: Capstone.
Elkington, J. (1998). Partnerships from cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st‐century business. Environmental Quality Management, 8(1), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.3310080106
Elkington, J. (2018). 25 years ago I coined the phrase “triple bottom line.” Here’s why it’s time to rethink it. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/06/25-years-ago-i-coined-the-phrase-triple-bottom-line-heres-why-im-giving-up-on-it
Eskandarpour, M., Dejax, P., Miemczyk, J., & Péton, O. (2015). Sustainable supply chain network design: An optimization-oriented review. Omega, 54, 11-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2015.01.006
Ferro, C., Padin, C., Svensson, G., Sosa Varela, J. C., Wagner, B., & Høgevold, N. M. (2017). Validating a framework of stakeholders in connection to business sustainability effort in supply chains. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 32(1), 124-137. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-12-2015-0253
Finn, J. A. (2005). Getting a PhD: An action plan to help manage your research, your supervisor and your project. Hove, UK: Psychology Press.
Gladwin, T. N., Kennelly, J. J., & Krause, T. S. (1995). Shifting paradigms for sustainable development: Implications for management theory and research. Academy of Management Review, 20(4), 874-907. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9512280024
Griggs, D., Stafford-Smith, M., Gaffney, O., Rockström, J., Öhman, M. C., Shyamsundar, P., Steffen, W., Glaser, G., Kanie, N., & Noble, I. (2013). Sustainable development goals for people and planet. Nature, 495, 305-307. https://doi.org/10.1038/495305a
Hahn, T., Figge, F., Pinkse, J., & Preuss, L. (2010). Trade-offs in corporate sustainability: You can’t have your cake and eat it. Business Strategy and the Environment, 19(4), 217–229. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.674
Hart, S. L. (1995). A natural-resource-based view of the firm. Academy of Management Review, 20(4), 986-1014. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9512280033
Høgevold, N. M., & Svensson, G. (2012). A business sustainability model: A European case study. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 27(2), 142-151. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858621211197001
Kudlak, R., & Low, K. Y. J. (2015). Special issues dedicated to CSR and corporate sustainability: A review and commentary. Long. Range Planning, 48(3), 215-227. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.lrp.2015.03.002
Linnenluecke, M. K., & Griffiths, A. (2010). Corporate sustainability and organizational culture. Journal of World Business, 45(4), 357-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.08.006
Loorbach, D., Bakel, J. C. van, Whiteman, G., & Rotmans, J. (2010). Business strategies for transitions towards sustainable systems. Business Strategy and the Environment, 19(2), 133–146. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.645
Marcelino-Sádaba, S., González-Jaen, L. F., & Pérez-Ezcurdia, A. (2015). Using project management as a way to sustainability. From a comprehensive review to a framework definition. Journal of Cleaner Production, 99, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.03.020
Marcus, J., Kurucz, E. C., & Colbert, B. A. (2010). Conceptions of the business–society–nature interface: Implications for management scholarship. Business & Society, 49(3), 402–438. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0007650310368827
Martins, C. L., & Pato, M. V. (2019). Supply chain sustainability: A tertiary literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, 995-1016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.250
Matthews, L., Power, D., Touboulic, A., & Marques, L. (2016). Building bridges: Toward alternative theory of sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 52(1), 82-94. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12097
Meredith, J. (1993). Theory building through conceptual methods. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 13(5), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443579310028120
Milne, M., Gray, R. (2013). W(h)ither ecology? The triple bottom line, the global reporting initiative, and corporate sustainability reporting. Journal of Business Ethics, 118(1), 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1543-8
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The Prisma Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. PLoS Medicine, 6(7), e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
Moneva, J. M., Archel, P., & Correa, C. (2006). GRI and the camouflaging of corporate unsustainability. Accounting Forum, 30(2), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2006.02.001
Montabon, F., Pagell, M., & Wu, Z. (2016). Making sustainability sustainable. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 52(2), 11-27. https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12103
Norman, W., MacDonald, C. (2004). Getting to the bottom of “triple bottom line”. Business Ethics Quarterly, 14(2), 243–262. https://doi.org/10.5840/beq200414211
Reim, W., Parida, V., & Örtqvist, D. (2015). Product–Service Systems (PSS) business models and tactics - a systematic literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 97, 61-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.07.003
Schaltegger, S., & Burritt, R. L. (2010). Sustainable accounting for companies: Catchphrase or decision support for leaders? Journal of World Business, 45(4), 375-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2009.08.002
Schulz, S. A., & Flanigan, R. L. (2016). Developing competitive advantage using the triple bottom line: A conceptual framework. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 31(4), 449-458. https://doi.org10.1108/JBIM-08-2014-0150
Shrivastava, P. (1995b). Ecocentric management for a risk society. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 118-37. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9503271996
Shrivastava, P. (1995c). Environmental technologies and competitive advantage. Strategic Management Journal, 16(S1), 183-200. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250160923
Shrivastava, P. (1995a). The role of corporations in achieving ecological sustainability. Academy of Management Review, 20(4), 936-60. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9512280026
Sridhar, K. (2012). Corporate conceptions of triple bottom line reporting: An empirical analysis into the signs and symbols driving this fashionable framework. Social Responsibility Journal, 8(3), 312–326. https://doi.org/10.1108/17471111211247901
Svensson, G., Ferro, C., Høgevold, N., Padin, C., Varela, J. C. S., & Sarstedt, M. (2018). Framing the triple bottom line approach: Direct and mediation effects between economic, social and environmental elements. Journal of Cleaner Production, 197, 972-991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.06.226
Svensson, G., Høgevold, N., Ferro, C., Varela, J. C. S., Padin, C., & Wagner, B. (2016). A triple bottom line dominant logic for business sustainability: Framework and empirical findings. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 23(2), 153-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2016.1169119
Walker, H., Seuring, S., Sarkis, J., & Klassen, R. (2014). Sustainable operations management: Recent trends and future directions. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(5), http://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-12-2013-0557
Winter, M., & Knemeyer, A. M. (2013). Exploring the integration of sustainability and supply chain management: Current state and opportunities for future inquiry. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 43(1), 18–38. https://doi.org/10.1108/09600031311293237
World Comission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our commom future. New York: Oxford University Press.