Sustainable business models for smallholder farmers:: Challenges for and lessons from the Barsha pump experience

Smallholder farmers (SFs) are cornerstone actors in eradicating poverty and hunger. Companies have recently focused on SFs as potential customers and suppliers. Several hindrances yet prevent SFs to be commercially viable actors. In this respect, sustainable business models (SBMs) bring opportunities for companies to increase profit, improve...

The Role of the FAST Technology as a Driver for Sustainable Business Models within the Biobased Chemical Industry: The Case Study of DAB

Addressing climate change is a challenge that governments, society, and companies have to face. For companies this becomes a major challenge as they are required to innovate in order to become more sustainable whilst still remain competitive. However, carrying out technological innovation may be useless if it cannot be diffused in the market....

Sustainable craft textile manufacturing in the Netherlands: A case study

We are currently experiencing the effects of overconsumption and overproduction in the textile industry due to a linear economy. To tackle this, a prospective solution emerges. A new manufacturing technique toward a circular and carbon neutral path for sustainable development: sustainable textile crafts. In this context, this study investigates...

A Circular Healthcare Economy; a feasibility study to reduce surgical stainless steel waste

The Circular Economy faces a growing interest. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of a circular approach towards reusing discarded hospital instruments and stainless steel waste. Secondary, this study aims to identify if any cost savings can be realized by following a circular instrument repair and recycling approach....

The Design of a Product Service System for aQysta: Barsha Summit

For this thesis, the focus is on aQysta’s Barsha pump. aQysta is a Dutch start-up that develops hydro- powered water pumps for irrigation purposes. The Barsha pump uses the kinetic energy of water flowing through rivers to pump water to smallholder farmland for irrigation. The pump requires no external power source and all the energy required...

Feasibility study of product-service system model for cradle-to-cradle products

This thesis report helps to identify which business strategies can make product-service systems a feasible business model for cradle-to-cradle certified products. Cradle-to-cradle is a product certification that highlights the material re-utilization and material health of any products. Product-service systems are the business models that...

Strategic Design of Sustainable Business Models

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Sustainable business model experimentation by understanding ecologies of business models

Sustainable business model innovation is about creating superior customer and firm value by addressing societal and environmental needs through the way business is done. Business models require intentional design if they are to deliver aspired sustainability impacts. Scant research has been done on ‘ecologies’ of different business models in...

Circular strategies enabled by the internet of things: a framework and analysis of current practice

This paper focuses on how the Internet of Things (IoT) could contribute to the transition to a circular economy (CE), through supporting circular business model and design strategies. While literature has highlighted the opportunities for IoT to support circular strategies in business, little has been published about actual implementations in...

Sustainable business model adoption among S&P 500 firms: A longitudinal content analysis study

In this study, we examine the diversity of sustainable business models adopted by the largest global corporations — those listed in the S&amp;P 500 index — over the period 2005–2014. We examine press release communications during this period, which represent public data about business-relevant events. We expect that examining this communication...