Network impact on business models for sustainability: Case study in the energy sector

The production and consumption of energy requires sustainable business models. However, sustainability is a complex phenomenon, particularly in high-technology sectors that require the integration of diverse knowledge for sustainable innovation. Therefore, recent literature on the subject states that business model (BM) innovation, based on networks and partnerships, is crucial for sustainable development. The literature also calls for further research on how BMs change to ensure network adaptability. The resource dependence theory helps to explain how different levels of dependencies induce companies to create network linkages, transforming their business models for sustainability. This study offers empirical evidence on how new forms of interdependencies arising within the network drive changes in the BM of firms by focusing on the three main BM elements: value proposition; value capture; and value creation and delivery. The network forces its participants to widen their definition of value and include value creation for both company and society as a BM goal. The network also allows for the introduction of new concepts, knowledge, and practices, thereby creating and reinforcing a different approach to capturing value, based on new links among the participants. The evidence shows that networks help achieve sustainability goals by solving the problem of resource dependency; however, new resource dependencies on network partners, and the network itself, are seen to emerge. The results have implications for practitioners and future research on networks and sustainable business models.