Selling Small and Smart: The Future of the Sustainable Enterprise

Much of the popular management thought on sustainability focuses increasing operational efficiency and innovation of more environmentally benign products and processes. Some would argue, however, that this is not enough to become a sustainable society because it does not address levels of consumption. As a means to address reduced consumption as an important component of sustainability, this paper will outline the experiences of three companies that have adopted business models that help customers purchase less of their traditional products. Drawing lessons from the experiences of these three companies, the paper will then outline the key challenges in adopting this business model, and steps to face these challenges.