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Sustainability as business opportunity

Current crisis demonstrates that business needs to transform and must change toward a more
ecological and social but also economic sustainability again. For that, Business has to contribute
to that by business models creating an added value for business but also society (Porter and
Kramer 2011).

For several years now, the term Corporate Social Responsibility has been on everyone's mind.
What began as a defensive/reactive (compliance-oriented) strategy is now increasingly
developing into an innovative/proactive management concept (sustainable entrepreneurship).
The term sustainable entrepreneurship has been used for some time in business to describe this

current, very entrepreneurial and business-oriented view of business and society. Now,
Sustainability must be understood as an integrative social and environmental concept in the
business models.
Latest trends like circular economy, de-growth or donut economy are providing a good
entrepreneurial potential. Business Models on sharing economy, mobility, health care or on

efficiency should ideally be both: creating positive impact on SDGs by ensuring economic growth
by considering planetary boundaries (Club of Rome 2022).
The future for business opportunities should consider an increasing well-being for people and

planet by decoupling of wealth from resources.
The entrepreneurship must consider a long-term stability and viability instead of finding the best
exist-strategy for making money. The business model should create a social and ecological value.
It is the answer to the question of “how the business makes money”.

One detail in discussion should be about social entrepreneurship dealing with long-term social
innovation as extended approach of CSR. It is about the lens on social and environmental issues.
The core of business is social or environmental impact by being profitable.

Changing from CSR to CSR 2.0.

While the earlier term of CSR 0.0 was understood as doing business creating profit (Friedman
1970) where activities can be called green washing, the actions of the corporation aren´t

sustainable or responsible.
With increasing awareness and defensive approach CSR 1.0, taking responsibility is an add-on
to everyday business. Mostly donations, single engagements and damage limitation are on the

agenda.

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