Business, Sustainability, and Base of the Pyramid

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this chapter is to explore the existing relation between business activity and sustainability in Base of the Pyramid (BoP) contexts in order to shed light on the role that the business sector may have in poverty alleviation.Design/methodology/approach – Starting with a thorough review of the evolution of the BoP theory, the chapter moves on to critically examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) in poverty contexts, and suggests the adoption of a more comprehensive interpretation of CSR that fully incorporates sustainability – environmentally, economically, and socially – into business operation. Consecutively, the notion of “sustainable enterprise” (Hart, 2010) as an upgraded type of corporation that embraces sustainable development is explored, and is related to the BoP business models known as inclusive businesses (IB). Case study experiences from Latin America (i.e., Colombia) are used to exemplify IB implementation.Findings – The chapter highlights the relevance of IB as sustainable enterprises with the potential of significantly improving the living conditions for most impoverished communities, while being economically profitable and environmentally viable. From a sustainability viewpoint, the greatest challenge is found to be the achievement of a balance between a greater consumption and production at the BoP and the limited environmental capacity of the earth.Originality/value of chapter – Both, BoP and IB are two notions of very recent appearance within business–society literature, making this chapter a valuable contribution for the advancement of scholarly work in the field.