Integrated business model for sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises in the food industry

Abstract

PurposeThe ecological footprint of the food industry and the requirements of the bio-based economy result in the need for deepening the concept of corporate sustainability. CSR provokes the implementation of eco-innovation with high value added. A main source of value added and sustainability is the integrated implementation of ecodesign practices . The purpose of this paper is to systemize an integrated model for the product ecodesign implementation, which combines not only the industrial and process ecodesign but also the overall organizational and socio-economic context of SMEs in food industry, reflected in CSR and value added for stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology for implementation of business model for sustainability of the SMEs in the food industry through ecodesign is based on vertical and horizontal integration of well-known self-relevant environmental, social and economic tools such as corporate social responsibility, life-cycle assessment, MET matrix, ecolabelling and stakeholder approach for production and marketing of high-value-added eco-products.FindingsThis study proposes an algorithm for implementation of an integrated business model for SMEs sustainability in the food industry, focusing on high-value-added delivery for stakeholders, based on corporate social responsibility, functional innovation and eco-efficiency. The ecodesign based on CSR business practice in food industry allows simultaneous optimization of environmental aspects and cost structure of products in conditions of improved quality and functionality. Thus, ecodesign contributes to the diversification not only of the company’s product portfolio, but also to opening of new marketplaces and the implementation of new market strategies by increasing the value added.Practical implicationsThe research identifies actions, which SMEs in food industry can follow to achieve ecological redesign of their business and production processes that simultaneously enhance product functionality and resource efficiency.Originality/valueThe academic and the social value of the research is the focus on ecodesign and its implementation in SMEs in the food industry as a tool for creation of multidimensional high value added for stakeholders in bio-based economy.