Sustainability: A Cross-Industry Study

Numerous studies on corporate social responsibility and sustainability, with various attempts to define these topics, have appeared in the literature during the last few decades. Recent reviews of these studies suggest that no common definition captures all dimensions of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Limited operationalization exists to inform practitioners how to execute sustainability in actionable knowledge form. We explore whether a simple model captures the identification, formulation, and measurement of sustainability for organizations that want to engage in it. Twelve companies in seven industries were studied. Through archival research and industry publications, surveys, and semi-structured interviews, we construct a framework for organizations pursuing sustainability, with possible foci, corresponding processes, actionable practices, and measurable outcomes.