Matthias Lehner
Associate senior lecturer
Sufficiency Business Strategies in the Food Industry - The Case of Oatly
Author
Summary, in English
Food is an essential part of our daily lives, but simultaneously, it is a major contributor to environmental issues. The growing world population and changing diets are expected to further exacerbate the negative impact of food production and consumption. This article explores how suffciency business strategies, focused on moderating consumption levels, can be implemented in the food industry to curb demand and thereby overall resource consumption. First, a literature and practice review are conducted to create a conceptual framework for suffciency business strategies in the food industry. Second, a case study approach is taken to explore the application of suffciency strategies at Oatly, a company offering plant-based alternatives to dairy. Semi-structured interviews and review of the company's sustainability reports are used as key data sources for the case study. This study contributes to research and practice with a novel framework for business suffciency strategies in the food industry. Although suffciency implies consumption moderation, it is suggested that when a company substitutes the consumption of a less sustainable option, growth could be desirable. Future research can expand on viable suffciency strategies for the private sector, but also strategies to engage different stakeholders, such as government, society, and academia, to accelerate the transition towards a sustainable food system.
Department/s
- The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Publishing year
2020-01
Language
English
Publication/Series
Sustainability
Volume
12
Issue
3
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
MDPI AG
Topic
- Business Administration
Keywords
- Business model innovation
- Circular economy
- De-growth
- Food business
- Moderate consumption
- Slowconsumption
- Sufficiency businessmodel
- Sustainability
- Sustainable business strategy
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 2071-1050