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Purpose -Although business models that deliver sustainability are increasingly popular in the literature, few tools that assist in sustainable business modelling have been identified. This paper investigates how businesses might create balanced social, environmental and economic value through integrating sustainability more fully into the core of their business. A value mapping tool is developed to help firms create value propositions better suited for sustainability.Design/methodology/approach -In addition to a literature review, six sustainable companies were interviewed to understand their approaches to business modelling, using a case study approach. Building on the literature and practice, a tool was developed which was pilot tested through use in a workshop. The resulting improved tool and process was subsequently refined through use in 13 workshops.Findings -A novel value mapping tool was developed to support sustainable business modelling, which introduces three forms of value (value captured, missed/destroyed or wasted, and opportunity) and four major stakeholder groups (environment, society, customer, and network actors).Practical implications -This tool intends to support business modelling for sustainability by assisting firms in better understanding their overall value proposition, both positive and negative, for all relevant stakeholders in the value network.Originality/value -The tool adopts a multiple stakeholder view of value, a network rather than firm centric perspective, and introduces a novel way of conceptualising value that specifically introduces value destroyed or wasted/ missed, in addition to the current value proposition and new opportunities for value creation.

Sustainability has become one of the key factors for long-term business success. Recent research and practice show that business model innovation is a promising approach for improving sustainability in manufacturing firms. To date business models have been examined mostly from the perspectives of value proposition, value capture, value creation and delivery. There is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of value in order to promote sustainability. This paper proposes value uncaptured as a new perspective for sustainable business model innovation, and develops four forms of value uncaptured: value surplus, value absence, value missed and value destroyed. This paper also proposes a framework of using value uncaptured for sustainable business model innovation. This framework has been validated in case studies in six product-service systems firms with advanced manufacturing technologies. The empirical studies identify 26 main sources of value uncaptured throughout the product life cycle. The findings show that (a) the new perspective of value uncaptured can help manufacturing firms understand the negative aspects of their business models; (b) the four forms and 26 sources can assist firms in identifying value uncaptured in a structured way; and (c) the identified value uncaptured can trigger the discovery of new value opportunities which lead to new business models with higher sustainable value. This paper extends the existing studies on business models from the perspectives of value proposition, capture, creation and delivery, to value uncaptured. The proposed framework has helped firms identify value opportunities that trigger the innovation of sustainable business models. Therefore, this paper contributes to both theory and practice in the field of sustainable business models innovation.

Pressures on business to operate sustainably are increasing. This requires companies to adopt a systemic approach that seeks to integrate consideration of the three dimensions of sustainability -social, environmental, and economic -in a manner that generates shared value creation for all stakeholders including the environment and society. This is referred to as sustainable business thinking. The business model concept offers a framework for system-level innovation for sustainability and provides the conceptual linkage with the activities of the firm such as design, production, supply chains, partnerships, and distribution channels. A value mapping tool has been presented in the literature to assist in sustainable business model innovation. This study explores the use of value mapping for broader sustainable business thinking, by reflection on its use in workshop settings. A range of new applications is identified which is expected to be of interest to business practitioners, policy makers, and academic researchers.

She has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering. Her current research seeks to understand how manufacturing companies create sustainable value. She is interested in sustainable business models, sustainable product-service systems development, and industrial symbiosis.