Business for sustainable change: Extending eco-efficiency and eco-sufficiency strategies to consumers

A variety of stakeholders are calling for businesses to take action regarding the prevailing unsustainable development. This article examines how firms operating on the micro-level could effectively address issues of sustainability on the macro-level. It is proposed that companies adopting extended eco-efficiency and eco-sufficiency strategies can effectively contribute to sustainability. This ‘extension’ in business strategy for sustainable change signifies that firms both increase the quality of production (eco-efficiency) and decrease the amount of production (eco-sufficiency) in their operations, as well as influence customers to consume both better (extended eco-efficiency) and less (extended eco-sufficiency). The article argues that due to their power and position in the supply chain, multinational companies of significant brand value are well suited to change production and consumption patterns through extended eco-efficiency. The extended eco-sufficiency strategy is considered to require support from non-commercial actors.