Brand Sustainability Transformation in Carbon-Intensive B2B Industries

Over the last decades, climate change has significantly increased the awareness of sustainable business practices. Consequently, companies are under growing pressure to implement sustainability measures and to take responsibility for the environment. While the focus has been on B2C companies, attention is increasingly shifting to companies in the B2B sector, as their activities have a particularly high environmental impact. To remain competitive, these companies must not only integrate sustainability into their operational practices but also make it an integral part of their brand. However, the credibility of sustainability efforts is often perceived as questionable, especially for companies in CO ₂ -intensive industries, creating a gap between perceived and actual sustainability. As a result, business opportunities remain untapped, making corporate sustainability investments less economically viable. While the economic significance of sustainability in brand management has been extensively studied, this book identifies a lack of holistic approaches to the sustainability transformation of brands in B2B, particularly those in CO ₂ -intensive industries. To address this research gap, three studies have been conducted as part of this book.
The findings reveal that a transparent handling of the past and fundamentally reshaping the business model are essential for successfully achieving a brand sustainability transformation in these challenging industries.