The transition toward sustainable business models requires a collaborative and inclusive approach that integrates diverse perspectives, knowledge systems, and stakeholder expertise. Co-creation plays a fundamental role in this process by fostering collective innovation, shared ownership, and adaptability, ensuring that sustainability is embedded into business strategies rather than treated as an external obligation. The Sustainable Business Model Canvas (SBMC) may serve as a structured framework to guide this process by enabling companies to visualize and refine their business models with a holistic sustainability perspective. Unlike traditional models that primarily focus on financial and operational components, the SBMC integrates economic, environmental, and social dimensions, helping businesses align their value propositions with sustainability principles and embed sustainability into their core operations, rather than a mere add-on. By leveraging this tool, companies can systematically explore opportunities for sustainable innovation, assess replicability across different regions with similar characteristics, and align their business strategies with broader social and environmental goals.
The BlueRev SBMC (Figure 1) was a key component of the training and workshops conducted in each pilot region under WP5. The following guidelines serve as a reference for companies on how to apply the SBMC effectively during their co-creation sessions, ensuring that sustainability is an integral part of business model development.