Understanding the role of oil and gas companies in the current sustainability trends: an application of the sustainable business model archetypes

Abstract

Oil and gas (O&G) companies face a complex process of adaptation to the new sustainability context. How their business models can successfully respond to sustainability requirements remains unclear. We studied the decarbonisation activities of relevant O&G companies and applied the sustainable business model archetypes (SBMAs) taxonomy to shed light on this transformation. Based on this, we focussed on one O&G firm with large socio-economic importance in northern Spain, gathering information via semi-structured interviews. Our analysis shows that O&G companies are developing innovative technologies aligned with the SBMAs. Multi-stakeholder collaboration and a regional focus on industrial clusters appear to be key elements of the sustainability strategies of O&G companies.