Review Of Life Cycle Studies Of Business Models - Exploring The Diversity of Modelling Scopes And Their Significance

Other conference contribution, 2024

This study critically analyzes the consideration of business models (BMs) in Life Cycle studies. Recognizing that conventional business model tools, like the Business Model Canvas (BMC), often neglect environmental consequences, adaptations like the triple-layered BMC have attempted to integrate Life Cycle aspects. However, these adaptations fall short in fully assessing the relationship between BMs and the entire product lifecycle. The research, conducted through a systematic narrative literature review following the PRISMA standard, scrutinizes 19 selected publications to understand how BMs are represented in LCA studies. It focuses on how different aspects of BMs are evaluated and the extent to which various life cycle approaches capture these elements. Findings indicate that most studies predominantly assess products rather than the broader BMs. The reviewed literature mainly covers sustainable BMs but the application of LCA is often limited to product-level impacts, neglecting the comprehensive BM perspective. Additionally, the functional units used in these studies are more representative of product functionality rather than the BMs themselves. The study reveals a gap in current LCA methodologies: they do not fully capture the complexities of BMs, often focusing on cost analysis while overlooking revenue or profitability aspects. Furthermore, consumer perspectives and relationships, crucial in BM assessments, are largely ignored. Concluding, there is a significant need for methodological advancements in LCA to assess BMs comprehensively. While the research provides an overview of existing methods, it underscores the necessity for further development to bridge the gap between BMs and product systems in environmental impact assessments.