Sustainability as corporate mission and strategy

The purpose of this paper is to describe how a corporation with sustainability as its mission implements sustainability strategy and programmes to promote social responsible management. Special attention is paid to how internal and external value systems interact and influence the conception and implementation of sustainability.

As an educational charity and social enterprise, the Eden Project is examined, using a qualitative case study approach. Extant literature complements the discussion of how internal and external driving forces interact and influence sustainable management and practice. Method triangulation is adopted to increase the internal validity, comprising in‐depth interviews with key management informants, one major supplier, representatives of the staff, observation on site and a member check for the correctness of descriptions and the systematisation of the data.

The sustainability strategy of the Eden Project is divided in three interconnected strategies; operational practice, educational programmes and outreach initiatives that target young people, disengaged and unemployed people, and deprived communities around the world. The study points to possible interrelationships between different internal and external value systems, and how internal and external driving forces may influence the way corporations conceive and implement sustainability.

The business sustainability model at the Eden Project provides opportunities for the development of sustainability management, and suggestions for future research are presented.

The study illustrates how the carbon footprint on Earth can be reduced, and how social responsibility can be advanced.

This study is the first to examine a corporation that deploys resources to increase financial performance in order to support the main objectives concerning promoting sustainability management. Thus, the examination may provide new ideas to practitioners and researchers related to the advancement of social responsibility.