COLLABORATIVE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL ARCHETYPES IN THE AGRI-FOOD SECTOR

Farmers are put under pressure to produce more and higher quality food at a lower cost in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. However, farmers might struggle to benefit from implementing socially and environmentally sustainable practices. Collaborative sustainable business models (CSBMs) offer a promising avenue to overcome these struggles by developing a value creation and value delivery systems together with other value chain actors instead of by the farmer independently. Based on the analysis of the CSBMs of 290 sustainable agri-food start-ups and thirteen interviews, we identify six CSBM archetypes and twelve CSBM sub-archetypes. The developed archetypes provide practical guidance and stimulates thinking for practitioners who can mimic the archetypes within their own organizations and value chains. The practical relevance is highlighted by the use of the CSBM archetypes in twenty-six value chains in a Horizon2020 research project. In terms of theoretical relevance, this research adds a new perspective to (sustainable) business model literature and the archetypes can serve as a reference point for future research.