The new models of sufficiency: from sufficient consumption to sufficient business models

As a rising trend in consumption practices, an emerging topic in political discourse, and an elusive matter for businesses, sufficiency is a multifaceted concept with deep historical and philosophical roots, with a promising potential for impact. As it is understood that the growth of human activities has led to the progressive overshoot of the Earth's system to sustain them in the long term (Rockström et al., 2009), and that this growth does not lead to a proportional improvement in the quality of life – past a certain threshold (Easterlin, 1974), the objectives of the thesis are to explore the viability of sufficiency-led consumption and business models to address the current global environmental and societal challenges. We seek to articulate the consumption and production angles around sufficiency practices, in order to contribute to the research on new and sustainable business models. We shall strive to present business leaders and public authorities with clarification on an emerging subject, and to provide tools for its implementation. Specific topics we seek to explore pertain to the tension between sufficiency strategies and financial performance, and, more broadly, value creation, in the cleaning industry and electronic goods sectors; unexpected rebound effects of sufficient consumption models; and the cultural traits that make or break new sufficiency-led models.