The importance given to sustainable development paved the way for the development of the triple bottom line (TBL) concept. TBL is vital for the assessment of nations’ economic development (ED) beyond traditional economic measures. Despite this relevance, few studies still seek to deepen our understanding of the interaction between TLB and ED. Thus, this bibliometric study aimed to analyse the relationship between TBL, sustainability, and ED, adding business strategy concepts such as competitiveness, decision making, planning, and performance. We intended to reinforce the extension of TBL’s dominant rhetoric to sustainable ED. The results revealed the relationship between TBL and ED and allowed the identification of four clusters, from which a theoretical–conceptual model of the theory and application of TBL to achieve ED was formulated. This model can be adopted for the consolidation of ED through the TBL framework and as a tool to support business strategy related to obtaining competitive advantage; decision making; planning; and stimulating economic, social, and environmental performance.

Addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges has become a pressing global priority. The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework offers a holistic approach for evaluating corporate performance by integrating economic, environmental, and social perspectives. Despite its increasing adoption in both managerial and academic research, there remains a significant gap in understanding how the TBL framework influences business performance. To address this, the study conducts a bibliometric review of 207 publications from the Web of Science database. The review highlights the multifaceted impact of practices linked to the TBL dimensions on business performance while introducing the TBL Influence on Business Performance model. This model provides valuable insights into how businesses can effectively apply TBL principles to address socio-environmental challenges, foster innovation, and achieve sustained long-term performance. The findings contribute valuable theoretical and practical insights into how organizations can utilize TBL principles to strengthen resilience, innovation, and performance in the face of global socio-environmental challenges.

The present study aims to analyse the sustainable innovation strategies that companies can implement in their business models in order to improve their economic performance and become more competitive in the marketplace. This study uses a qualitative methodology based on the case method of nine companies. It was concluded that companies have concerns about environmental issues, translated into the implementation of sustainable practices in their business models, not because they are legal obligations, but because they incorporate sustainability in their strategic vision. Thus, companies add considerable value to their value chain and obtain a better strategic positioning in relation to competitors. It was also found that companies intend to implement innovative sustainable practices and that some companies have a business model that already incorporates sustainability strategies. Additionally, concerning sustainable innovation, we concluded that companies innovate in the manufacturing process (producing more with less) and with the product (modifying their product to make it more sustainable and greener). However, companies generally adopt a defensive sustainability strategy. This article is original because it simultaneously contributes to the development of the literature on sustainable innovation, sustainable strategies and company performance. It also recommends that companies improve their sustainable innovation strategies in business models to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage.