From Economies of Scale to Economies of Sufficiency: Antecedents of Corporate Sufficiency

The paradigm of unlimited economic growth on a finite planet is widely acknowledged as a root cause of sustainability challenges, yet the organizational transformations required to transcend this paradigm remain underexplored. This study introduces corporate sufficiency as a holistic principle that guides firms to align supply and demand within the boundaries of social and ecological carrying capacities. Based on a qualitative analysis of 70 sufficiency-oriented firms, we identify three ethical antecedents of corporate sufficiency: (1) responsibility, reflecting moral awareness to prioritize social and ecological well-being; (2) relationality, enabling sensitivity to context-specific social and ecological thresholds in relationships; and (3) excellence, fostering accountability to uphold the highest sustainability and quality standards through a culture of continuous learning. Each antecedent is found to imply an ethical stance: deontology, ethics of care, and virtue ethics, respectively. We propose a model of corporate sufficiency that articulates a distinct business logic prioritizing social and ecological stewardship over economic expansion. By challenging the instrumental logic prevalent in sustainable consumption literature, this study contributes to the fields of sufficiency and business ethics, offering an alternative perspective on the corporate role in advancing sustainable development.