Driving Sustainable Innovation: A Review of Data-Driven Technologies in Sustainable Business Model Innovation

Many companies use data-driven technologies to drive sustainable business model innovation (BMI), yet often face challenges in doing so effectively. However, the literature at the intersection of data-driven and sustainable BMI remains conceptually dispersed, limiting theoretical progress and practical application. To consolidate the literature, we combine a systematic literature review with bibliometric coupling to conceptualize data-driven sustainable BMI. First, we identify five distinct research streams—digital platforms, circular economy, smart manufacturing and supply chains, blockchain, and servitization—which reflect diverse technological pathways to transform traditional business models into sustainable ones. Second, we develop a dynamic capabilities-based process model that explains how companies can achieve this transformation by orchestrating data-driven and sustainable capabilities across the initiation, ideation, integration, and implementation phases of BMI. This study advances theoretical understanding and provides practical guidance on how data-driven technologies can enable positive environmental, social, and economic outcomes.