Barriers to Sustainability in Eastern European B2B Companies: A Detailed Focus on the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

In a fast-paced world, where tendencies change overnight and gain importance rapidly, companies, in this case, the ones operating in the B2B market, need to be fast in adapting to the new normal. However, the transition can be a tough process when barriers interfere. This thesis covers the implementation of sustainability in B2B companies and identifies the barriers faced by the firms. While beginning with wider research – Easter Europe, with Romania and Ukraine in focus, it later concentrates on the Republic of Moldova. The aim is to understand why a topic of growing relevance in today’s business environment continues to face challenges in execution. The obvious question is what the main barriers to sustainability in B2B companies in Moldova are. While the answer can be obvious, this thesis analyses also how these obstacles are influenced by external factors, such as regulations, customer demand, and corporate governance. Considering the area of investigation is only one country, the goal is also to identify if cultural attitudes towards sustainability influence business decision-making in Moldova. The analysis focuses on a combination of existing literature on sustainability in the B2B market and qualitative research. Five representatives from five different companies, operating in different industries in Moldova participated in structured interview sessions. These interviewees provided personal experiences regarding sustainability and its adaptation in their companies. As a result, the key barriers were identified. Companies are struggling financially; the funding programs offered by the government are hard to access or non-existent. There is a lack of knowledge on this topic, increasing the resistance to change from the side of employees. Regulations and policies, instead of guiding the beneficiaries, confuse them, because of unclear formulation and bureaucracy. In brief, this thesis explores the status of sustainability implementation in the Republic of Moldova, using previous research to compare the situation in Eastern Europe with the one in Western Europe. With the barriers being identified, potential solutions are proposed: investment in long-term processes, training programs, and education.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Doris Ehrlinger (Supervisor)