Corporate Sustainability and Long-Lived Companies: A Lesson From the Oldest Firms in the World

Abstract

Corporate sustainability is a topic that has gathered a considerable interest in the last years. Despite recent developments, some firms have led with changes in the environment for centuries to survive, being one of the tools used for corporate sustainability. This chapter analyzes how the most long-living companies in the world have carried out sustainable businesses through embeddedness and collaboration with the environment, mostly by the use of intangible resources and capabilities, in order to remain in the market. With a narrative perspective, the authors expose some of the practices developed by the abovementioned companies. The main conclusions extracted from those firms are aimed to be potentially applied to current companies and, thus, enhance corporate sustainability and survival through already proven mechanisms.