Green rivals: a typology of generic coopetitive sustainability strategies

This paper develops a typology of coopetitive sustainability strategies to explain how competing firms can simultaneously create, appropriate and internalize value from joint environmental initiatives. It addresses the gap in strategy and entrepreneurship research regarding the mechanisms and boundary conditions under which coopetition, rather than competition or generic collaboration, is necessary to generate both economic and socio-environmental outcomes. Using a theory synthesis combined with typology building, we integrate insights from coopetition, sustainability strategy and value appropriation literature. We reviewed relevant studies, then clustered mechanisms and contexts into four generic coopetitive strategies. We provide industry examples as instances of each strategy. We identify four generic coopetitive sustainability strategies: eco-efficiency, trustification, eco-branding and environmental cost leadership. We formalize the types of value at stake as common, private and public (socio-environmental), and distinguish between appropriation of common value and internalization of public value. We also outline boundary conditions that make coopetition an instrumental condition for environmental and economic value creation. In doing so, we contribute to the “neo-configurational perspective” of generic strategies. The paper advances sustainability and entrepreneurship theory by (1) offering a novel typology of coopetitive sustainability strategies, (2) clarifying the conceptual vocabulary of value creation, appropriation and internalization and (3) specifying mechanisms and boundary conditions that explain when and why coopetition is essential for scaling environmental impact. It also provides entrepreneurs and managers with actionable guidance on designing coopetitive initiatives that both improve environmental outcomes and yield firm-level value.