Corporate Sustainability in Complex Economies: Complexity Economics, Strategic Capabilities and Climate Action

Abstract

This article develops a conceptual perspective on corporate sustainability in complex economies by focusing on the bridge between complexity economics and strategic capabilities for climate action. It argues that climate change is not only an environmental or disclosure issue but a strategic condition shaped by interdependence, uncertainty and uneven productive structures. Using a narrative review, the article connects climate‐risk research, strategic management, complexity theory and complexity economics. It shows that these literatures clarify important dimensions of the problem but remain insufficiently connected in explaining how firm‐level capabilities relate to structural transition conditions. The article contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13‐oriented research by conceptualising corporate sustainability as a capability for linking climate response, organisational learning and productive transformation. It concludes that firms can support climate‐oriented transitions when sustainability informs strategic adaptation, investment and long‐term value creation.