Bridging the gap: Understanding Spanish society’s perception of purpose-driven companies and their role in sustainable development

Resumo

This study explores Spanish society’s perspective on purpose-driven businesses as a sustainable model. Also, it assesses Spain’s commitment to sustainability and aligns corporate expectations with citizen responsibilities for societal and environmental betterment. A survey spanning 2021-2022 gauges citizen knowledge and attitude evolution towards these companies. Results reveal 63% of the population is unaware of such businesses, but 74% deem them necessary upon understanding. About 64.5% undertake small daily actions for planetary care, but only 12.8% cease purchasing from environmentally harmful companies. This paper provides empirical evidence of the link between corporate purpose and business sustainability in Spain, and citizen perception of this business model’s impact and significance. It lays a theoretical and practical groundwork for future in-depth studies on purpose-driven companies.