Citation: Shahzad, M.B.; Dar, I.B.; Wazirali, R. The Fear of the Known and Unknown in Being the Sustainable Business: Environmental Concern Reflected by Axfood (Sweden). Sustainability 2023, 15, 5467. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su15065467 Received: 18 January 2023 Revised: 4 March 2023 Accepted: 7 March 2023 Published: 20 March 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Article The Fear of the Known and Unknown in Being the Sustainable Business: Environmental Concern Reflected by Axfood (Sweden) Muhammad Babar Shahzad 1, *, Imran Bashir Dar 2 and Raniyah Wazirali 3, * 1 Pakistan Currency Exchange Company, Karachi 72400, Pakistan 2 Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences, Foundation University Islamabad (FUI), Rawalpindi Campus, Rawalpindi 44000, Pakistan 3 College of Computing and Informatics, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh 11673, Saudi Arabia * Correspondence: babar@pakistancurrency.com (M.B.S.); r.wazirali@seu.edu.sa (R.W.) Abstract: This research aims to examine the feasibility of adopting a corporate social responsibility strategy that prioritises environmental protection within the food distribution and retail sectors. The environmental strategy involves ecofriendly packaging, streamlined logistics, and conservative energy use. The company Axfood serves as a case study. The study involved public records observation, store visits, and discussions with the managers and head of CSR. The study employed a case study approach, utilising data collected from various sources and analysing it for depth and breadth of understanding to uncover systemic causes of environmental concern at Axfood. Three outcomes were derived from the practical experience gathered from observation, repeated store inspection, interviewing customers and store managers, and five conversations with top management. Recycling and cutting costs through energy efficiency allow businesses to compete based on low prices and high-quality products. It is not a long-term fix to have the market pressure businesses to prioritise products above social audits and unclear reports. Finally, the answer for future business is to learn from competitors and reach parity by having what others have while being distinctive in some respects, such as having a superior environmental conscience. Keywords: sustainability; corporate social responsibility; food wholesale; retail business 1. Introduction The World Summit on Sustainable Development, SDGs, and the 2030 agenda have depicted the environment as the topmost concern regarding sustainability and sustain- able business, which could create employment and satisfy sustainable consumption pref- erences [1,2]. There is connection with SDGs, Agenda 2030, and other internationally recognised frameworks and agreements [3]. All the member states broadly accept these agreements, so environmental concern is the focus of sustainable businesses, especially the food industry. Environmental care was the driving force rather than financial gain or economic efficiency as it ensures that businesses survive in the longer run [1]. Several critics and academics have discussed the concerns around sustainable business operations, such as developing a generalised retail charter that could steer towards the support for all stakeholders, exploring food waste at retail stores, shift of thinking for economic connection of sustainability and CSR, transformations needed, sustainable retail store brand experience, business model innovations, retail centred sustainability issues of infrastructure, energy usage, and overall end-to-end operations [4–6]. There has been continuous struggle for examining the incorporation of environmental considerations into commercial objectives, turning them green. Sustainability has been projected as a strategy for producing high- quality goods and services by providing real green-value to customers. There is a clear call for green business modelling for engaging with multilayered environmental concerns Sustainability 2023, 15, 5467. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065467 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability