The transformation of John Elkington's views on the concept of sustainable development

The main purpose of this article is to carry out a comprehensive theoretical, chronological and methodological analysis of the evolution of John Elkington's environmental and economic philosophy, to trace his transition from early adherence to the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to modern paradigms of "regenerative capitalism" and "green swans".

The article uses a research methodology based on institutional-evolutionary economic theory and system-structural analysis. A retrospective approach is applied to the consideration of the development of the principles of sustainable development in the works of Elkington to identify the transformation of his scientific concept.

 The results show that although the concept of the triple baseline (TBL) is actively being implemented by large corporations and reflected in the formation of sustainability reporting, in the end it is often superficial and is used as a tool of «green camouflage» without changing the fundamental capitalist paradigm of maximizing short-term profits.

The study concludes that gradual harm reduction is no longer a viable defensive strategy against environmental and economic crises. Instead, economic survival requires an offensive, exponential shift in theory and practice towards regenerative capitalism, led by "green swans" – system-wide market innovations that will actively restore and replenish both ecological wealth and social justice.