Companies are not just subject to sustainability regulations – they also actively shape them. But how exactly do businesses influence political decisions, and what does this mean for sustainability governance?

In a new open-access article published in Business Strategy and the Environment, Janina Grabs, Head of the Sustainability Research Group at the University of Basel, and Burkard Eberleinfrom York University introduce the Corporate Political Activity (CPA) Cube.

The framework provides a systematic way to examine corporate political influence across three dimensions:

• Level of governance: Where does political influence take place – at the local, national or transnational level?
• Type of power: How do companies exercise influence – through direct political engagement, their structural economic position or by shaping public discourse?
• Collaboration strategy: With whom do companies act – individually, through business alliances or in broader cross-sector coalitions?

By combining these dimensions, the CPA Cube helps capture the different ways in which businesses engage in political processes beyond traditional lobbying.

The authors illustrate the framework through six examples of corporate political activity related to efforts to address commodity-driven deforestation. These examples demonstrate how businesses can pursue different political strategies, sometimes supporting stronger sustainability regulations and sometimes seeking to weaken or prevent them.

The article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the role of companies in sustainability governance. Rather than treating businesses simply as supporters or opponents of regulation, the CPA Cube offers a tool for analysing how, where and with whom they seek to influence sustainability transitions.

Publication

Eberlein, B., & Grabs, J. (2026). Conceptualizing Corporate Political Activity for Sustainability Governance—The CPA Cube. Business Strategy and the Environment.