Beyond incrementalism: A regenerative learning model for sustainable marketing and service ecosystems

Abstract

This study presents a novel regenerative service ecosystem learning framework (Reg-SELF), offering a critical distinction between regenerative sustainability and other incremental sustainability approaches. Building on literature in regenerative sustainability, transformative education, and marketing, the paper conceptualizes regenerative learning as a participative and reflexive practice, integrating it within the service-dominant logic framework to foster "inner sustainability" and cultural transformations across service ecosystems. Combining different sustainability perspectives—including service marketing, social marketing, and macro-marketing—this paper advances regenerative thinking in marketing theory and outlines a transformative learning path for embedding a regenerative approach into existing systems. Implications for the role of marketing are discussed, including proposing research avenues that explore how marketing can help weave more resilient and regenerative service ecosystems.