University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN SMEs: A
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Abstract
Cheryl Rodgers
Principal Lecturer,
Richmond Building, Portsmouth Business School,
University of Portsmouth, UNITED KINGDOM.
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Sustainability is oft thought of as the privilege of the large corporate – with sufficient funds to
invest in anything from effective green PR 1 to improving its carbon footprint. What is perhaps
less well-understood and documented is the range of activities undertaken by SMEs 2 , including
very small entrepreneurial start-ups, some of which base their entire business rationale around
sustainable principles. This paper uses a case study approach to explore the modus operandi of
ecopreneurship and draws on both primary research and secondary data to develop and explore
sustainable entrepreneurship in this sector. Preliminary findings suggest that ecopreneurial SMEs
are looking to other goals alongside financial ones and are prepared to go to significant lengths to
achieve such goals. Monetary measures are not, of course entirely absent, but are very strongly
conditioned by the eco-conscious nature of the business. In short, sustainability imperatives
remain paramount.
Keywords: SME, Sustainability, Ecopreneur, Shecopreneur, Green Business
Introduction
Sustainability in the green, environmental sense seems to be a lagging concept in the
corporate management world. Goodall (2008) for example, tells us that in her study
of the top academic journals between 1970 and 2007 she found only “nine articles
that refer to climate change or global warming” - this out of a total of approximately
31,000 articles. Green issues appear to be going niche - becoming enveloped in the
functional areas - lean operations or green marketing for example, rather than
pervading an organisation’s fundamental strategy. There are of course brave and
trendsetting exceptions - Marks & Spencer's Plan A3, for example. However it may
be in the SME sector that the “Green Green” business defined by Isaak (2002) as
"one that is designed to be green in its processes and products from scratch” is
making headway. As Holt et al (2001) comment, “…the involvement of SMEs is also
vitally important in achieving the national environmental targets…Indeed, it is
difficult to see how some of these national targets can be achieved without
significant involvement of SMEs.” This paper sets out to explore a subset of those
SMEs - the “Green Green SME” and the factors that drive both them and their
entrepreneurial founders forward in their sustainable agendas.
1 Public Relations
2 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
3 http://www.plana.marksandspencer.com