Sustainopreneurship

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Sustainopreneurship describes business activity that addresses environmental or social sustainability challenges. The concept stems from social entrepreneurship and ecopreneurship. It refers to entrepreneurial practices that combine business with explicit environmental or social goals. In literature, sustainopreneurship means seeking economic viability while also pursuing sustainability goals.

Contents

The term is commonly used to denote a market-based approach to sustainability, in which organizations operate within conventional economic systems while aiming to reduce environmental impacts or address social issues. In this usage, sustainability objectives are incorporated into business strategy or operation, rather than treated as peripheral or philanthropic activities.

Definition

The term sustainopreneurship was first formally defined in 2006. [1] It refers to the deployment of sustainability-oriented innovations through entrepreneurial activity. The concept involves identifying one or more sustainability-related social, environmental, or global problems and developing solutions that are brought to the market through the creation of efficient organizations.

Sustainopreneurial organizations are mission-driven and aim to generate ecological, economic, or social value. These activities seek to preserve, restore, or enhance the underlying natural, social, or economic capital, thereby supporting the long-term ability to meet the needs of present and future stakeholders.

Conceptual development

Academic literature has discussed businesses as important contributors to sustainable development, particularly due to their role in innovation and economic activity. [2] [3] Scholars have argued that sustainability challenges require engagement beyond government action and involve participation from multiple sectors, including the private sector. [4]

The term sustainopreneurship was first introduced in 2000. [5] It was further developed through academic publications beginning in 2003, [6] [7] [8] and a tentative definition was proposed in 2006 by Anders Abrahamsson. [9] This definition was later empirically examined in academic research, including a master’s thesis. Subsequent studies addressed future research challenges and contributed to the conceptual development of the field through conference papers and book chapters. [10] [11] [12]

Entrepreneurship research has increasingly expanded beyond a purely economic perspective and has been examined as a broader social process. [13] Prior to the development of sustainopreneurship, two related approaches—social entrepreneurship and ecopreneurship—addressed specific dimensions of sustainability. Social entrepreneurship has primarily focused on addressing social challenges, often through nonprofit or hybrid organizational forms, while ecopreneurship has emphasized environmental problem-solving through business activity. [8]

Sustainopreneurship is distinct from sustainable entrepreneurship in its primary objective. Sustainable entrepreneurship generally incorporates sustainability considerations into entrepreneurial processes, whereas sustainopreneurship is explicitly oriented toward solving sustainability-related problems through business organization and innovation. In this context, sustainability is not an auxiliary consideration but a central strategic aim.

Before being formalized into business entities, sustainopreneurial initiatives typically involve identifying practical sustainability challenges. These challenges are often derived from international sustainable development frameworks such as Agenda 21, the Millennium Declaration, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development Plan of Implementation. [14] [15] [16] These frameworks outline key areas where sustainability-related problems, goals, and value creation are interconnected.

Commonly referenced areas include:

Future development

As a relatively recent area of study, sustainopreneurship has been identified in academic literature as requiring further research. [11] [12] Scholars have suggested the need for more detailed conceptual frameworks and taxonomies of sustainability-oriented innovations, which are considered central to the field. Such frameworks are commonly proposed to be developed through the systematic documentation and analysis of empirical case studies.

Research has also emphasized the importance of applied approaches to examine the institutional barriers, enabling conditions, and mechanisms that influence sustainopreneurial activities. Areas of interest include identifying facilitating factors, tools, and organizational approaches that support the development and implementation of sustainability-driven ventures. Methodologies such as Enactive Research and Open Space Technology have been discussed in the literature as participatory approaches that may support stakeholder engagement and collaborative problem-solving in sustainopreneurial contexts. [17] [18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Abrahamsson, A. (2006) Sustainopreneurship – Business with a Cause. in Science Sustainable Development – Starting Points and Critical Reflections, Uppsala: VHU – Föreningen Vetenskap för Hållbar Utveckling (Swedish Society for Sustainable Development), pp. 21-30. ISBN   91-631-9222-5.
  2. ↑ Hart, S. L. (2005) Capitalism at the Crossroads: the Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems. Philadelphia: Wharton School Publishing., p 3-7.
  3. ↑ Prahalad, C. K. (2004) The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid – Eradicating Poverty Through Profits, Philadelphia: Wharton School Publishing.
  4. ↑ Robinson, J. (2004)Squaring the Circle? Some thoughts on the idea of Sustainable Development, Ecological Economics, 48:4, pp. 369-384.
  5. ↑ Schaltegger, S. (2000) Vom Bionier zum Sustainopreneur, Presentation at Rio Impuls Management Forum 2000, Home Page of conference "R.I.O. Management Forum 2000 - Unternehmen Nachhaltigkeit". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-12-22., presentation accessible at "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-12-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), (accessed 2007-04-16).
  6. ↑ Hockerts, K. (2003) Sustainability Innovation: Ecological and Social Entrepreneurship and the Managing of Antagonistic Assets, PhD Dissertation, University of St. Gallen, Schweiz.
  7. ↑ Gerlach, A. (2003a) Sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation, Centre for Sustainability Management, University of Lueneburg, Conference Proceedings of Conference Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 2003 in Leeds, UK.
  8. 1 2 Gerlach, A. (2003b) Innovativität und Sustainability Intrapreneurship,Paper presented at Sustainable Management in Action '03, University of St. Gallen, Schweiz.
  9. ↑ Abrahamsson, A. (2006), Ibid.
  10. ↑ Abrahamsson, A. (2007a) Sustainopreneurship – Business with a Cause: Conceptualizing Entrepreneurship for Sustainability. [Master Thesis in Business Administration.] Växjö: Reports from Växjö University: Business administration and economics. http://www.diva-portal.org/vxu/abstract.xsql?dbid=1254, (accessed 2007-05-25).
  11. 1 2 Abrahamsson, A. (2007b), Researching Sustainopreneurship – conditions, concepts, approaches, arenas and questions. An invitation to authentic sustainability business forces. Paper presented at the 13th International Sustainable Development Research Conference, Mälardalens Högskola, Västerås, 10-12 June, 2007
  12. 1 2 Abrahamsson, A. (2008), Sustainopreneurship – Business with a Cause. The Promise of Creative Organizing for Sustainability. In "Bridging the Functional and Territorial Views on Regional Entrepreneurship and Development", eds. Bengt Johannisson and Åsa Lindholm-Dahlstrand. Örebro: FSF (Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research). ISBN   91-89301-27-7.
  13. ↑ Steyaert, C., Katz, J. (2004) Reclaiming the space of entrepreneurship in society: geographical, discursive and social dimensions, Entrepreneurship and Business Development 2004:3, pp. 179-196, special issue on Social Entrepreneurship.
  14. ↑ UN, Conference on Environment and Development (1992a) Main Documents, download page, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/docs_unced.htm; including Agenda 21, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/index.htm, (accessed 2007-04-16).
  15. ↑ UN, Millennium Development Goals (2000) Homepage, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals, (accessed 2007-04-16).
  16. ↑ UN, World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002b) Homepage, http://www.johannesburgsummit.org, with WSSD Plan of Implementation, TOC with access to the full document, http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/POIToc.htm, (accessed 2007-04-16).
  17. ↑ Johannisson, B. (2002) Enacting Entrepreneurship – Using Auto-Ethnography to Study Organization Creation, Paper presented the conference Ethnographic Organizational Studies, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, September 19-21, 2002.
  18. ↑ Johannisson, B. (2005) Entreprenörskapets väsen, Lund: Studentlitteratur.
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