TY - JOUR
T1 - The roles of sustainable entrepreneurs in tackling societal challenges
T2 - Quantifying how sustainable plastic companies act to create system change
AU - Dijkstra, Hanna
AU - Planko, Julia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - Sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs are important actors in addressing grand societal challenges, they introduce new products and services, but also conduct so-called system-changing activities, such as creating awareness, building shared infrastructure and lobbying for supportive legislation. This paper seeks to understand how entrepreneurs contribute to a sustainability transition through system-changing and business activities by conducting a survey with almost 100 company representatives working within the plastic sector. We conceptualize eight groups of system-changing activities and find companies spend most time on product, service and technology development. Conversely, businesses spent least time on influencing institutions and standardization, though many indicated they would prefer to allocate more time to collaborating with industry and government institutions. Our study empirically confirms that businesses do not only devote time and resources to business development, but also to system-changing actions. Especially respondents who perceive their company a necessary actor in the sustainability transition, were more likely to conduct system-changing activities. This led us to introduce the term ‘transition-oriented entrepreneur’, who seeks to deliver environmental or social benefits, achieve business profit and proactively change the system in which they operate. We recommend key stakeholders in sustainability transitions to take on a systems perspective and to identify which system-changing activities need more time and resources in order to accelerate systemic change of their production and consumption system. Moreover, we recommend making entrepreneurs aware of their possible power and influence in changing the system, to increase their agency and accelerate system change.
AB - Sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs are important actors in addressing grand societal challenges, they introduce new products and services, but also conduct so-called system-changing activities, such as creating awareness, building shared infrastructure and lobbying for supportive legislation. This paper seeks to understand how entrepreneurs contribute to a sustainability transition through system-changing and business activities by conducting a survey with almost 100 company representatives working within the plastic sector. We conceptualize eight groups of system-changing activities and find companies spend most time on product, service and technology development. Conversely, businesses spent least time on influencing institutions and standardization, though many indicated they would prefer to allocate more time to collaborating with industry and government institutions. Our study empirically confirms that businesses do not only devote time and resources to business development, but also to system-changing actions. Especially respondents who perceive their company a necessary actor in the sustainability transition, were more likely to conduct system-changing activities. This led us to introduce the term ‘transition-oriented entrepreneur’, who seeks to deliver environmental or social benefits, achieve business profit and proactively change the system in which they operate. We recommend key stakeholders in sustainability transitions to take on a systems perspective and to identify which system-changing activities need more time and resources in order to accelerate systemic change of their production and consumption system. Moreover, we recommend making entrepreneurs aware of their possible power and influence in changing the system, to increase their agency and accelerate system change.
KW - Plastic pollution
KW - Sustainability transitions
KW - Sustainability-oriented entrepreneur
KW - System-changing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85161804899&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85161804899&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.spc.2023.05.028
DO - 10.1016/j.spc.2023.05.028
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85161804899
SN - 2352-5509
VL - 39
SP - 534
EP - 545
JO - Sustainable Production and Consumption
JF - Sustainable Production and Consumption
ER -