Work

Why European Entrepreneurs in the Water and Waste Management Sector Are Willing to Go beyond Environmental Legislation

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Sustainability in the water sector in Europe is a major concern, and compliance with the current legislation alone does not seem to be enough to face major challenges like climate change or population growth and concentration. The greatest potential for improvement appears when companies decide to take a step forward and go beyond environmental legislation. This study focuses on the environmental responsibility (ER) of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the water and waste management sector and analyzes the drivers that lead these firms to the adoption of more sustainable practices. Our results show that up to 40% of European SMEs within this industry display environmental responsibility. Market pull has a low incidence in encouraging ER, while values and the strategic decisions of entrepreneurs seem decisive. Policy makers should prioritize subsidies over fiscal incentives because they show greater potential to promote the adoption of environmental responsibility among these firms.

Source: Water

DOI: 10.3390/w9030151

Authors: Adrián Rabadán, Francisco Sáez-Martínez

Institution: University of Castilla-La Mancha

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Sustainability in Business

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Responsible consumption and production, Clean water and sanitation, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137