Sustainability And Small And Medium Sized Enterprises

This book tackles a largely neglected topic: small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their environmental impact. Over 90% of all firms are SMEs. Their importance to the health of national and international economies is recognized. But what of their environmental impact? Individually, this may be small but, collectively, they pose a huge and largely unregulated threat to national and indeed the global environment. There have been many failed attempts to engage SMEs in environmental stewardship. Why is this? And where are the success stories needed to set best-practice examples? Environmental protection is widely touted as being a win-win scenario for business with economic spin-offs in terms of energy and waste reduction quickly producing payback for capital expenditures. Why is the "good environmental management equals good business management" message not getting through? In Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Environment Dr Ruth Hillary brings together an outstanding international collection of experts from government, international and national support agencies, academics and the business community to present arguments about the key environmental business imperatives facing the small-firm sector. The book is divided into four sections:Attitudes and Perceptions of Small Firms to the Environment and SustainabilityEnvironmental Management in the Smaller FirmPractical Strategies for Reaching SMEsCase Studies from around the World. In these sections, the book examines the threats – such as trade, supply chain issues and legislative compliance – but is also solution-oriented, with considerable discussion of the management tools smaller firms can use to improve their environmental performance. It aims to provide practical strategies for smaller firms and to that end includes a range of informative case studies from around the world. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Environment is the most comprehensive book on the subject available and will prove invaluable not only to SMEs themselves, seeking to understand a rapidly changing world, but to consultants and small-business advisors, local and central government and to all those in academia looking for ways to improve the environmental performance of small businesses.

Industrialisation has brought great benefits to humankind but now, after 200 years of fossil fuel use, land clearance and pollution, the planet’s boundaries are being stretched to their limits. Going beyond these confines would have severe consequences for humankind. To prevent this from happening, government, corporate and community initiatives must focus on reducing the environmental impact of approximately 400 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), given that they produce approximately 70% of the world’s pollution, 60% of carbon emissions and have a significant impact on land. To date, research shows that SMEs have been environmental laggards and more needs to be understood to improve sustainability in the SME sector. Broadening the researcher’s methodological focus, beyond traditional singular approaches, improves knowledge generation and better informs policy and practice. This book paves the way by showing the reader that a mixed method research design is able to provide a deep, diverse and holistic understanding of sustainability and SMEs. Importantly, the book also provides an in-depth mapping of mixed method sustainability and SME research at a regional level. As this book is about environmental sustainability framed in a business context, it will be of interest to researchers, academics, students and those in industry who are enquiring about the environmental sustainability of SMEs.

A study of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their environmental impact. It addresses the attitudes and perceptions of small firms to the environment and sustainability; environmental management in the smaller firm; and practical strategies for reaching SMEs.

In a world facing environmental challenges and socio-economic inequalities, SMEs can drive positive change by integrating sustainability principles into their business practices. This book examines the relationship between sustainability, green management, and SME performance, providing insights, strategies, and case studies to guide SMEs towards a more sustainable future and long-term viability. Drawing from extensive research, the book analyzes the drivers, barriers, and motivations influencing SMEs' adoption of sustainability practices. It offers practical recommendations on overcoming resource constraints, awareness gaps, regulatory complexities, and resistance to change. It explores emerging trends such as digital technologies, circular economy approaches, clean energy transitions, and social innovation and discusses collaboration among SMEs, academia, and government agencies as a crucial factor for innovation and scaling up sustainable practices. Sustainability, Green Management and Performance of SMEs is a comprehensive and practical guide for SMEs seeking to integrate sustainability into their business strategies. It inspires and supports SMEs on their journey towards environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and long-term profitability, thus enabling them to unlock new business opportunities, gain a competitive edge, and secure their future in a changing global economy.

Climate change is a major problem, generating both risks and opportunities that will have a direct impact on the economy and the financial sector. In recent years, climate change has threatened both the survival of the financial system and economic development. The growing occurrence of extreme climate events combined with the imprudent nature of economic growth can cause unsustainable levels of harm to the financial sectors. On the other hand, it presents a range of new business challenges. In contrast to the most evident physical risks, companies are vulnerable to transformational risks that arise from the reaction of society to climate change, such as technological change, regulation and markets that can boost the cost of doing business, threats to the profitability of existing goods, or effects on the value of the asset. Climate change also offers new business opportunities, and it has made research in the context of a sustainable financial sector indispensable. The Handbook of Research on Climate Change and the Sustainable Financial Sector focuses on the impacts of climate change on various sectors of the world economy. This book covers how businesses can improve their sustainability, the impact of climate change on the financial sector, and specifically, the impacts on financial services, supply chains, and the socio-economic status of the world. Beyond focusing on the impacts to the financial industry itself, this book assesses how climate change in the financial sector affects the well-being of society in areas such as unemployment, economic recessions, decreases in consumer purchases, and more. This book is essential for stockbrokers, business managers, directors, fund managers, financial analysts, consultants and actuaries, institutional investors, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in a comprehensive view of the impact of climate change on the financial sector.

This book explains and analyzes entrepreneurship and cultural management issues in the creative and cultural sectors and discusses the impacts of economic, social and structural changes on cultural entrepreneurship. The expert contributions investigate the role of cultural entrepreneurship in regional and destination management and development by presenting best practice examples. It offers various interdisciplinary approaches, including perspectives from the fields of entrepreneurship and management, regional and destination management and development, sociology, psychology, innovation as well as creative industries, and also features articles exploring cultural entrepreneurship on a corporate as well as on a spatial level – or in other words in regions and destinations.

Topics discussed include - Double materiality analysis, ESG strategy, ESG framework, stakeholder analysis, value chain analysis, transitional opportunity ranking, transitional risk ranking, energy audits, carbon neutrality target, net zero commitment, product life cycle analysis, double materiality map, ESG priorities vs. internal capabilities, implementational planning for ESG strategy, objective setting, KPI design, target setting, governance framework establishment and ESG assurance. Concepts are discussed and demonstrated through hypothetical application. This book aims to establish a generalisable method, for small and medium sized enterprises to seamlessly combine, sustainable development principles with corporate business value addition strategies. Ideally this method should facilitate synchronized strategy development & implementation, optimized governance, and affective resource allocation in SMEs. Easy to follow step by step guidance and practical illustrations are provided for formulation of ESG strategic framework, implementation and ESG disclosure. Business context application of key concepts are demonstrated in detail practical replication. New concepts - double materiality with reporting contextuality, five element materiality analysis, materiality mapping, material issues to targets & metrics (MITM model), sustainable development strategy formulation process (SDSFP model) and overarching sustainable development principles (OSDP model) are introduced and demonstrated through practical application. In today's context, SMEs are faced with urgent calls to action over climate and socio-economic emergencies across the world. Market trends, social pressure, legislative pressure, and peer pressure, has companies cornered and confused. There are various guideline frameworks on business enterprise alignment for ESG disclosure. However, guidance on streamlined methods to enable alignment of the primary objective of corporate value addition with environment, social and governance concepts are rare. On most occasions, ESG projects are initiated with the core objective of generating a disclosure report. These programs run the risk of creating internal application deficiencies and overall misalignment in business and sustainability objectives. This has led to confusion and unintended greenwashing. Small & medium sized companies are the main contributors for employment, economic growth, better income distribution and social entrepreneurship, the world over. The sustainable development transition poses heightened risks and better opportunities for these entities. SMEs should be adequately equipped and empowered to mitigate sustainable development transitional risks and capitalize on opportunities. Also, the ESG strategic planning process is designed to generate sustainable opportunities for corporate value addition, rather than the traditional linear growth model of producing and selling more to enable more value addition. Preparedness, strategic alignment, and robust governance will increase their resilience and continued economic contribution which is key to wholistic socio-economic wellbeing. Also, SMEs have widespread business bases and close interactions with social subsystems. Hence, their influence on the wider society, for sustainable consumption alignment and lifestyle changes, will be much greater. For Whom - Founders, Owner Managers, Corporate Managers, Sustainability Consultants, Environmental Auditors & Consultants, HSE Auditors & Consultants, Energy Auditors & Consultants, ESG Managers, Sustainability Managers, CSR Managers, Investors, ESG Auditors, Social and Environmental Activists.

SMEs need to become more sustainable. To reach such a goal they also need to become more professional in their outlook and approach. In this way they may be able to deal with the instability, complexity, ambiguity and uncertainty of change; and to cope with the ever increasing pressures brought by change. After outlining what is meant by sustainability and professionalism, some strategies for how SME owner/managers might become more professional by focussing on the development of their own, and their employees, so called soft skills' are offered. The author draws from a range of theories to support the argument.