Customers increasingly want to deal with socially and environmentally conscious businesses. This presents opportunities for small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners to develop new areas of competitive advantage. Capitalizing on sustainability opportunities can lead to longevity, but requires managers who can integrate a sustainable development framework into their company’s strategy.
A key place to find new value is corporate social responsibility (CSR) — initiatives that drive economics as well as social or environmental agendas. But most of the research in this area has focused on large firms. How do small companies identify and leverage CSR opportunities?
Some small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been climbing onboard the sustainability bandwagon due to increasing stakeholder pressures. In the case of U.S. wineries, concerns around endangered species preservation and agricultural chemical use contributed to the development of a voluntary sustainability code by the industry’s largest trade association, the Wine Institute.
Limited research has examined the strategies small firms use to reduce environmental impacts. It is often assumed these firms don’t have the resources to undertake voluntary, beyond-compliance initiatives. Can small firms truly go beyond the basics and form proactive environmental strategies?