IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i6p2109-d153527.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of SMEs’ Green Business Models in the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy: Differences in Their Design and Degree of Adoption Stemming from Business Size

Author

Listed:
  • María A. Quintás

    (Department of Business Management and Marketing, Faculty of Economics, Universidad de Vigo, Campus Universitario, s/n, 36310 Vigo, Spain)

  • Ana I. Martínez-Senra

    (Department of Business Management and Marketing, Faculty of Economics, Universidad de Vigo, Campus Universitario, s/n, 36310 Vigo, Spain)

  • Antonio Sartal

    (Department of Business Management and Marketing, Faculty of Economics, Universidad de Vigo, Campus Universitario, s/n, 36310 Vigo, Spain)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how SMEs define the components of their business models (value proposition, creation and capture) from the point of view of decarbonization. We analyze SMEs as a group, and study whether their size affects this process and, in both cases, we examine evolution over time. We use a database comprising 1161 observations of SMEs, 466 in 2014, and 695 in 2016. The results show that SMEs’ value propositions give an intermediate valuation to both legally required and voluntary reduction of environmental impact, irrespective of SME size and the year analyzed. Regarding value creation, SMEs adopt practically no environmental practices, and there are significant differences according to size, with more difficulties than advantages stemming from small size. The study also shows that such environmental practices are not effective in reducing carbon. This diagnosis indicates that SMEs need help from the administration if they are to play a key role in the process of transformation toward a low-carbon economy. Legislative actions involving harsher environmental protection measures might help shape value propositions that place greater importance on reducing environmental impact, whereas training actions on available environmental techniques, promotion of research on how to adapt such techniques to SMEs and the development of specific practices for SMEs might enhance environmental value creation and capture in their BMs.

Suggested Citation

  • María A. Quintás & Ana I. Martínez-Senra & Antonio Sartal, 2018. "The Role of SMEs’ Green Business Models in the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy: Differences in Their Design and Degree of Adoption Stemming from Business Size," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:6:p:2109-:d:153527
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/2109/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/2109/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vasileios Rizos & Arno Behrens & Wytze Van der Gaast & Erwin Hofman & Anastasia Ioannou & Terri Kafyeke & Alexandros Flamos & Roberto Rinaldi & Sotiris Papadelis & Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers & Corrado , 2016. "Implementation of Circular Economy Business Models by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): Barriers and Enablers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Ghezzi, Antonio & Cortimiglia, Marcelo Nogueira & Frank, Alejandro Germán, 2015. "Strategy and business model design in dynamic telecommunications industries: A study on Italian mobile network operators," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PA), pages 346-354.
    3. Armstrong, J. Scott & Overton, Terry S., 1977. "Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys," MPRA Paper 81694, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Su‐Yol Lee, 2012. "Corporate Carbon Strategies in Responding to Climate Change," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 33-48, January.
    5. Magali Delmas & Michael W. Toffel, 2004. "Stakeholders and environmental management practices: an institutional framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(4), pages 209-222, July.
    6. Sorescu, Alina & Frambach, Ruud T. & Singh, Jagdip & Rangaswamy, Arvind & Bridges, Cheryl, 2011. "Innovations in Retail Business Models," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 87(S1), pages 3-16.
    7. Patrick Spieth & Dirk Schneckenberg & Kurt Matzler, 2016. "Exploring the linkage between business model (&) innovation and the strategy of the firm," Post-Print hal-02007883, HAL.
    8. Madin, Elizabeth M.P. & Macreadie, Peter I., 2015. "Incorporating carbon footprints into seafood sustainability certification and eco-labels," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 178-181.
    9. Chicco, Gianfranco & Mancarella, Pierluigi, 2008. "Assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions from cogeneration and trigeneration systems. Part I: Models and indicators," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 410-417.
    10. Christopher D. H. Wilson & Ian David Williams & Simon Kemp, 2012. "An Evaluation of the Impact and Effectiveness of Environmental Legislation in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: Experiences from the UK," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 141-156, March.
    11. Minna Halme & Maria Korpela, 2014. "Responsible Innovation Toward Sustainable Development in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: a Resource Perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(8), pages 547-566, December.
    12. Stefan Lewandowski, 2017. "Corporate Carbon and Financial Performance: The Role of Emission Reductions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1196-1211, December.
    13. Hiteva, Ralitsa & Sovacool, Benjamin, 2017. "Harnessing social innovation for energy justice: A business model perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 631-639.
    14. Kristel Buysse & Alain Verbeke, 2003. "Proactive environmental strategies: a stakeholder management perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 453-470, May.
    15. Gerard George & Adam J. Bock, 2011. "The Business Model in Practice and its Implications for Entrepreneurship Research," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(1), pages 83-111, January.
    16. Sarah Williams & Anja Schaefer, 2013. "Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises and Sustainability: Managers' Values and Engagement with Environmental and Climate Change Issues," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 173-186, March.
    17. Mancarella, Pierluigi & Chicco, Gianfranco, 2008. "Assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions from cogeneration and trigeneration systems. Part II: Analysis techniques and application cases," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 418-430.
    18. Mike Simpson & Nick Taylor & Karen Barker, 2004. "Environmental responsibility in SMEs: does it deliver competitive advantage?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 156-171, May.
    19. Kennedy, Chris & Stewart, Iain D. & Facchini, Angelo & Mele, Renata, 2017. "The role of utilities in developing low carbon, electric megacities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 122-128.
    20. William Q. Judge & Thomas J. Douglas, 1998. "Performance Implications of Incorporating Natural Environmental Issues into the Strategic Planning Process: An Empirical Assessment," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 241-262, March.
    21. Karneyeva, Yuliya & Wüstenhagen, Rolf, 2017. "Solar feed-in tariffs in a post-grid parity world: The role of risk, investor diversity and business models," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 445-456.
    22. Madina, Carlos & Zamora, Inmaculada & Zabala, Eduardo, 2016. "Methodology for assessing electric vehicle charging infrastructure business models," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 284-293.
    23. Xu, X.Y. & Ang, B.W., 2013. "Index decomposition analysis applied to CO2 emission studies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 313-329.
    24. Andrea Revell & Robert Blackburn, 2007. "The business case for sustainability? An examination of small firms in the UK's construction and restaurant sectors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(6), pages 404-420, September.
    25. Rodríguez, Miguel & Pena-Boquete, Yolanda, 2017. "Carbon intensity changes in the Asian Dragons. Lessons for climate policy design," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 17-26.
    26. Wantao Yu & Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, 2015. "An empirical examination of stakeholder pressures, green operations practices and environmental performance," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(21), pages 6390-6407, November.
    27. Hannon, Matthew J. & Foxon, Timothy J. & Gale, William F., 2013. "The co-evolutionary relationship between Energy Service Companies and the UK energy system: Implications for a low-carbon transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1031-1045.
    28. Stephen Brammer & Stefan Hoejmose & Kerry Marchant, 2012. "Environmental Management in SMEs in the UK: Practices, Pressures and Perceived Benefits," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(7), pages 423-434, November.
    29. Lambert, Susan C. & Davidson, Robyn A., 2013. "Applications of the business model in studies of enterprise success, innovation and classification: An analysis of empirical research from 1996 to 2010," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 668-681.
    30. Panwar, N.L. & Kaushik, S.C. & Kothari, Surendra, 2011. "Role of renewable energy sources in environmental protection: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 1513-1524, April.
    31. Chin Hee Hahn & Sang-Hyop Lee & Kyoung-Soo Yoon (ed.), 2012. "Responding to Climate Change," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14709.
    32. Viesi, Diego & Pozzar, Francesca & Federici, Alessandro & Crema, Luigi & Mahbub, Md Shahriar, 2017. "Energy efficiency and sustainability assessment of about 500 small and medium-sized enterprises in Central Europe region," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 363-374.
    33. Georg Weinhofer & Timo Busch, 2013. "Corporate Strategies for Managing Climate Risks," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(2), pages 121-144, February.
    34. Sabrina Schneider & Patrick Spieth, 2013. "Business Model Innovation: Towards An Integrated Future Research Agenda," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(01), pages 1-34.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Juan E. Pardo & Ana Mejías & Antonio Sartal, 2020. "Assessing the Importance of Biomass-Based Heating Systems for More Sustainable Buildings: A Case Study Based in Spain," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, February.
    2. Seyed Meysam Khoshnava & Raheleh Rostami & Rosli Mohamad Zin & Dalia Štreimikienė & Alireza Yousefpour & Wadim Strielkowski & Abbas Mardani, 2019. "Aligning the Criteria of Green Economy (GE) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to Implement Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-23, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nigel James Martin & John Lewis Rice, 2014. "Influencing Clean Energy Laws: an Analysis of Business Stakeholder Engagement," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(7), pages 447-460, November.
    2. Christian Felix Böttcher & Martin Müller, 2015. "Drivers, Practices and Outcomes of Low‐carbon Operations: Approaches of German Automotive Suppliers to Cutting Carbon Emissions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 477-498, September.
    3. Kate V. Lewis & Sue Cassells & Hernan Roxas, 2015. "SMEs and the Potential for A Collaborative Path to Environmental Responsibility," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(8), pages 750-764, December.
    4. Torbjörn Ljungkvist & Jim Andersén, 2021. "A taxonomy of ecopreneurship in small manufacturing firms: A multidimensional cluster analysis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1374-1388, February.
    5. Andrew Mzembe, 2021. "The psychological distance and construal level perspectives of sustainable value creation in SMEs," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 465-478, March.
    6. David Littlewood & Rachel Decelis & Carola Hillenbrand & Diane Holt, 2018. "Examining the drivers and outcomes of corporate commitment to climate change action in European high emitting industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1437-1449, December.
    7. Sanjay Patnaik, 2020. "Emissions permit allocation and strategic firm behavior: Evidence from the oil sector in the European Union emissions trading scheme," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 976-995, March.
    8. Juan Felipe Reyes‐Rodríguez & John P. Ulhøi & Henning Madsen, 2016. "Corporate Environmental Sustainability in Danish SMEs: A Longitudinal Study of Motivators, Initiatives, and Strategic Effects," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(4), pages 193-212, July.
    9. Jean-Marie Courrent & Sonia Chassé & Waleed Omri, 2018. "Do Entrepreneurial SMEs Perform Better Because They are More Responsible?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 317-336, December.
    10. Prasanta Kumar Dey & Chrisovalantis Malesios & Debashree De & Soumyadeb Chowdhury & Fouad Ben Abdelaziz, 2019. "Could lean practices and process innovation enhance supply chain sustainability of small and medium‐sized enterprises?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 582-598, May.
    11. Christian C. Blanco, 2021. "Supply Chain Carbon Footprinting and Climate Change Disclosures of Global Firms," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(9), pages 3143-3160, September.
    12. Jon Martin Denstadli & Tom Erik Julsrud, 2019. "Moving Towards Electrification of Workers’ Transportation: Identifying Key Motives for the Adoption of Electric Vans," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-19, July.
    13. Famiyeh, Samuel & Opoku, Robert.A. & Kwarteng, Amoako & Asante-Darko, Disraeli, 2021. "Driving forces of sustainability in the mining industry: Evidence from a developing country," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    14. Sam Hampton, 2018. "‘It’s the soft stuff that’s hard’: Investigating the role played by low carbon small- and medium-sized enterprise advisors in sustainability transitions," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 33(4), pages 384-404, June.
    15. Albert Czerny & Peter Letmathe, 2017. "Eco‐efficiency: GHG reduction related environmental and economic performance. The case of the companies participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(6), pages 791-806, September.
    16. Simon Cadez & Albert Czerny & Peter Letmathe, 2019. "Stakeholder pressures and corporate climate change mitigation strategies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 1-14, January.
    17. Matthew P. Johnson, 2015. "Sustainability Management and Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: Managers' Awareness and Implementation of Innovative Tools," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(5), pages 271-285, September.
    18. Giorgos Papagiannakis & Irini Voudouris & Spyros Lioukas, 2014. "The Road to Sustainability: Exploring the Process of Corporate Environmental Strategy Over Time," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(4), pages 254-271, May.
    19. Francesco Testa & Natalia Marzia Gusmerottia & Filippo Corsini & Emilio Passetti & Fabio Iraldo, 2016. "Factors Affecting Environmental Management by Small and Micro Firms: The Importance of Entrepreneurs’ Attitudes and Environmental Investment," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(6), pages 373-385, November.
    20. Vera Palea & Federico Drogo, 2020. "Carbon emissions and the cost of debt in the eurozone: The role of public policies, climate‐related disclosure and corporate governance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 2953-2972, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:6:p:2109-:d:153527. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.