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Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in European SMEs: Investigating the Role of Green Jobs and Skills

Author

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  • Francesca Bassi

    (Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy)

  • Mariangela Guidolin

    (Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy)

Abstract

This study explored the size and potential of green employment for circular economy (CE) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union, and investigated the role of green jobs and skills for the implementation of CE practices. The data were collected in a Eurobarometer survey, and refer to resource efficiency, green markets, and CE procedures. Lack of environmental expertise is one of the factors that might be perceived as an obstacle when trying to implement resource-efficiency actions. Previous research has shown that, although resource-efficiency practices are adopted by firms in all European countries, there are differences both within and between countries. The analysis of the determinants of green behavior by European SMEs was completed by a study of heterogeneity across firms and within countries with a multilevel latent class model, a hierarchical clustering method. A general important observation is that having no workers dedicated to green jobs is strongly correlated to the probability of adopting resource-efficiency practices, while perceiving the need of extra environmental skills has a positive effect on the intention to implement actions in the future. Other characteristics of the firms play a significant impact on resource efficiency: in general, older and bigger firms, with larger yearly turnover, are more prone to implement actions.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesca Bassi & Mariangela Guidolin, 2021. "Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in European SMEs: Investigating the Role of Green Jobs and Skills," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:12136-:d:671290
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Fayuan Wang & Rong Wang & Zhili He, 2022. "Exploring the Impact of “Double Cycle” and Industrial Upgrading on Sustainable High-Quality Economic Development: Application of Spatial and Mediation Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.
    3. Łukasz Jarosław Kozar & Adam Sulich, 2023. "Green Jobs in the Energy Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Rui Jorge Carreira & José Vasconcelos Ferreira & Ana Luísa Ramos, 2024. "Mapping Circular Economy in Portuguese SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-19, August.

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