Internationalization and sustainable development strategies: a case study of SMEs[Les stratégies d'internationalisation et du développement durable : l'étude de cas des PME]

This research investigates how French small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) incorporate sustainability, particularly circular economy practices, into their internationalization strategies. As sustainability has become a prominent theme in business research, the triple bottom line (TBL) concept, integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions, has gained recognition for reshaping business practices (Casado-Belmonte et al., 2020). In a context of escalating environmental crisis and growing global commitments to sustainable development, such as the Green Pact for Europe and the United Nations Agenda SDGs 2030, adopting circular economy principles is becoming vital for SMEs. Practices like energy efficiency, material recycling, and reducing carbon footprints hold immense potential to improve the sustainability performance of SMEs (Dey et al., 2022). However, Moursellas et al. (2023) highlight the varying adoption of these practices across regions, industries, and company sizes, revealing the persistent challenges SMEs face, particularly regarding resource limitations and operational capacity.Achieving sustainable development necessitates a fundamental shift in strategy and operations, moving away from linear economic models (Dominguez, 2023). With the global momentum toward sustainable development, it is essential to understand how SMEs can leverage sustainability for international growth (Horne & Fichter, 2022). Internationalization presents a viable avenue for scaling the impact of sustainable businesses. Denicolai et al. (2021) argue that sustainability practices enhance international competitiveness and performance, while other studies suggest that CSR-driven internationalization offers distinct advantages for SMEs, such as ethical branding and smoother market entry (Colovic & Henneron, 2019; Sinkovics et al., 2021). Historically, research on internationalization has largely focused on firms driven by economic gains, leaving a gap in understanding how sustainability integrates into SMEs' international strategies (Coldwell et al., 2022; Zolfaghari Ejlal Manesh & Rialp-Criado, 2019). Exploring the intersection between sustainability practices and SMEs' internationalization is critical, given that SMEs account for 90% of global businesses and over half of global employment (Audretsch & Guenther, 2023). However, their success is far from guaranteed, as performance varies widely based on factors such as innovation capacity and international reach. Sustainable entrepreneurial firms, in particular, face unique challenges as they navigate varying regulatory landscapes, manage cross-cultural differences, and align sustainability objectives with international business strategies (Casado-Belmonte et al., 2020). Incorporating sustainability into core strategies might offers SMEs a pathway to enhance competitiveness by addressing both market demands and global environmental challenges (Ghauri et al., 2023) In summary, this research aims to uncover how French SMEs manage the complexities of integrating sustainability into their international growth strategies, especially when confronting significant socio-environmental challenges across diverse contexts and involving multiple stakeholders. It examines the strategic approaches SMEs use to implement circular economy practices internationally, focusing on market entry modes, global supply chain integration, and how these strategies contribute to enhanced sustainability performance (de Jesus et al., 2018; Kirchherr et al., 2018; Re & Magnani, 2022).