The circular water economy and the seven Cs

Abstract

Scholars in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship have highlighted the need for future research to examine how a supportive external environment for sustainable entrepreneurship can be created (Bischoff and Volkmann, 2018). In order to address this research gap, we conducted a study on a regional circular economy ecosystem centered in the recycling of wastewater. The study is based on 45 user-stakeholder interviews from 10 different types of organizations within a local sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem, based in Finland. The findings highlight the importance of conscious, collaborative stakeholder support and ecosystem coordination for creating strong sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. This chapter then offers a contribution to fill the research gap in terms of a framework for a supportive environment for entrepreneurs within sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems, founded on seven enablers crucial for entrepreneurs to pursue circular endeavours.