Sustainable Entrepreneurship in India: A Comparative Case Study of Social, Economic and Environmental Outcomes

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in how sustainable entrepreneurship can balance people development, profit generation and planet protection to create better social, economic and environmental outcomes. Firms need to develop sustainable business processes, stakeholder engagement and sustainable innovations to achieve venture success. This comparative case study method uses primary research, literature review and the evaluation of secondary sources to bring more depth to the cases. Primary data are collected through detailed interaction with the Indian founders and the key stakeholders to study the phenomenon of sustainable entrepreneurship. One company designs and produces premium handmade leather footwear using traditional techniques, while the other firm designs and creates fabrics for global fashion houses using artisanal methods. The sustainability practices are contributing to social upliftment and positively impacting the environment as both the ventures were set up with a desire to support India’s artisanal networks. The social, economic and environmental outcomes create the theoretical framework of sustainable entrepreneurship. The sustainable innovation processes implemented by these companies filter out the detrimental effects of innovation to create socially responsible and environmentally friendly products. While sustainability-driven costs are higher for both companies, they are creating value-added products to build long-term profitability and growth. Some sustainability challenges like reduction in carbon footprint through greater efficiency in power consumption and transportation remain to be tackled. This applied research on sustainable best practices adds to the area of entrepreneurship. The cases may guide other entrepreneurs on how they could build and grow sustainable ventures. Policy implications for promoting sustainable entrepreneurship, the governmental role in supporting local artisan networks and the need for greater environmental awareness are discussed.