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An Overview of Ecopreneurship, Eco-Innovation, and the Ecological Sector

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  • María Rodríguez-García

    (ESIC Business & Marketing School, 46021 Valencia, Spain)

  • María Guijarro-García

    (ESIC Business & Marketing School, 46021 Valencia, Spain)

  • Agustín Carrilero-Castillo

    (ESIC Business & Marketing School, 46021 Valencia, Spain)

Abstract

Given the current trend toward a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly economy, the overlap between entrepreneurship and sustainability has become a key research area. Part of this trend is the emergence of ecopreneurial businesses. These businesses are pioneers in using innovation to achieve sustainable growth by exploiting market opportunities. This article presents an overview of the concepts of ecopreneurship, eco-innovation, and the ecological sector. A rigorous review of the literature in this area is presented. The results of this review show the key values and principles that are central to this new stream of research and shed light on opportunities for further research. The primary conclusion is that there is a need for collective collaboration between ecopreneurs, consumers, and producers to achieve long-term sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • María Rodríguez-García & María Guijarro-García & Agustín Carrilero-Castillo, 2019. "An Overview of Ecopreneurship, Eco-Innovation, and the Ecological Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:10:p:2909-:d:233403
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    Cited by:

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    3. Marcin Olkiewicz & Anna Olkiewicz & Radosław Wolniak & Adam Wyszomirski, 2021. "Effects of Pro-Ecological Investments on an Example of the Heating Industry—Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-24, September.
    4. Abdul, Daud & Wenqi, Jiang & Sameeroddin, Mohd, 2023. "Prioritization of ecopreneurship barriers overcoming renewable energy technologies promotion: A comparative analysis of novel spherical fuzzy and Pythagorean fuzzy AHP approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    5. Nohora Mercado-Caruso & Marival Segarra-Oña & David Ovallos-Gazabon & Angel Peiró-Signes, 2020. "Identifying Endogenous and Exogenous Indicators to Measure Eco-Innovation within Clusters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-20, July.
    6. Eijaz Ahmed Khan & Pradip Royhan & M. Ashiqur Rahman & Mohammed Mizanur Rahman & Ahmed Mostafa, 2019. "The Impact of Enviropreneurial Orientation on Small Firms’ Business Performance: The Mediation of Green Marketing Mix and Eco-Labeling Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    7. Deepa Guleria & Gurvinder Kaur, 2022. "Motivation for Ecopreneurial Behavior (MEB): Scale Development and Validation," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.
    8. Satirenjit Kaur Johl & Md Abu Toha, 2021. "The Nexus between Proactive Eco-Innovation and Firm Financial Performance: A Circular Economy Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-25, June.
    9. Joacim Rosenlund, 2021. "The Environmental Concerns of Food Ecopreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-7, May.
    10. Melek Yurdakul & Halim Kazan, 2020. "Effects of Eco-Innovation on Economic and Environmental Performance: Evidence from Turkey’s Manufacturing Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-22, April.
    11. Calvo, Nuria & Monje-Amor, Ariadna & Villarreal, Oskar, 2022. "When your value proposition is to improve others' energy efficiency: Analyzing the internationalization dilemma of eco-innovations in SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    12. Seungyeon Moon & Heesang Lee, 2021. "Shaping a Circular Economy in the Digital TV Industry: Focusing on Ecopreneurship through the Lens of Dynamic Capability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-41, April.

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