Entrepreneurship meets sustainability

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Over recent times, sustainability has become a major issue for a growing number of consumers. Many now routinely factor in social and environmental concerns into their purchase decision making. Shrewd firms are aware of this trend and have accordingly jumped on the bandwagon. As a result, a wide spectrum of products and brands are marketed on sustainability factors. But it has now reached the point where any aim to differentiate solely on this basis is often futile. At least in this respect, sustainability has clearly lost some of its oomph. This is the challenge facing a collection of small- and medium-sized enterprises operating in The Netherlands in a region close to the city of Utrecht. The entrepreneurs within the Utrechtse Heuvelrug Gemeente rural municipality are conscious of the need to find effective ways of exploiting the green environment to market their businesses and increase the economic value. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.