Abstract
This paper investigates how and under what conditions polluting SMEs (small‐scale firms that produce or deal with environmentally sensitive goods such as plastics, hazardous chemicals, textiles, and rawhides) in developing countries address the environmental issues related to their activities—a broadly neglected and under‐studied research agenda. Utilising extensive qualitative data drawn from SMEs operating in two of the most polluting industries in Bangladesh—leather tanning and textile dyeing—and a contextual lens from a developing country perspective, this paper provides insights into the construction of the environmental behaviours enacted by polluting SMEs. The analysis suggests that such behaviours are constructed under a number of micro‐, meso‐, and macro‐level socio‐economic conditions that act as either enablers of or barriers to responsible environmental behaviours, depending on the circumstances. The overall findings show that SMEs address the relevant environmental issues in a complex fashion, and may provide policymakers with support in the design of environmental policies tailored to the practical needs of small‐scale polluting firms.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 109-122 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Business Strategy and Development |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 20 Aug 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Jun 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The research underpinning this paper was supported by Royal Holloway, University of London, through a scholarship titled ?Dean's Scholar in Management?. We are also grateful to Helen Shackleton Fund and Santander UK for providing additional funding to support our work.
Funding Information:
The research underpinning this paper was supported by Royal Holloway, University of London, through a scholarship titled “Dean's Scholar in Management”. We are also grateful to Helen Shackleton Fund and Santander UK for providing additional funding to support our work.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Keywords
- Sustainability
Access to Document
- Accepted_Manuscirpt.PDF
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Hasan, MN, Anastasiadis, S, Spence, LJ. Polluting SMEs and the construction of their environmental behaviours: Evidence from Bangladesh. Bus Strat Dev. 2020; 1– 14. , which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.132. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.