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Green Entrepreneurship

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The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability

Abstract

Environmental degradation and its link to economic development have created the need for a transition to a green economy. In line with the push for greener and more sustainable business practices, green entrepreneurship has become an important subfield of research and is a key factor in the transition from traditional toward environmentally driven economies.

There are many terms in the literature, such as eco-enterprise, environmental entrepreneurship, green entrepreneurship, and sustainable entrepreneurship, that generally refer to entities that aim to protect the environment. However, researchers have noted that the terms green entrepreneurship and sustainable entrepreneurship are conceptually different and cannot be used interchangeably. Moreover, the term green entrepreneur can be applied to a range of individuals, from those who are motivated by external factors to those who are truly green and whose primary goal is to protect the environment.

This chapter introduces the concept and definitions of green entrepreneurship. It presents an explanation of the characteristic features of green entrepreneurs, examines their role in economy, and outlines the drivers of their activities. It also presents the factors that influence the creation and functioning of green entrepreneurship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maria Curie-Sklodowska Univeristy, Lublin, Poland

    Ada Domańska

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  1. Ada Domańska
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Correspondence to Ada Domańska .

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  1. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Robert Brinkmann

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Domańska, A. (2023). Green Entrepreneurship. In: Brinkmann, R. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-01949-4_113

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