A study on green practice infusion of the SMES in the context of circular economy

Yi-Hui Ho, Cheng-Kun Wang, Syed Shah Alam, Chieh-Yu Lin

Article ID: 6656
Vol 8, Issue 8, 2024

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Abstract


Sustainable development has attracted widespread attention worldwide, and the circular economy has become one of the essential policies of many countries. Small and medium-sized enterprises are important drivers of world economic growth and can significantly impact the environment. Therefore, SMEs are critical players in implementing a circular economy as the basis for creating a sustainable society. Although a wealth of research on SME environmental management issues can be found in the literature, more must be known about the infusion of green practices in SMEs. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the green practice infusion of Taiwanese SMEs, a context that is particularly relevant due to Taiwan’s strong focus on environmental sustainability and its circular economy industrial development policy. Through a questionnaire survey, this study examined the factors that influence green practice infusion behavior in Taiwanese SMEs and the impact of green practice infusion on circular economy performance. The findings show that the relative advantages and compatibility of the circular economy, organizational support, human resource quality, regulatory pressure, and government support significantly impact the green practice infusion of Taiwanese SMEs. The effects of complexity, customer pressure, and environmental uncertainty on SMEs’ infusion of green practices are not statistically significant. Circular economy performance is positively correlated with green practice infusion. This study can broaden the research scope of SMEs’ environmental management and contribute to a deeper understanding of SMEs’ green practice infusion and circular economy.


Keywords


small and medium-sized enterprises; circular economy; green practice infusion; determinant factors; circular economy performance

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd.v8i8.6656

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