The adoption of ecopreneurship practices in Indonesian craft SMEs: value-based motivations and intersections of identities

Abstract

Purpose

This article explores value-based motivations to adopt ecological entrepreneurship (ecopreneurship) practices and investigates how intersections of social identities such as gender, religion and ethnicity influence these motivations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses primary data from field observations, social media analysis and semistructured in-depth interviews with 16 owner-managers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Indonesian craft sector.

Findings

The findings show that self-enhancement, conservation and self-transcendence values motivated the entrepreneurs to adopt ecopreneurship practices. Furthermore, the intersections of identities also tended to influence the entrepreneurs' motivations to adopt ecopreneurship practices.

Research limitations/implications

The sample was limited to the Indonesian craft sector. However, the study has furthered one’s understanding of how values motivate ecopreneurship behavior. Conservation values were added to the values known to influence proenvironmental behavior. Furthermore, Schwartz's value theory, strongly associated with Western, individualistic, culture is suggested to be adapted. In Asian – collectivist – cultures, the values driving the entrepreneur are often more community-oriented than individualistic.

Practical implications

This study recommends policymakers to create more inclusive policies to foster the acceleration of sustainable development by equitably including both genders and encourages them to promote local culture, which motivates entrepreneurs in the craft sector to adopt ecopreneurship practices.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature, particularly to the fields of gender and ecopreneurship, by considering the intersections of identities of the ecopreneurs. A research agenda for ecological entrepreneurship and family business researchers is provided.

Citation

Gunawan, A.A., Essers, C. and van Riel, A.C.R. (2021), "The adoption of ecopreneurship practices in Indonesian craft SMEs: value-based motivations and intersections of identities", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 730-752. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-06-2020-0404