Circular value creation through environmental entrepreneurship initiatives: A case-based exploration

Abstract

The present study builds on the domain of circular economy and its subdomain circu-lar value creation to explore the entrepreneurial process of a small business in India.It aims to find how circular entrepreneurship as a process may unfold and how it maylead to value creation at different levels. The case study method is used to addressthe research objectives and a case study of a small entrepreneur based in India isselected for the same purpose. The analysis of the case and within case patterns(three subcases) illustrates circular entrepreneurship as a process with motivation,action and value creation as three main stages. The motivation of the entrepreneurleads to several actions related to business processes that are aimed at circular valuecreation. Subsequently, this leads to value creation at multiple levels such as theeconomy, business and society. Hence, the findings support the circular economyconcept and its role in the creation of value at the small business level. The findingssupport the theoretical tenets of circular value creation and circular entrepreneurshipusing an interpretive approach.