How to Create Value for Micro-Businesses Approaching the Green Economy

Based on the result of a survey carried out among a sample of 212 micro-small firms from Italy, the authors explore how the Green Economy is translated into practice and micro-businesses’ perceptions of pressures for engagement with green issues. The aim of the paper is to explain whether opportunities for micro businesses in adopting a green “behavior” could be useful to better address the customers’ needs. The authors gather information on key management issues related to the adoption of sustainable practices and, with specific reference to certain types of businesses, highlight the criticality of the product offering and the formulation and communication of the value proposition. Preliminary findings highlight that often this type of enterprise cannot clearly address customers’ needs in terms of eco-sustainable outcomes as revealed by this study. It is actually very difficult for these firms to formulate an appropriate value proposition and disclose the values of the Green Economy to the market and their customers. This paper contributes to the emerging stream of research that aims to build a theory of sustainable development that is grounded in the experiences of micro-business owner-managers, and takes into account the heterogeneity and characteristics of this sector