Opportunities and Conditions for the Development of Green Entrepreneurship in the Polish Textile Sector

Abstract

Green entrepreneurship is an important phenomenon from the point of view of economic development. However, the topic has not been sufficiently analysed and knowledge in this area is not systematised. Supporting the development of green enterprises and increasing the resilience of the economy and natural ecosystems requires a more in-depth analysis of the conditions and factors that influence the development of green entrepreneurship. Green (or ecological) entrepreneurship is closely related to the textile sector, which should be particularly interested in the introduction of various types of eco-innovations that reduce or prevent negative environmental impacts while contributing to the achievement of competitive advantage and profitability. The textile sector is focused on sustainability issues – both in terms of environmental protection and global social responsibility. The goal of this paper is to organise knowledge on the phenomenon of green entrepreneurship and to analyse the prospects of its development in the light of opinions of Polish textile industry entrepreneurs. For this purpose, a survey was conducted on 56 Polish companies from the textile industry. The results obtained indicate that Polish textile industries are interested in implementing all kinds of eco-innovations concentrated in the so-called environmental management system, which should become part of any organisation in the sector analysed. The paper is divided into three main parts. In the first part the phenomenon of green entrepreneurship is characterised. Then the methodology of the survey is presented. The final part is a presentation of results of the survey conducted in Polish textile industry enterprises.