Small-Scale Social-Environmental Enterprises in the Green Economy: Supporting grassroots innovation

A study of 1,300 social and environmental enterprises in developing countries highlights how grassroots micro enterprises use new business models to serve their communities, while facing significant barriers to scaling up.

• A three-year study involving 1,300 social and environmental enterprises in developing countries found that these entities utilize new business models to create new services and products for their local communities.
• The ability of these grassroots enterprises to scale up is obstructed by several factors, including gender barriers, a lack of technology and research support, difficulties with financial viability, progress monitoring, and complex partnerships.
• Because of the barriers facing these micro enterprises, a significant amount of innovative ideas are not being utilized, resulting in a missed opportunity to establish a sustainable economy.

APA

Marquard,, L. P. V. C. A. H. H. (2014). Small-Scale Social-Environmental Enterprises in the Green Economy: Supporting grassroots innovation. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/small-scale-social-environmental-enterprises-green-economy-supporting

Chicago

Marquard,, Leslie Paas,Vivek Voora,Heather Creech,Gabriel A. Huppé,Constance Hybsier,Helen. Small-Scale Social-Environmental Enterprises in the Green Economy: Supporting grassroots innovation. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/small-scale-social-environmental-enterprises-green-economy-supporting.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Marquard, |first1=Leslie Paas,Vivek Voora,Heather Creech,Gabriel A. Huppé,Constance Hybsier,Helen |title=Small-Scale Social-Environmental Enterprises in the Green Economy: Supporting grassroots innovation |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=28 June 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/small-scale-social-environmental-enterprises-green-economy-supporting |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{marquard2014smallscale, author = {Marquard,, Leslie Paas,Vivek Voora,Heather Creech,Gabriel A. Huppé,Constance Hybsier,Helen}, title = {{Small-Scale Social-Environmental Enterprises in the Green Economy: Supporting grassroots innovation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/small-scale-social-environmental-enterprises-green-economy-supporting}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }