Abstract
With barely ten years remaining to reach the goals included in the United Nations 2030 Agenda (UN2030A), there is still no agreed-upon universal criterion regarding how businesses can move firmly forward to achieve them. A significant number of laudable initiatives have emerged and been consolidated internationally, highlighting the need to change the outdated mainstream economic model based on continuous growth—whose maximum exponent is the macroeconomic magnitude “Gross Domestic Product” (GDP)—to another sustainable model which considers the ecological "people and planet-centered" oriented limits, prioritizing individual wellbeing and social prosperity, in line with the UN2030A. Facing the prevalent resistance to change, some innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are consciously addressing the transition on their own, but not without difficulties. The purpose of this article was to fill the gap in the social sciences literature by conducting in-depth interviews with Fourth Sector (4S) entrepreneurs, business leaders from purpose-driven companies, and academics, in order to approach and look into their perspective about the role that 4S SMEs are being called to execute to advance toward 2030. The two main contributions of this article are (1) 4S SMEs identify an urgent need to modify the current economic model with metrics aligned with UN2030A and (2) it is essential to assemble and build an “Engagement Ecosystem” through a systemic thinking approach to allow 4S SMEs to make real contributions to the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Highlights
Ten years after the Aspen Institute published “The emerging Fourth Sector” report [1], the “for-benefit” enterprises [2] were called upon to be the protagonists of a business revolution already underway, appropriately addressing the social and environmental challenges we face toward 2030, while at the same time providing prosperity to society and not just economic benefits to its partners and shareholders [3]
The results are presented according to the three themes presented above and, summarized, the research team considered a non-synthetic description necessary given the scarce literature on the subject of 4S small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
It is worth mentioning that the interviewees were not experts in economics; they did have a real experience of the barriers that prevent the development of 4S SMEs: they faced public policies in which economic growth prevailed, and they knew how these negatively impacted their performance and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the micro-level
Summary
Ten years after the Aspen Institute published “The emerging Fourth Sector” report [1], the “for-benefit” enterprises [2] were called upon to be the protagonists of a business revolution already underway, appropriately addressing the social and environmental challenges we face toward 2030, while at the same time providing prosperity to society and not just economic benefits to its partners and shareholders [3]. 4S encompasses the public sector, private sector, and the third sector (non-profit organizations), this paper focuses only on the private sector, and on SMEs. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5569; doi:10.3390/su11205569 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability. Ninety-nine percent of the businesses of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and DeveSloMpEmsenhta)vceouanntreiensoarnmdoaurse rsepsepcoifnicsibwleeifgohr tseivnenthtyepeecrocennotmoyf joobfsd[7e]v.eTlohpeeredfocroe,uSnMtrEiess,araescathlleyd aucpconuntot fpolranyianestiyg-nnifiinceanpterpcaernttinofptrhoegbreusssiinnegssteoswoafrOdsECSDDG(Os;rhgoawniezvaetiro, nthfeorreEiscolinttolemliicteCraot-uorpeeorantitohne aronlde DtheavteSlMopEms eshnot)ucloduhnatvrieetsoamndovaeretorwesaprodnssaibsluesftoairnsaebvlen4tSy, apnedrctehnutsoafdjovbasn[c7e]t.hTehiemrepfloerme,eSnMtatEiosnaroef cthaleleUdNu2p0o3n0Ato[p8]la. SeulsetcatiendabelnetDreepvreelnoepumrse,ntbuGsoianlessasnldea(d3)erksn, oawndingacwadheamt ciocnstwribeuretioanskseSdMtEos rceafnlemctaokne ttohrceoenvtoeprgicesw: (i1th) dSeDfGinsitaionndshoanwdthceoyncaenptdsotiht.at are under discussion, such as GDP (in effect), prosperity and well-being (advisable toward 2030) [9]; (2) the main barriers, issues and challenges that SMEs must o2v. eFrrcoomm“eLiinmtihtseitro Gprroogwrethss” ttoowaa“rSdussttahienaSbulsetaWinealblbleeiDngevEecloonpommenyt”:GTohaelsRaonledo(f3S) MknEoswinintghewhat cTornantrsiibtuiotinontoswSaMrdEs20ca3n0 make to converge with SDGs and how they can do it
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