Green entrepreneurship is a particular subgroup of entrepreneurship that focuses on developing and putting into practice solutions to environmental issues as well as encouraging societal change to prevent environmental harm. Several people and organizations are profiting from the growing notion of green entrepreneurship by inventing and redesigning their products from a green perspective. As consumers become more environmentally and socially conscious, they are choosing green items over conventional ones. The effects of the growth of some economic sectors, including tourism, are becoming more and more well-known as a result of economic development, climate change and health of the environment, and tourism. The findings revealed that tourists like to stay in hotels that offer green efforts, whether they come in the shape of environmentally friendly products, services, or innovations. This chapter provides an overview of the hotel sector in Europe and how they are modifying their offerings to address environmental problems. The importance of entrepreneurship, the green behaviour of the stakeholders, and their impact on these hotels' financial and environmental performance was studied through a meta-analysis of the published literature. This chapter will help the experts to highlight how tourist reception units, particularly hotels, can implement their activity and aspects related to reducing pollution.
TopIntroduction
The concept of sustainability, as well as its ultimate goal, has been the topic of discussion among ecologists, economists, and philosophers for decades. As pollution levels rise and efforts to reduce trash, CO2 emissions, water waste, and energy use wane, the global environment is undergoing transitions that were not previously observable. Every sector is going through a paradigm shift, and given that the issue of sustainability has risen to the top of the priority list, every industry is putting green initiatives into action to help the environment. Green entrepreneurs are businesspeople who focus their companies on producing or providing products or services that are less harmful to the environment. According to O'Neill et al. (2016), it is vital that policymakers understand the complex and contentious nature of green entrepreneurship and that the green economy should be seen as a diverse constellation of myriad actors rather than corporate reinventions of business as usual. It is also crucial that policymakers understand the importance of green entrepreneurship. They are regarded as some of the most important forces behind the shift toward a green economy.
Some types of green entrepreneurs appear to be solely influenced by institutional context, while others prefer to engage in green entrepreneurship ventures primarily to satisfy idealistic expectations. Still, others invest in green entrepreneurship only to achieve personal strategic, innovative, and competitive advantage goals (i.e., RBV) (Nikolaou, et al., 2018). It is now widely acknowledged that it is essential to keep the right balance between economic activity, social life, and the natural world to fulfil the requirements of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to fulfil their requirements. This is because meeting the requirements of the present does not mean compromising the ability of future generations to do so (NI, D. 2019). Climate change, global warming, and other environmental concerns are increasingly at the top of the priority lists of both scientists and world politicians. The availability of clean water is one of these concerns, along with population expansion and overcrowding, the incorrect disposal of non-biodegradable substances, and others. The authorities are compelled to take the most urgent actions in the direction of establishing some new legislation to protect the environment due to the acute perception of the consequences that climate change will have. This legislation will have the goal of preventing further damage to the environment. It is anticipated that environmental legislation will become more stringent and will be strictly enforced worldwide. The focus will not only be on industries that are considered energy-intensive or that release poisonous or harmful substances into the air, water, or soil, but also on other areas of the economy, such as the tourism industry.
Green behaviour in the hospitality industry refers to practices that minimize the environmental impact of hotels and other establishments. People switch between “green” and “conventional” business as they change throughout time, making this a fluid and hazy situation rather than a fixed one (Gibbs, et al., 2014). The hotel sector in the UK is becoming more and more conscious of the need to embrace more sustainable practices. These days, many hotels adopt green initiatives including reducing trash, using eco-friendly products, and conserving electricity and water. The hotel sector significantly contributes to the UK's growing concern over environmental sustainability. Additionally, the adoption of green hotel practises in the certified four and five Green Star hotels evaluated positively impacted the accomplishment of SDGs 6, 12, 7, and 13 (Abdou et al., 2020). In addition to producing a lot of garbage, hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality-related enterprises use a lot of energy and resources. Additionally, customers may be more likely to engage in environmentally friendly behaviours, such as recycling or conserving water, if they see that the hotel is taking steps to be more sustainable. It can help leaders develop a green vision for their organization by providing a framework for understanding how people learn and change their behaviour.