Although entrepreneurship is well recognised as a crucial element in fostering economic development and growth, it is yet to be viewed as a significant force in sustainability transitions. Public policy related to the performance and growth of small businesses has, to date, paid little attention to the support mechanisms that help SMEs build capacity towards sustainable development. This paper offers a framework of pro-environmental enterprise support developed through a two-round e-Delphi study, followed by a 2.5-h virtual focus group involving 21 experts across the spectrum of business support agencies, local authorities, and EU-funded projects delivering pro-environmental enterprise support in England. The findings indicate that support for pro-environmental SME capacity building includes attention to eco-innovation, environmental strategy, environmental capability development, responsible leadership, sustainable value proposition, greening of supply chains, and clean growth skills. The study also concludes that support programmes and interventions need to be more attuned to the specifics of entrepreneurial learning; the challenges small business face in accessing, capturing, and utilising resources; and that broadening the scope and reach of pro-environmental support programmes needs to be matched by the competences of business support professionals.

中文翻译：

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有利于环保的企业支持：制定框架以释放中小企业在可持续发展转型中的潜力

尽管创业精神被公认为促进经济发展和增长的关键因素，但它尚未被视为可持续转型的重要力量。迄今为止，与小企业绩效和增长相关的公共政策很少关注帮助中小企业建设可持续发展能力的支持机制。本文提供了一个通过两轮 e-Delphi 研究开发的环保企业支持框架，随后进行了 2.5 小时的虚拟焦点小组讨论，该小组由来自商业支持机构、地方当局和欧盟资助项目的 21 名专家组成在英国提供有利于环保的企业支持。研究结果表明，对环保中小企业能力建设的支持包括关注生态创新、环境战略、环境能力发展、负责任的领导、可持续价值主张、供应链绿色化和清洁增长技能。该研究还得出结论，支持计划和干预措施需要更加适应创业学习的具体情况；小企业在获取、捕获和利用资源方面面临的挑战；扩大环保支持计划的范围和范围需要与商业支持专业人员的能力相匹配。