Ecopreneurship – a new approach to managing the triple bottom line Sarah E.A. Dixon and Anne Clifford Kingston Business School, Kingston upon Thames, UK Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend research into social and ecological entrepreneurship. It aims to examine how ecopreneurs can create an economically viable business whilst retaining their core environmental and social values. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory approach within the phenomenological research paradigm. Single case study of Green-Works triangulating data collection – semi structured interviews, micro-ethnography and document analysis. Inductive approach. Findings –A strong link is identified between entrepreneurialism and environmentalism. The entrepreneurial flair of the CEO enables the pursuit of environmental, social and economic goals. The success of the Green-Works business model stems from the business’s symbiotic relationships: firstly with large corporate bodies, which are keen to quantify their CSR efforts; secondly, with the community and social partners, who provide employment and training for disadvantaged people and a route to relatively risk free growth; and thirdly, with government and social institutions, which provide special concessions and support. The strong economic foundations of the model provide sustainability for the environmental and social objectives of the organisation. Research limitations/implications – Research restricted to one UK case study – a model that has evolved in part through policies and business trends specific to the UK. Further research should compare this business model with other social enterprises within the UK and other countries. Practical implications – Provides a practical framework for social and green entrepreneurship. Of interest to ecopreneurs and social enterprises seeking economic sustainability; to governments, wishing to promote CSR, environmentalism and social enterprise; and to corporate organisations wishing to demonstrate a quantitative contribution to the environment and society. Originality/value – Demonstration of natural fit between environmentalism and entrepreneurialism. Presentation of business model offering economic sustainability for environmental and social enterprises. Keywords Entrepreneurialism, Corporate social responsibility; Sustainable development, United Kingdom Paper type Research paper Introduction What motivates companies to embrace sustainability? Moreover, why should they, given that such measures are usually seen to lead to escalating costs (Lanoie and Tanguay, 2000)? Regulation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda, economic instruments and enhanced efficiency emerge as the key drivers in such a change (Balabanis et al., 1998; Bansal and Roth, 2000). Such measures tend to result in the progressive greening of organisations rather than a big bang move towards global sustainability (Hart and Milstein, 1999). Global sustainability requires creative destruction, based on Schumpeter’s (1961) view of the way that innovative newcomers unseat incumbent firms and create what Hart and Milstein (1999, p. 26) call “new lenses on the global market”. Schumpeter (1961) doubted whether large incumbent The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0953-4814.htm JOCM 20,3 326 Received March 2005 Revised March 2006 Accepted June 2006 Journal of Organizational Change Management Vol. 20 No. 3, 2007 pp. 326-345 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0953-4814 DOI 10.1108/09534810710740164