What Green Business Model Actually is? Understanding of Green Business Models Among SMEs, Startups, Consulting and Public Businesses in Denmark

The purpose of this research is to investigate how the term green business model is perceived by Danish start-ups, SMEs, public organizations and consultancy firms, in order to define a shared understanding of the subject. The study is using a qualitative method and applies the abductive approach to observe empirical data for the development of new knowledge.

Collected data provided insights into the respondents´ definition of a green business model and its characteristics and identified how involved businesses are with the green business models and where their knowledge derives from. Moreover, the results contribute comprehensive insights into how businesses relate to green business models.

The results of this study are contributing to academic research by enhancing the green business model research and providing background for current and future green business model development projects in Denmark. Furthermore, this study inspects shared understanding of the green business models by startups, SMEs and related consultancies and public business in Denmark. It builds the fundament for further research and helps to explore the potential for green development.