Small and medium-sized enterprises and sustainability: the case of the Canary Island

Abstract

In many cases small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are rooted in their local communities. Therefore, their owners and employees can be expected to show a particular interest in conserving the local environment in which they and their families live. This certainly applies to the Canary Isles. This paper explores the economic, sociocultural and environmental contributions of SMEs to the community in this region. Comparisons are made with large, foreign-owned companies. The contribution that SMEs can make toward sustainability in the Canary Islands could be strengthened by government policy that helps make socioculturally and environmentally advanced activities attractive from an economic point of view. This could, for instance, mean promoting tourist programmes, other than the usual 'sun-and-sand' tourism, and making use of the region's cultural heritage and traditions. Proactive SMEs will then be able to develop their own contributions to sustainable development by taking advantage of the sources of differentiation associated with an orientation towards sustainable business.