Eco Start-Ups and the Green Spirit of Capitalism: On Entrepreneurial Approaches to Ecological Challenges

Abstract

This article contributes to the debate on the approach to ecological challenges in contemporary capitalism by empirically developing the concept of the "green spirit of capitalism". Drawing on the work of Sombart, Weber and Boltanski/Chiapello, it uses nine qualitative case studies to analyse the constitution of the capitalist spirit among 'green' entrepreneurs. It shows how ecological and capitalist meaning contents are combined in the mindset of the interviewees and how they deal with potential contradictions. Although situational breaks with capitalist principles can be observed in the cases analysed, these do not lead to a substantial overcoming of basic capitalist principles such as the pursuit of profit or competitive orientation. This is because of specific patterns of thinking that stabilise the respondents' economic attitudes in the case of conflicts between ecological and economic objectives.