Title: Recycling waste and upcycling people: a new type of environmentally-motivated social enterprise strategy

Authors: Irena Descubes; Tom McNamara; Tony Cragg

Addresses: ESC Rennes School of Business, 2 rue Robert d'Arbrissel, 35000 Rennes, France ' ESC Rennes School of Business, 2 rue Robert d'Arbrissel, 35000 Rennes, France ' Ecole Supérieure de Logistique Industrielle, 26 quai Surcouf, 35600 Redon, France

Abstract: With the use of a case study methodology, the socially responsible enterprise La Feuille d'Erable, based in north-west France, was analysed based upon the framework proposed by Boons and Lüdeke-Freund (2013). Within an overarching green management philosophy, this firm incorporates a program for the integration of socially and economically excluded people into a recycling and upcycling business activity. Our findings suggest that success for social enterprises, that combine the dual aims of green production and inclusion of hitherto disadvantaged groups, under the banner of corporate social responsibility, is linked to several clearly identified factors. The previously proposed typology (Vickers and Lyon, 2014) of environmentally-motivated social enterprises' strategies is amended. Guidelines and insights are offered to managers who may wish to implement socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM) techniques in their own organisations.

Keywords: socially responsible human resource management; SRHRM; green social economy; GSE; social enterprises; waste recycling; social inclusion.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2018.091761

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2018 Vol.32 No.3, pp.270 - 296

Received: 05 Jan 2017
Accepted: 25 May 2017

Published online: 15 May 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article