Introduction: A general model of sustainable entrepreneurship

Many countries and regions face unprecedented social and environmental crises and disruptive events. The impact of these crises and disruptive events can no longer be ignored and require fundamental changes to our economic systems. The current linear economies are unsustainable and need to be replaced by circular systems. Sustainable entrepreneurs solve the grand challenges and balance social, environmental and economic goals simultaneously in order to safeguard social welfare for current and future generations. Sustainable entrepreneurship research is innovative with a convergence of principles and practices. This chapter presents a general model of sustainable entrepreneurship in a circular economy. The general model integrates the individual level with the internal and external environment of the organisation and relates these to triple bottom line performance and eventually the circular economy and social welfare in regions and nation states. In doing so, it offers a coherent and systemic perspective for sustainable start-ups and for incumbent for-profit firms aiming for transitions and it presents a wide range of opportunities for new research agendas.