ABSTRACT

Here the term green entrepreneur refers to individuals who see environmental issues2 as market opportunities and are willing to exploit them. Entrepreneurs, as discussed in Chapter 3, are individuals who search for systemic innovation and the exploitation of opportunities to create economic value (Drucker, 1985). The green entrepreneur wants their businesses to be environmentally responsible and “to make a social statement, not just to make money” (Isaak, 2002). The green entrepreneur may be a designer, a product developer, a manager in an established firm or an individual ready to start a company.3 Therefore, the title refers to the challenging task facing environmental entrepreneurs of matching environmental issues with market demands in new product development projects. Social needs and values for customers may not necessary overlap with one another as the case of electric cars demonstrates. The integration of environmental issues into new product development is the platform of this research.