Young Indonesian's Green Entrepreneurship: Reflexivity, Practice, and Agency

This study explores the phenomenon of green entrepreneurship among Indonesian young people. As Indonesia faces significant environmental challenges and increasing impacts of climate change, the role of young entrepreneurs in promoting sustainable practices is crucial. Yet, they often have to deal with the precarious journey of entrepreneurship. Through their reflexive deliberations, Indonesian young people exercise their agency to promote sustainability in the current socioeconomic context. Using Margaret Archer’s modes of reflexivity as a framework, this research aims to understand how young Indonesians navigate between aspiration, practice, and impact creation through green entrepreneurship.

Using a narrative case study approach, qualitative data were collected from founders of green businesses in several cities in Java and Bali, Indonesia. In-depth interviews were conducted to gather rich, qualitative insights into their journeys. The analysis reveals three key themes: 1) personal motivation, 2) the practice of green entrepreneurship, and 3) the sociocultural impact of their practice.

The research findings indicate that reflexivity is crucial in how young entrepreneurs deliberately develop sustainable business practices. Young people in this study reflected on their personal values, life experiences, and perceived environmental issues facing their communities, leading to creative and innovative solutions. The practice of green entrepreneurship also reflects young people’s ability to leverage structural support and navigate sociocultural barriers. To some extent, through their practices (i.e waste management and processing, smart and organic farming, and eco-tourism), small transformations are taking place.

This research contributes to the understanding of young Indonesia’s green entrepreneurship, highlighting the interplay between individual agency and structural influences. By emphasizing young people’s capacity for agency, this study also underscores the potential of reflexive practices to empower Indonesian youth in building sustainable futures, while at the same time actively shaping their life trajectories.