Social Entrepreneurship and Upgrading in Emerging Economies: The Indian Case of Industree and Its Brand Mother Earth

The possibility of realizing production systems which deliver high social, environmental, and economic performance has gained attention in internationalization studies at large. While the literature has focused on large firms from Western countries, we investigate the role of firms from emerging economies (EE) in supporting upgrading and improving the social and economic conditions of local producers while delivering a quality product targeting a sophisticated market niche. This chapter present evidence of an Indian firm specialized in the home and fashion industries (Industree), which successfully improved social and environmental conditions along its value chain through the social entrepreneurship approach. This case study shows that also EE firms can promote social and economic upgrading among their suppliers and that economic upgrading is necessary for the attainment of social upgrading. Design and retail, usually prerogatives of developed country firms, are key factors in supporting the achievement of success in both dimensions.