Abstract:

The adoption of environmental sustainability by Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) is often obscured by resource constraints and a focus on large-scale corporate frameworks. This study explored the daily sustainable operations and associated personal reflections of owners to understand how they navigate the tension between limited capital and ethical responsibility. Utilizing an exploratory qualitative research design, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with twenty-five purposively selected business owners in the Philippines. The narrative responses were processed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis to identify recurring operational and psychological patterns. Results indicate that sustainability is operationalized primarily through pragmatic behavioral adaptations, such as strategic material reuse and strict waste segregation, rather than capital-intensive technological investments. While participants demonstrated strong internal motivation grounded in personal pride and community duty, their efforts are frequently stalled by market friction, specifically the prohibitive cost of green materials and customer resistance to non-plastic alternatives. The study concludes that for these enterprises, sustainability functions as a mechanism for modernization and brand differentiation driven by internal values rather than external mandates. These insights suggest a need for policy interventions that provide targeted subsidies for green supply chains rather than relying solely on generic credit access.