Allen Chafa

Engineering for Sustainable Development in startups

Engineering startups are central to UK innovation and employment but face structural challenges in aligning with Engineering for Sustainable Development (ESD) expectations. ESD frameworks are often designed for contexts of stability and maturity, whereas early-stage ventures operate under conditions of uncertainty, short cycles, and capital scarcity. Under these conditions, startups tend to prioritise speed and market validation, which may limit sustainability integration and introduce risks, including emissions embedded in early choices, sustainability framed for legitimacy, and design decisions that constrain later adaptation. Despite the growing policy emphasis, empirical evidence on how ESD principles are interpreted in these contexts remains limited.

This study examines how UK-based engineering startups interpret, adapt, or sideline ESD principles in technical and product decision-making. Using an interpretivist, abductive, multiple-case design, it draws on semi-structured interviews with 12 founders and advisors. Reflexive thematic analysis, guided by sensitising concepts from ESD and entrepreneurial theory, indicated that sustainability tended to be reframed as a co-benefit of commercial viability, technical feasibility, and institutional legitimacy rather than as a primary driver. The application of ESD principles was selective and improvised, shaped by founder identity, tool availability, funding logics, and market pressures. Trade-offs emerged between speed and depth, with adoption-first strategies often lowering future performance. Support mechanisms, such as accelerators and grants, provide visibility and legitimacy but frequently prioritise investor readiness, offering partial alignment with engineering-led sustainability.

This study contributes empirical evidence of adaptive sustainability practices in resource-constrained contexts and identifies structural tensions between policy frameworks, institutional support, and early innovation cycles. This suggests value in sector-sensitive funding models, sustainability-linked procurement schemes, and adaptive ESD tools designed for rapid iteration and limited data. Strengthening support ecosystems with patient capital, technical depth, and sector-specific mentoring may enable a more substantive integration of ESD principles into early-stage ventures.