Symbiotic Entrepreneurship in the Global South: ANT and Posthumanism Insights from Thai Waste-Based SMEs

Abstract

This study challenges anthropocentric views of SME innovation by exploring how waste and non-human entities shape business models—an aspect often ignored in traditional industrial symbiosis (IS) research. Using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and posthumanism, we analyze 15 Thai IS business plans through thematic analysis. Findings reveal that waste streams act as active agents in value creation, while SMEs blend capitalist goals with posthumanist ethics emphasizing multispecies care. The study proposes a sympoietic business framework for regenerative entrepreneurship in Thailand, highlighting Global South ecological ontologies as drivers of innovation. Guided by Resource Dependence Theory, the analysis shows how SMEs form strategic partnerships with waste suppliers, regulators, and technology providers to ensure material flows and reduce risk. These collaborations enable both human and non-human actors—like compost systems and microbes—to co-create value, redefining business ecosystems as dynamic networks of interdependent relationships.