Proof-Based Green Marketing for Scaling Circular Business Models in Water-Scarce Emerging Economies: An Exploratory Corpus Analysis of Pedagogical Case Narratives from Tunisia

Abstract

Green entrepreneurship is often positioned as a pathway to circular transitions in water‑scarce emerging economies, yet evidence on how ventures translate environmental claims into market acceptance remains limited. Drawing on a corpus-based cross-case analysis of eight pedagogical case narratives from Tunisia (143 coded meaning units), we develop proof‑based green marketing capability (PB‑GMC)—an offer-level capability for generating, validating, and translating environmental performance data into credible market signals. The corpus emphasizes three recurring scaling bottlenecks—energy costs, logistics friction, and quality assurance—and frames proof as a market asset used to secure customers, partners, and finance. Water scarcity appears to raise the evidentiary bar for “water saved” claims, motivating baselines, monitoring routines, and (where feasible) third‑party validation. We triangulate three cases with publicly available sources to confirm descriptive facts and illustrate proof artefacts rather than validate impact magnitudes. We contribute a capability-based framework and a Minimum Viable Proof System to support scaling of circular business models under resource constraints, and outline measurement directions for future confirmatory research.