Environmental practices and ecosystem impact of SMEs: a comparative sectoral analysis in Venezuelan and Colombian coastal regions

This study investigated environmental practice efficacy among 22 small and medium-sized enterprises across textile, commerce, and manufacturing sectors in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and Santa Marta, Colombia (2021–2023). Using mixed-methods analysis including Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman correlations, and two-way ANOVA, results revealed that sector characteristics exerted stronger influence on environmental performance than geographical location, with manufacturing SMEs achieving superior pollution prevention efficacy across both cities. Sector-specific variation accounted for 31% of performance variance versus 18% for location effects, with no significant interaction between these factors. Pollution prevention practices demonstrated strongest correlations with ecosystem health indicators (ρ = 0.61–0.72). Findings support differentiated environmental policies targeting sector-specific constraints rather than uniform geographical approaches in developing coastal economies.