Keywords
Ecological innovation
SMEs
green economy.
SMEs
green economy.
How to Cite
Passaro, R., Scandurra, G., & Thomas, A. (2020). Le determinanti dell’ecoinnovazione nelle pmi innovative: prospettive teoriche ed evidenze empiriche. Piccola Impresa Small Business, (1). https://doi.org/10.14596/pisb.339
Received 2019-06-25
Accepted 2020-04-18
Published 2020-04-26
Accepted 2020-04-18
Published 2020-04-26
Abstract
The exponential growth of the sensitivity of the community towards environmental issues and the awareness of environmental risks has led companies to coherently adapt to environmentally sustainable development their productive processes and products. In order to accelerate these processes, a flourishing international research stream that investigates the determinants that underlie the adoption of eco-innovations among firms has emerged.
In light of the above objective, this paper aims to identify the level of dissemination of eco-innovations and the determinants that support their adoption within a specific population of Italian SMEs, the innovative SMEs introduced by law 33/2015. The results obtained show that a large part of the companies investigated show a high sensitivity towards eco-innovation issues; in particular, under the pressure of customers and final consumers.
The choice to follow the principles of eco-compatibility, however, turns out to be dictated above all by factors of an individual nature, whereas, in the absence of an exhaustive public intervention, firms are still unable to perceive the economic advantages connected with the adoption of eco-innovations; from the image improvement, to the profitability increase.
References
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del Río, P., Peñasco, C., Romero-Jordán, D. (2017). Analysing firm-specific and type-specific determinants of eco-innovation. Technological and Economic Development of Economy 23(2), 270-295.
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De Marchi, V. (2012). Environmental innovation and R&D cooperation: empir-ical evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms. Research Policy 41, 614-623.
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Díaz-García, C., González-Moreno, Á. & Sáez-Martínez, F. J. (2015). Eco-innovation: Insights from a literature review. Innovation: Management. Policy and Practice 17(1), 6-23.
Doran, J. & Ryan, G. (2012). Regulation and firm perception, eco-innovation and firm performance. European Journal of Innovation Management 15(4), 421-441
EEA (European Environment Agency) (2014). Resource-efficient green econ-omy and EU policies (by Zoboli, R., Paleari, S., Marin, G., Mazzanti, M., Nicolli, F., Montini, A., Miceli, V. & Speck, S.), Copenhagen.
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He, F., Miao X., Wong, C. W. Y. & Lee, S. (2018). Contemporary corporate eco-innovation research: A systematic review. Journal of Cleaner Production 174, 502-526.
Hojnik, J. & Ruzzier, M. (2016). What drives eco-innovation? A review of an emerging literature. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 19, 31-41.
Hojnik, J., Ruzzier, M. & Manolova, T. S. (2018). Internationalization and eco-nomic performance: The mediating role of eco-innovation. Journal of Cleaner Production 171, 1312-1323.
Hoogendoorn, B., Guerra, D. & van der Zwan, P. (2015), What drives envi-ronmental practices of SMEs?. Small Business Economics 44, 759-781.
Horbach, J. (2008). Determinants of environmental innovation—new
evidence from German panel data sources. Research Policy 37(1):163-173
Horbach, J., Rammer, C, & Rennings K (2012). Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact – the role of regulatory push/pull, technology push and market pull. Ecological Economics 78, 112–122
Horbach, J. (2014). Do Eco-innovations need specific regional characteris-tics? An econometric analysis for Germany. Review of Regional Research 34, 23-38.
Jové-Llopis, E. & Segarra-Blasco, A. (2018). Eco-Efficiency Actions and Firm Growth in European SMEs. Sustainability 10(1), 1-26.
Kesidou, E., & Demirel, P. (2012). On the drivers of Eco-innovations: Empiri-cal evidence from the UK. Research Policy 41, 862-870.
Klewitz, J., & Hansen, E. G. (2013). Sustainability-oriented innovation of SMEs: A systematic review, Journal of Cleaner Production 65, 57-75
Kiefer, C. P., Carrillo‐Hermosilla, J., Del Río, P., & Callealta Barroso, F. J.
(2017). Diversity of eco‐innovations: A quantitative approach. Journal of Cleaner Production 166, 1494-1506.
Marin, G., Marzucchi, A. & Zoboli, R. (2015). SMEs and barriers to Eco-innovation in the EU: Exploring different firm profiles, Journal of Evolutionary Economics 25 (3), pp. 671-705.
Martín-Tapia, I., Aragon-Correa, J. A. & Senise-Barrio, M. E. (2008). Being green and export intensity of SMEs: the moderating influence of perceived un-certainty, Ecological Economics 45, 56-67.
Mazzanti, M. & Zoboli, R. (2009). Embedding environmental innovation in lo-cal production systems: SME strategies, networking and industrial relations. In-ternational Review of Applied Economy 23(2):169-195.
OBI (Osservatorio Banche-Impresa) (2019). Il Mezzogiorno tra divari e svilup-po. Stime 1995-2018 e previsioni al 2023.
Pearce, D., Markandya, A. & Barbier, E. B. (1989), Blueprint for a green economy, Earthscan, London.
Ronchi, E., Morabito, R., Federico, T. & Barberio, G. (2014). Le imprese della green economy. La via maestra per uscire dalla crisi. Edizioni Ambiente.
Pereira, A. & Vence, X. (2012). Key business factors for Eco-innovation: An overview of recent firm-level empirical studies. Cuadernos de Gestion 12, 73-103.
Porter, M. E. & van der Linde, C. (1995). Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship. The Journal of Economic Perspec-tives 9(4), 97-118.
Porter, M. E. & Kramer, M. R. (2006). The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review 84, 78-92.
Porter, M. E. & Kramer, M. R. (2019). Creating Shared Value. In G., Lenssen & N., Smith (Eds.), Managing Sustainable Business, Springer.
Rennings, K (2000). Redefining innovation. Eco-innovation research and the contribution from ecological economics. Ecological Economics 32(2), 319-332.
Schiederig, T., Tietzer, F. & Herstatt, C. (2012). Green innovation in technolo-gy and innovation management - an exploratory literature review. R&D Manage-ment 42, 180-192.
Triguero, A., Moreno-Mondéjar, L. & Davia, M. A. (2013). Drivers of different types of Ecoinnovation in European SMEs. Ecological Economics 92, 25-33.
Triguero, A., Moreno-Mondéjar, L. & Davia M. A. (2016). Leaders and Lag-gards in Environmental Innovation: An Empirical Analysis of SMEs in Europe. Business Strategy and the Environment 25, 2-39.
Tumelero, C., Sbragia, R. & Evans S. (2019), Cooperation in R & D and eco-innovations: the role on the companies' socioeconomic performance. Journal of Cleaner Production 207, 1138-1149.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) (2011). Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication.
Venturelli, A., Caputo, F., Leopizzi, R., Mastroleo, G. & Mio, C. (2017). How can CSR identity be evaluated? A pilot study using a Fuzzy Expert System. Journal of Cleaner Production 141, 1000-1010.
Wallgren, A. & Wallgren, B. (2014). Register-based Statistics: Administrative Data for Statistical Purposes. John Wiley & Sons, UK.
Wu, G. C. (2013). The influence of green supply chain integration and envi-ronmental uncertainty on green innovation in Taiwan’s IT industry. Supply Chain Management 18, 539–552.
Woo, C., Chung, Y., Chun, D., Han, S. & Lee D. (2014). Impact of Green In-novation on Labor Productivity and its Determinants: An Analysis of the Korean Manufacturing Industry. Business Strategy and the Environment 23, 567-576.
Yalabik, B. & Fairchild, R. J. (2011). Customer, regulatory, and competitive pressure as drivers of environmental innovation. International Journal of Produc-tion Economics 131, 519–527.
Xavier, A. F., Naveiro, R. M., Aoussat, A. & Reyes, T. (2017). Systematic lit-erature review of eco-innovation models: Opportunities and recommendations for future research. Journal of Cleaner Production 149(15), 1278-1302.
Zhang, L.C. (2012). Topics of statistical theory for register-based statistics and data integration. Statistica Neerlandica 66(1), 41-63.
Zhu, Y., Wittmann, X. & Peng, M. W. (2012). Institution-based barriers to in-novation in SMEs in China, Asia Pacific Journal of Management 29, 1131-1142.
Ahmed, P. K. & Sheperd, C. D. (2010). Innovation Management: Context, strategies, systems and processes, Pearson.
Bos-Brouwers, H. E. J. (2010). Corporate Sustainability and Innovation in SMEs: Evidence of Themes and Activities in Practice. Business Strategy and the Environment 19 (7), 417-35.
Cai, W. & Zhou, X. (2014). On the drivers of eco-innovation: empirical evi-dence from China. Journal of Cleaner Production 79, 239-248.
Cai, W. & Li, G. (2018). The drivers of eco-innovation and its impact on per-formance: Evidence from China. Journal of Cleaner Production 176, 110-118.
Cainelli, G. & Mazzanti, M. (2013). Environmental innovations in services: manufacturing-services integration and policy transmissions. Research Policy 42(9), 1595-1604.
Carrillo-Hermosilla, J., Del Río, P. & Konnola, T. (2010). Diversity of eco-innovations: reflections from selected case studies. Journal of Cleaner Produc-tion 18, 1073-1083.
Corazza, L., Scagnelli, S. D. & Mio, C. (2017). Simulacra and Sustainability Disclosure: Analysis of the Interpretative Models of Creating Shared Value. Cor-porate Social-responsibility and Environmental Management 24, 414-434.
Corbetta, G. & Morosetti P. (2018), Le vie della crescita. Corporate strategy e diversificazione del business, Egea.
Coronella, S., Mio, C., Leopizzi, R., Venturelli, A. & Caputo, F. (2016). Matching Economia Aziendale and Corporate Social Responsibility: roots and frontiers, Rivista Italiana di Ragioneria e di Economia Aziendale 3, 322-342.
del Río, P., Peñasco, C. & Romero-Jordán, D. (2016). What drives eco-innovators? A critical review of the empirical literature based on econometric Methods. Journal of Cleaner Production 112, 2158-2170.
del Río, P., Peñasco, C., Romero-Jordán, D. (2017). Analysing firm-specific and type-specific determinants of eco-innovation. Technological and Economic Development of Economy 23(2), 270-295.
de Jesus Pacheco, D. A., Caten, C. S. T., Jung, C.F., Ribeiro, J. L. D., Navas, H. V. G. & Cruz-Machado, V. A. (2017). Eco-innovation determinants in manufacturing SMEs: Systematic review and research directions. Journal of Cleaner Production 142(4), 2277-2287.
de Jesus Pacheco D.A, Caten, C. S. T., Jung, C.F., Navas, H. V. G. & Cruz-Machado, V. A. (2018). Eco-innovation determinants in manufacturing SMEs from emerging markets: Systematic literature review and challenges, Journal of Engineering and Technology Management 48(2), 44-63.
De Marchi, V. (2012). Environmental innovation and R&D cooperation: empir-ical evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms. Research Policy 41, 614-623.
Demirel, P. & Keisidou, E. (2011). Stimulating different types of eco-innovation in the UK: Government policies and firm motivations, Ecological Economics 70(8), 1546-1557.
Díaz-García, C., González-Moreno, Á. & Sáez-Martínez, F. J. (2015). Eco-innovation: Insights from a literature review. Innovation: Management. Policy and Practice 17(1), 6-23.
Doran, J. & Ryan, G. (2012). Regulation and firm perception, eco-innovation and firm performance. European Journal of Innovation Management 15(4), 421-441
EEA (European Environment Agency) (2014). Resource-efficient green econ-omy and EU policies (by Zoboli, R., Paleari, S., Marin, G., Mazzanti, M., Nicolli, F., Montini, A., Miceli, V. & Speck, S.), Copenhagen.
EIO (Eco-Innovation Observatory) (2012). Methodological Report. Eco-Innovation Observatory. Funded by the EC, DG, Environment, Brussels.
Guoyou, Q., Saixing, Z., Chiming, T., Haitao, Y. & Hailiang, Z. (2013). Stake-holders’ influences on corporate green innovation strategy: A case study of manufacturing firms in china. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 20(1), 1-14.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J. & Anderson, R. E. (2009). Multivariate Data Analysis, Prentice Hall Higher Education.
Halila, F. & Rundquist, J. (2011). The development and market success of Eco-innovations: A comparative study of Eco-innovations and “other” innova-tions in Sweden. European Journal of Innovation Management 14,
278-302.
He, F., Miao X., Wong, C. W. Y. & Lee, S. (2018). Contemporary corporate eco-innovation research: A systematic review. Journal of Cleaner Production 174, 502-526.
Hojnik, J. & Ruzzier, M. (2016). What drives eco-innovation? A review of an emerging literature. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions 19, 31-41.
Hojnik, J., Ruzzier, M. & Manolova, T. S. (2018). Internationalization and eco-nomic performance: The mediating role of eco-innovation. Journal of Cleaner Production 171, 1312-1323.
Hoogendoorn, B., Guerra, D. & van der Zwan, P. (2015), What drives envi-ronmental practices of SMEs?. Small Business Economics 44, 759-781.
Horbach, J. (2008). Determinants of environmental innovation—new
evidence from German panel data sources. Research Policy 37(1):163-173
Horbach, J., Rammer, C, & Rennings K (2012). Determinants of eco-innovations by type of environmental impact – the role of regulatory push/pull, technology push and market pull. Ecological Economics 78, 112–122
Horbach, J. (2014). Do Eco-innovations need specific regional characteris-tics? An econometric analysis for Germany. Review of Regional Research 34, 23-38.
Jové-Llopis, E. & Segarra-Blasco, A. (2018). Eco-Efficiency Actions and Firm Growth in European SMEs. Sustainability 10(1), 1-26.
Kesidou, E., & Demirel, P. (2012). On the drivers of Eco-innovations: Empiri-cal evidence from the UK. Research Policy 41, 862-870.
Klewitz, J., & Hansen, E. G. (2013). Sustainability-oriented innovation of SMEs: A systematic review, Journal of Cleaner Production 65, 57-75
Kiefer, C. P., Carrillo‐Hermosilla, J., Del Río, P., & Callealta Barroso, F. J.
(2017). Diversity of eco‐innovations: A quantitative approach. Journal of Cleaner Production 166, 1494-1506.
Marin, G., Marzucchi, A. & Zoboli, R. (2015). SMEs and barriers to Eco-innovation in the EU: Exploring different firm profiles, Journal of Evolutionary Economics 25 (3), pp. 671-705.
Martín-Tapia, I., Aragon-Correa, J. A. & Senise-Barrio, M. E. (2008). Being green and export intensity of SMEs: the moderating influence of perceived un-certainty, Ecological Economics 45, 56-67.
Mazzanti, M. & Zoboli, R. (2009). Embedding environmental innovation in lo-cal production systems: SME strategies, networking and industrial relations. In-ternational Review of Applied Economy 23(2):169-195.
OBI (Osservatorio Banche-Impresa) (2019). Il Mezzogiorno tra divari e svilup-po. Stime 1995-2018 e previsioni al 2023.
Pearce, D., Markandya, A. & Barbier, E. B. (1989), Blueprint for a green economy, Earthscan, London.
Ronchi, E., Morabito, R., Federico, T. & Barberio, G. (2014). Le imprese della green economy. La via maestra per uscire dalla crisi. Edizioni Ambiente.
Pereira, A. & Vence, X. (2012). Key business factors for Eco-innovation: An overview of recent firm-level empirical studies. Cuadernos de Gestion 12, 73-103.
Porter, M. E. & van der Linde, C. (1995). Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship. The Journal of Economic Perspec-tives 9(4), 97-118.
Porter, M. E. & Kramer, M. R. (2006). The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review 84, 78-92.
Porter, M. E. & Kramer, M. R. (2019). Creating Shared Value. In G., Lenssen & N., Smith (Eds.), Managing Sustainable Business, Springer.
Rennings, K (2000). Redefining innovation. Eco-innovation research and the contribution from ecological economics. Ecological Economics 32(2), 319-332.
Schiederig, T., Tietzer, F. & Herstatt, C. (2012). Green innovation in technolo-gy and innovation management - an exploratory literature review. R&D Manage-ment 42, 180-192.
Triguero, A., Moreno-Mondéjar, L. & Davia, M. A. (2013). Drivers of different types of Ecoinnovation in European SMEs. Ecological Economics 92, 25-33.
Triguero, A., Moreno-Mondéjar, L. & Davia M. A. (2016). Leaders and Lag-gards in Environmental Innovation: An Empirical Analysis of SMEs in Europe. Business Strategy and the Environment 25, 2-39.
Tumelero, C., Sbragia, R. & Evans S. (2019), Cooperation in R & D and eco-innovations: the role on the companies' socioeconomic performance. Journal of Cleaner Production 207, 1138-1149.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) (2011). Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication.
Venturelli, A., Caputo, F., Leopizzi, R., Mastroleo, G. & Mio, C. (2017). How can CSR identity be evaluated? A pilot study using a Fuzzy Expert System. Journal of Cleaner Production 141, 1000-1010.
Wallgren, A. & Wallgren, B. (2014). Register-based Statistics: Administrative Data for Statistical Purposes. John Wiley & Sons, UK.
Wu, G. C. (2013). The influence of green supply chain integration and envi-ronmental uncertainty on green innovation in Taiwan’s IT industry. Supply Chain Management 18, 539–552.
Woo, C., Chung, Y., Chun, D., Han, S. & Lee D. (2014). Impact of Green In-novation on Labor Productivity and its Determinants: An Analysis of the Korean Manufacturing Industry. Business Strategy and the Environment 23, 567-576.
Yalabik, B. & Fairchild, R. J. (2011). Customer, regulatory, and competitive pressure as drivers of environmental innovation. International Journal of Produc-tion Economics 131, 519–527.
Xavier, A. F., Naveiro, R. M., Aoussat, A. & Reyes, T. (2017). Systematic lit-erature review of eco-innovation models: Opportunities and recommendations for future research. Journal of Cleaner Production 149(15), 1278-1302.
Zhang, L.C. (2012). Topics of statistical theory for register-based statistics and data integration. Statistica Neerlandica 66(1), 41-63.
Zhu, Y., Wittmann, X. & Peng, M. W. (2012). Institution-based barriers to in-novation in SMEs in China, Asia Pacific Journal of Management 29, 1131-1142.
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