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Drivers, adoption, and evaluation of sustainability practices in Italian wine SMEs

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  • Hans De Steur
  • Hélène Temmerman
  • Xavier Gellynck
  • Maurizio Canavari

Abstract

Based on a survey with 64 small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in two Italian wine regions, this study aims to (a) identify key drivers and barriers of the adoption of sustainability and (b) compare the adoption and evaluation (use, financial/labor investments, and satisfaction) of sustainability practices in four management domains (marketing, chain, operational, and innovation). Results show that internal drivers were considered to be more important than external drivers. Economic sustainability‐oriented drivers scored significantly lower than drivers related to other dimensions, such as environmental sustainability and heritage. Key barriers refer to labor and investments costs, as well as concerns about greenwashing. Although there are substantial differences in adoption and evaluation of sustainability practices within and between management domains, this study confirms their widespread adoption in wineries. Among users, satisfaction levels outweigh the perceived investments. Except for innovation management practices, financial investments are considered to be lower than labor investments. Positive correlations between use‐satisfaction (within each management domain) and between investments or satisfaction levels (between management domains) further lend support for producers' adoption of multiple practices. At sustainability dimension level, heritage is negatively correlated with the evaluation indicators, indicating that it may act as a potential barrier to some sustainability practices. Segmentation analysis identified a low (30%) and high sustainability clusters (70%), which differ significantly in terms of sustainability perceptions and drivers, adoption, and evaluation of practices, as well as company characteristics. Future research needs to validate the findings on SMEs, compare our measures with more objective evaluation indicators, future adoption rates, and multidimensional sustainability practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Hans De Steur & Hélène Temmerman & Xavier Gellynck & Maurizio Canavari, 2020. "Drivers, adoption, and evaluation of sustainability practices in Italian wine SMEs," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 744-762, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:29:y:2020:i:2:p:744-762
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2436
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    4. Aurora Carneiro Zen & Bruno Anicet Bittencourt & Jose-Luis Hervas-Oliver & Ronald Rojas-Alvarado, 2022. "Sustainability-Oriented Transition in Clusters: A Multilevel Framework from Induction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, April.
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    7. Mariana Guerra & Fátima Ferreira & Ana Alexandra Oliveira & Teresa Pinto & Carlos A. Teixeira, 2024. "Drivers of Environmental Sustainability in the Wine Industry: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-20, June.
    8. Valeria Borsellino & Emanuele Schimmenti & Hamid El Bilali, 2020. "Agri-Food Markets towards Sustainable Patterns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-35, March.
    9. Marco Medici & Maurizio Canavari & Moreno Toselli, 2020. "Interpreting Environmental Impacts Resulting from Fruit Cultivation in a Business Innovation Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-14, November.
    10. Junia A. Purwandani & Gilbert Michaud, 2021. "What are the drivers and barriers for green business practice adoption for SMEs?," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 577-593, December.
    11. Jesús López-Santiago & Amelia Md Som & Fahmi Asyadi Bin Md Yusof & Fernando R. Mazarrón & María Teresa Gómez-Villarino, 2024. "Exploring Sustainability in Wineries: Evaluating Food Safety and Environmental Management Aligning with the Farm to Fork Strategy," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-35, February.
    12. Félix Calle & Ángela González-Moreno & Inmaculada Carrasco & Manuel Vargas-Vargas, 2020. "Social Economy, Environmental Proactivity, Eco-Innovation and Performance in the Spanish Wine Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-26, July.
    13. Laura Broccardo & Elisa Truant & Lèo‐Paul Dana, 2023. "The sustainability orientation in the wine industry: An analysis based on age as a driver," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1300-1313, May.
    14. Hannus, Veronika & Sauer, Johannes, 2021. "It is not only about money —– German farmers' preferences regarding voluntary standards for farm sustainability management," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).

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