The Role of Environmental Certifications in the Wine Industry

The Italian wine industry is an important reality among the Made in Italy sectors and over the last decade it has performed positive variations in its competitiveness. The present study aims at investigating the relationship between the adoption of environmental certifications and wineries' communication strategies. The purpose, in particular, is to understand if environmental certifications are perceived by wineries as communication tools that can be used to promote sustainable products and the whole sustainable commitment of the firm to the market. Moreover, drawing on the resource based view (Rvb) of the firm, the study investigates the relationship between environmental certifications' adoption and economic performance of the firm, which still represents a timely topic of research. The study was based on a quantitative survey, carried out on a sample of 242 Italian wineries. Descriptive analysis was performed to describe the overall firms' behavior towards sustainability and environmental certifications. An Exploratory Factor Analysis followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis was further developed to identify the key-drivers affecting the wineries' adoption of environmental certifications. Finally, a regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between environmental certifications' adoption and perceived economic performances. The research findings suggest that a variety of sustainable practices and tools are implemented by wineries, with different purposes. Above all, the study reveals that voluntary environmental certifications are perceived as strategic communication tools by wineries, even if a very low percentage of respondents actually perceive the economic benefits linked to the adoption of such practices and standards.