Sustainability Certifications in SMEs: Key Themes and Research Gaps

Veronica Procacci (), Paola Paoloni and Silvia Ievolella
Additional contact information
Veronica Procacci: La Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Business Law and Economics
Paola Paoloni: La Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Business Law and Economics
Silvia Ievolella: La Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Business Law and Economics

Chapter 17 in Transformational Drivers of National Economies: A New Analytical Framework Addressing Transitional Growth Model, 2026, pp 337-353 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This study investigates the role of sustainability certifications in promoting sustainable practices among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It highlights the increasing relevance of sustainability within the SME sector, driven by regulatory frameworks such as the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) in Italy, which incentivizes sustainable practices through funding and procurement advantages. The research adopts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology to map existing academic contributions on SME sustainability, focusing on four primary themes: sustainable innovations, corporate social responsibility (CSR), non-financial reporting, and certifications. Analyzing 487 studies from the SCOPUS database, the study finds that while sustainable innovation and CSR are widely explored topics, certifications remain underrepresented despite their growing practical relevance. Certifications, such as ISO 14001 and SA8000, play a crucial role in demonstrating compliance with environmental, social, and economic standards, fostering stakeholder trust, and enhancing market competitiveness. The findings underscore a significant research gap regarding the impact of certifications on SME performance and their role in supporting sustainable transitions. The study concludes by calling for more comprehensive investigations into certification practices, particularly in emerging areas such as social sustainability and gender equality certifications, to provide a more holistic understanding of their contributions to SME sustainability strategies.

Keywords: Sustainability; SME; Certifications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-032-18962-2_17

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783032189622

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-18962-2_17

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().