Determinants of eco-innovation in the agricultural machinery sector: the case of small and medium enterprises in the Piedmont region (Italy)

Giorgia Bagagiolo, Lucia Vigoroso, Federica Caffaro () and Eugenio Cavallo
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Giorgia Bagagiolo: National Research Council of Italy (CNR)
Lucia Vigoroso: National Research Council of Italy (CNR)
Federica Caffaro: University of Roma Tre
Eugenio Cavallo: National Research Council of Italy (CNR)

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2024, vol. 26, issue 10, No 54, 25849-25869

Abstract: Abstract The agricultural machinery industry can significantly contribute to a more sustainable farming system through the development of eco-innovative products and production processes. This is particularly true for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which represent a significant share of this market. This study investigated the determinants of attitudes towards eco-innovating products and processes in a sample of small and medium agricultural machinery manufacturers (N = 47) from the Piedmont region (North–West Italy), analysing the role of enterprise’s characteristics, perceived drivers and barriers, and environmental concern. Overall, product eco-innovation was considered important/very important for their firms by 88.3% of the respondents, whereas process eco-innovation by 67.7%. The regression analyses showed that the availability of a formal and hierarchical structure dedicated to Research and Development and of financial support were significantly associated (β = 0.301, p = .032 and β = 0.406, p = .011, respectively) to positive attitudes towards eco-innovating production processes, whereas the lack of know-how was the main obstacle to both product and process eco-innovativeness (β = − 0.564, p = .000 and β= − 0.397, p = .008, respectively). Environmental concern did not show any significant association with firms’ perceived importance to eco-innovate either products (β = 0.097, p = .475) or processes (β = 0.248, p = .087). Implications for the development of interventions aiming at fostering positive attitudes towards eco-innovation among the targeted enterprises are discussed.

Keywords: Eco-innovation drivers; Eco-innovation barriers; SMEs; Manufacturing industry; Agricultural machinery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-03710-2

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