Technological innovation is a key factor for achieving a better environmental performance of firms and the economy as a whole, to the extent that helps increasing the material/energy efficiency of production processes and reducing emission/effluents associated to outputs. Environmental innovation may spur from exogenous forces, like policy intervention, and/or from endogenous factors associated to firm strategies. The paper exploits new data deriving from two surveys conducted on a sample of (small and medium enterprises) SME manufacturing firms in Northern Italy. New evidence is provided by testing a set of hypothesis, concerning the influence of: (i) firm structural variables; (ii) environmental R&D; (iii) environmental policy pressure and regulatory costs; (iv) past firm performances; (v) other non-environmental techno-organizational innovations and (vi) quality/nature of industrial relations. The applied investigation shows that usual structural characteristics of the firm and performances appear to matter less than R&D, induced costs, organisational flatness and innovative oriented industrial relations. Environmental Policies and environmental voluntary auditing schemes exert some relevant direct and indirect effects on innovation. While not the only driver, policy actions emerge very relevant, with a possible multi-faceted scope of intervention. Although this new empirical evidence is focussing on a specific industrial territory, we provide food for discussion on firm environmental innovation strategies, and research suggestions for further empirical work on SME behaviour concerning environmental innovation and performances.

Environmental innovations, firm strategies and policy induced effects. Empirical evidence from a district based local system in Northern Italy

MAZZANTI, Massimiliano;
2008

Abstract

Technological innovation is a key factor for achieving a better environmental performance of firms and the economy as a whole, to the extent that helps increasing the material/energy efficiency of production processes and reducing emission/effluents associated to outputs. Environmental innovation may spur from exogenous forces, like policy intervention, and/or from endogenous factors associated to firm strategies. The paper exploits new data deriving from two surveys conducted on a sample of (small and medium enterprises) SME manufacturing firms in Northern Italy. New evidence is provided by testing a set of hypothesis, concerning the influence of: (i) firm structural variables; (ii) environmental R&D; (iii) environmental policy pressure and regulatory costs; (iv) past firm performances; (v) other non-environmental techno-organizational innovations and (vi) quality/nature of industrial relations. The applied investigation shows that usual structural characteristics of the firm and performances appear to matter less than R&D, induced costs, organisational flatness and innovative oriented industrial relations. Environmental Policies and environmental voluntary auditing schemes exert some relevant direct and indirect effects on innovation. While not the only driver, policy actions emerge very relevant, with a possible multi-faceted scope of intervention. Although this new empirical evidence is focussing on a specific industrial territory, we provide food for discussion on firm environmental innovation strategies, and research suggestions for further empirical work on SME behaviour concerning environmental innovation and performances.
2008
Mazzanti, Massimiliano; Zoboli, R.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11392/517654
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