Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería (Mediterranean Research Center on Economics and Sustainable Development, CIMEDES, Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3), Ctra. Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb 23;17(4):1432. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17041432.
Understanding eco-innovation is an essential endeavor to achieve global sustainable development. In this sense, further research on implementation is needed to expand knowledge beyond current boundaries. The aim of this paper is to contribute to this debate by conducting an original multidimensional analysis using Spanish agri-food sector data. The empirical methodology applies a combination of descriptive statistics, cluster analysis and the chi-squared test. Two groups of well-differentiated eco-innovative firms are identified, those with high and low eco-innovation implementation levels. Quality certifications, environmental consulting and cooperation with stakeholders are the variables that contribute most to distinguishing these two groups. The results also reveal that operating income volume, number of employees and commercialization volume are key factors to become more eco-innovative. In this sense, larger firms are found to have a higher level of eco-innovation implementation than small- and medium-sized enterprises. The main contributions of this work are fourfold. Firstly, it presents a comprehensive framework of eco-innovation implementation in its four dimensions (product, process, organizational and marketing). Secondly, it fills existing gaps in the literature by analyzing green organizational and marketing eco-practices. Thirdly, it expands the sectorial scope of eco-innovation research primarily focused on high-tech sectors. Finally, this study makes it possible to design certain policies for public and private decision makers.
理解生态创新对于实现全球可持续发展至关重要。从这个意义上说，需要进一步开展实施方面的研究，将知识扩展到当前边界之外。本文旨在通过对西班牙农业食品部门数据进行原始多维分析，为这一辩论做出贡献。实证方法采用描述性统计、聚类分析和卡方检验相结合。确定了两组具有明显差异的生态创新型企业，一组是生态创新实施水平较高的企业，另一组是水平较低的企业。质量认证、环境咨询和与利益相关者的合作是区分这两组企业的最重要变量。结果还表明，营业收入规模、员工人数和商业化规模是提高生态创新能力的关键因素。在这方面，大型企业的生态创新实施水平高于中小企业。这项工作的主要贡献有四点。首先，它提出了一个全面的生态创新实施框架，包括产品、过程、组织和营销四个维度。其次，它通过分析绿色组织和营销生态实践填补了文献中的空白。第三，它扩展了生态创新研究的部门范围，主要集中在高科技部门。最后，这项研究为公共和私营决策者制定了某些政策。
