Tiberio Daddi

A cluster-based approach as an effective way to implement the Environmental Compliance Assistance Programme: evidence from some good practices

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are to be considered a crucial target if policy makers really want to pursue sustainable development. These companies are responsible for a large share of business environmental impacts, but they show a low awareness about it and on environmental legislation. Our article aims at demonstrating how an innovative approach to environmental management, the “cluster approach”, can be an effective tool to improving the compliance of SMEs and, as a consequence, their environmental performance. The local experiences, analysed in our work, show the effectiveness of the cluster approach to strengthen the environmental competence and know-how at the local level, as well as the improvement of environmental performances of both individual SMEs and of the entire productive areas. How to develop the cluster approach and include it structurally in policy-making should be the question for future research and experimental initiatives, such as the on-going ECCELSA project.

Exploring the link between institutional pressures and environmental management systems effectiveness: An empirical study

Institutional theory has been widely debated by scholars. A part of literature examines how institutional pressures act on company choices regarding proactive environmental strategies. However, the institutional perspective has still not completely clarified the influence of these pressures on the effectiveness of environmental management systems (EMSs) in achieving goals in terms of eco-innovation, competitiveness and corporate reputation. This paper analyses the role played by coercive, mimetic and normative forces in stimulating innovative and competitive responses by firms with an environmental certification. Using the results of a survey on 242 European EMAS-registered organisations, the paper highlights the more positive influence of mimetic and normative pressures than coercive ones. The paper contributes to the literature debate on EMSs analysed through the lens of institutional theory.

Eco-innovation and competitiveness in industrial clusters

The article aims to investigate the presence of a correlation between eco-innovation and competitiveness within districts. The case analysed in this article is based on a study concerning a sample of 54 Italian industrial clusters entitled ‘eco-districts’ that has compiled a list of the most eco-efficient districts at the national level. After selecting two districts operating in the same productive field, this study assesses the economic performance of the last three years through the analysis of trends in four indicators: number of enterprises, employment, production and export. The results show that only in some cases there is a connection between eco innovation and competitiveness.

The implementation of an Environmental Management System in a North-African local public administration: the case of the City Council of Marrakech (Morocco)

This paper analyses the case of ISO 14001 certification in the City of Marrakech (Morocco). The case study defines the methods and approaches used in the implementation of the Environmental Management System (EMS), highlighting what were the main differences and the rationale and expected benefits of the certification process for the city. The paper aims to compare this experience with similar experiences of Western local authorities described in the literature by analysing drivers, motivations, benefits and barriers in EMS adoption. To achieve this goal, the paper reports, among other results, the outcome of a survey of the environmental perception of the City population carried out in the ISO 14001 implementation in order to identify how and if the attainment of ISO 14001 certification could be valorised by the City of Marrakech with regard to the citizens’ perception. From this enquiry it emerges that a relevant sensibility of the population related to numerous environmental issues can be stimulated by ISO 14001 certification. The case study shows that an approach foreseeing a strong involvement of the stakeholders can be particularly effective as it responds to the specificities of non-EU contexts.

Sustainable Tourism Planning And Consultation: Evidence From The Project Inter.Eco.Tur

Expansion of territories targeted by travellers and growth of attendance rates make tourism sector of significant interest for the implementation of policies on environmental protection at the European Union (EU) level. The need to protect local natural heritage, to integrate tourism industry development policies with the ones pertaining to other sectors that characterize a given territory and to enhance the overall environmental performance are some of the priorities that may appear conflicting at times. This paper discusses a method of analysis and planning aiming to promote potential directives of local governance. This method, representing the outcome of a process coordinated and shared across territories, is oriented towards the sustainable development of the area and refers to the implementation of integrated policies, The Interreg Eco Tourism (INTER.ECO.TUR) project, co-financed by the European Commission under the EUs INTERREG IIIC, provided the research with a useful case study to analyse the dynamics of sustainable tourism development within the European Mediterranean area. The debate of its results offers evidences on the possibility to develop such a governance process effectively, providing insight into an assessment methodology enriched by a clear-cut analysis of its applied experiences.

The effectiveness of cluster approach to improve environmental corporate performance in an industrial district of SMEs: a case study

This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of the so-called ‘Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) cluster approach’ when applied to environmental policies, by focusing on the case history of the industrial paper production cluster located in the Province of Lucca (Italy). The Lucca cluster represents approximately 20% of Italian paper production, and Italy is the fourth leading paper producer in Europe. In the last 10 years, environmental policies have been developed under the common ‘umbrella’ of a strong public and private partnership based on stakeholder networking within the application of the EU EMAS Regulation. This article evaluates the outcome of such an approach, by comparing the environmental performance indicators for the Lucca’s paper industry using data collected from more than 40 plants before and after the adoption of this voluntary tool. The results show considerable improvements for many environmental performance indicators, consistently with the implementation of the cluster approach.

The Effectiveness of EMAS as a Management Tool: A Key Role for the Internalization of Environmental Practices:

A very extensive academic debate is currently ongoing regarding the managerial decision to adopt an environmental management system compliant with ISO 14001 or Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), and the respective effectiveness of the two metastandards. According to the institutional theory, the adoption of metastandards is driven by the need for social legitimacy, thus generating isomorphism among firms. The few existing studies on the internalization of these standards requirements have considered only specific aspects of the management system, such as the use of operational procedures in daily practices or employee involvement. To fill this gap, we investigated the level of internalization of EMAS requirements, taking into account all the key elements of the Deming Cycle. Using data from 224 questionnaires from EMAS organizations, we tested whether EMAS adopters with a higher internalization of its requirements (a) have better environmental performance and (b) are more motivated to make environmental investments. Our results clearly show that opting for a metastandard does not necessarily lead to homogenous behaviors among adopters. However, the level of internalization of its requirements both in terms of the strategies and daily operational procedures is a key determinant in achieving a real improvement in performance.

Enhancing the Adoption of Life Cycle Assessment by Small and Medium Enterprises Grouped in an Industrial Cluster: A Case Study of the Tanning Cluster in Tuscany (Italy)

Greenhouse gas emissions from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for 70% of the industrial pollution in the European Union. Owing to limited economic and human resources, only a few SMEs start procedures to evaluate the environmental impact of processes and products through life cycle assessment (LCA). In this work, a cluster life cycle assessment (Cluster‐LCA) is proposed as an instrument for the diffusion and realization of LCA analysis in clustered SMEs. This methodology is illustrated with a case study in the tanning cluster in Tuscany. The different characteristics of the methodology are analyzed by identifying the intrinsic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The application of this methodology in a particular cluster is then discussed in order to gather some helpful insight for the application of this methodology in different clusters.

Analysing the causes of environmental management and audit scheme (EMAS) decrease in Europe

Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is the most important public standard for an Environmental Management System. In the last few years, the number of certified organisations has been decreasing. Scholars have largely debated the drivers, barriers and benefits, but the recent decrease in EMAS registrations has not been sufficiently studied, leaving unsolved questions for scholars, practitioners and policy-makers. This paper aims to address this literature gap by (i) analysing the trends of other voluntary certification schemes in order to understand whether the decrease is a peculiarity of EMAS; (ii) investigating the reasons why formerly registered organisations have abandoned EMAS and why ISO14001 certified organisations do not adopt EMAS. The paper reports results of 17 interviews highlighting the lack of financial and human resources, the lack of market and stakeholder recognition, and the unclear added value of EMAS as reasons for the decrease of EMAS.

The link between environmental and economic performance: evidence from some eco-innovative industrial clusters

The research aims to investigate the presence of a correlation between eco-innovation and competitiveness within districts. The case analysed in this article is based on a study concerning a sample of 54 Italian industrial clusters entitled ‘Eco-Districts’ that has compiled a list of the most eco-efficient districts at the national level. After selecting eight districts, this study assesses the economic performance of the last three years through the analysis of trends of four indicators: number of enterprises, employment, production and export. The results show that only in some cases there is a connection between eco innovation and economic performance.