Title: Drivers of eco-innovation in North Africa: empirical evidence from the Tunisian manufacturing sector

Authors: Faten Aouay; Jean Boncoeur; Faïka Charfi; Younes Boujelben

Addresses: Faculty of Law, Economics and Management, University of Western Brittany, Brest, 29019, France ' Faculty of Law, Economics and Management, University of Western Brittany, Brest, 29019, France ' Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Sfax, Sfax, 3018, Tunisia ' Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Sfax, Sfax, 3018, Tunisia

Abstract: Despite the abundance of research on the determinants of eco-innovation, there are few studies dealing with the case of developing countries. This paper contributes to the empirical literature on the determinants of eco-innovation through a survey of 159 Tunisian industrial firms, 61 of which identify themselves as eco-innovators. The objective is to test the influence of the determinants of eco-innovation: regulatory instruments, market instruments, technology, expected benefits, and consumer demand on eco-innovation behaviour. The data were processed using principal component analysis and discriminant analysis. The results show that technology, competitive pressure, expected benefits, and market instruments stimulate eco-innovation in the Tunisian context. However, regulatory instruments and ecological consumer demand do not contribute significantly. These results have important implications for both policymakers and business managers.

Keywords: eco-innovation; determinants; developing countries; Tunisia; principal component analysis; discriminant analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2023.132682

Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal, 2023 Vol.16 No.1/2/3, pp.176 - 199

Received: 28 Jun 2022
Accepted: 01 Nov 2022
Published online: 07 Aug 2023 *

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