Title: Eco-innovation and competitiveness in industrial clusters

Authors: Sara Tessitore; Tiberio Daddi; Marco Frey

Addresses: Scuola Superiore di Studi, Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna di Pisa, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, 56127, Pisa, Italy. ' Scuola Superiore di Studi, Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna di Pisa, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, 56127, Pisa, Italy. ' Scuola Superiore di Studi, Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna di Pisa, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, 56127, Pisa, Italy

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: industrial clusters; industrial districts; eco-innovation; economic performance; environmental performance; economic development; competitiveness; sustainable development; corporate social responsibility; CSR; Italy; sustainability; innovation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2012.045788

International Journal of Technology Management, 2012 Vol.58 No.1/2, pp.49 - 63

Published online: 06 Apr 2013 *

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