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

Authors: Sara Tessitore; Tiberio Daddi; Fabio Iraldo

Addresses: Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy ' Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Piazza Martiri della Libertà 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy ' IEFE – Institute for Environmental and Energy Policy and Economics, Bocconi University, via Guglielmo Roentgen, 1 20136 Milano, Italy

Abstract: 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.

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

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2013.052962

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2013 Vol.12 No.2, pp.124 - 144

Accepted: 11 Jul 2012
Published online: 28 Jan 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article