IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i20p5590-d275283.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Improving Firms’ Performance and Sustainability: The Case of Eco-Innovation in the Agri-Food Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Adrián Rabadán

    (Higher Technical School of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain)

  • Ángela González-Moreno

    (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain)

  • Francisco J. Sáez-Martínez

    (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain)

Abstract

Companies’ environmental responsibility has significantly increased in the last decade. However, the question about the benefits that this responsible decision has on the company’s performance in the market remains. In this scenario, the main goal of this study is to analyze the conditions that improve the performance of companies in the agri-food industry, paying specific attention to technological eco-innovation and different types of cooperation (in the use and in the development of eco-innovations). Our initial sample contains data of agri-food companies operating in Spain. The Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) has been used as a new path for the analysis of firm’s data. Company performance has been considered by using a construct including three variables (increase in the sales, company profitability and cost reduction). Results show that the conditions that largely benefit company performance are R&D spending and the development of technological eco-innovation. Cooperation in the development and use of eco-innovations are especially important for the smaller companies, with the larger companies in the sector relying both in cooperation and in their own resources. The different recipes which improve the performance, as well as the sustainability of the sector, are presented in this study.

Suggested Citation

  • Adrián Rabadán & Ángela González-Moreno & Francisco J. Sáez-Martínez, 2019. "Improving Firms’ Performance and Sustainability: The Case of Eco-Innovation in the Agri-Food Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:20:p:5590-:d:275283
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/20/5590/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/20/5590/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adelina Gschwandtner & Stefan Hirsch, 2018. "What Drives Firm Profitability? A Comparison of the US and EU Food Processing Industry," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 86(3), pages 390-416, June.
    2. Triguero, Angela & Moreno-Mondéjar, Lourdes & Davia, María A., 2013. "Drivers of different types of eco-innovation in European SMEs," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 25-33.
    3. Kathrin Hasler & Hans-Werner Olfs & Onno Omta & Stefanie Bröring, 2017. "Drivers for the Adoption of Different Eco-Innovation Types in the Fertilizer Sector: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-22, November.
    4. Garnett, Tara, 2011. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(S1), pages 23-32.
    5. Stefan Hirsch & Adelina Gschwandtner, 2013. "Profit persistence in the food industry: evidence from five European countries," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 40(5), pages 741-759, December.
    6. De Marchi, Valentina, 2012. "Environmental innovation and R&D cooperation: Empirical evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 614-623.
    7. Mike Simpson & Nick Taylor & Karen Barker, 2004. "Environmental responsibility in SMEs: does it deliver competitive advantage?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(3), pages 156-171, May.
    8. John Hagedoorn & Jos Schakenraad, 1994. "The effect of strategic technology alliances on company performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(4), pages 291-309, May.
    9. Luo, Jianli & Guo, Hongdong & Jia, Fu, 2017. "Technological innovation in agricultural co-operatives in China: Implications for agro-food innovation policies," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 19-33.
    10. Popa, Simona & Soto-Acosta, Pedro & Martinez-Conesa, Isabel, 2017. "Antecedents, moderators, and outcomes of innovation climate and open innovation: An empirical study in SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 134-142.
    11. Stucki, Tobias, 2019. "Which firms benefit from investments in green energy technologies? – The effect of energy costs," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 546-555.
    12. Nuttaneeya Torugsa & Wayne O’Donohue & Rob Hecker, 2012. "Capabilities, Proactive CSR and Financial Performance in SMEs: Empirical Evidence from an Australian Manufacturing Industry Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(4), pages 483-500, September.
    13. Angela Triguero & David Córcoles & Maria Cuerva, 2014. "Persistence of innovation and firm’s growth: evidence from a panel of SME and large Spanish manufacturing firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 787-804, December.
    14. Georges Samara & Jasmina Berbegal-Mirabent, 2018. "Independent directors and family firm performance: does one size fit all?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 149-172, March.
    15. Barbara Vis, 2012. "The Comparative Advantages of fsQCA and Regression Analysis for Moderately Large-N Analyses," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 41(1), pages 168-198, February.
    16. John Goddard & Manouche Tavakoli & John Wilson, 2005. "Determinants of profitability in European manufacturing and services: evidence from a dynamic panel model," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(18), pages 1269-1282.
    17. Wu, Pei-Ling & Yeh, Shih-Shuo & Huan, Tzung-Cheng (.T.C.). & Woodside, Arch G., 2014. "Applying complexity theory to deepen service dominant logic: Configural analysis of customer experience-and-outcome assessments of professional services for personal transformations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1647-1670.
    18. Dhawan, Rajeev, 2001. "Firm size and productivity differential: theory and evidence from a panel of US firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 269-293, March.
    19. El-Kassar, Abdul-Nasser & Singh, Sanjay Kumar, 2019. "Green innovation and organizational performance: The influence of big data and the moderating role of management commitment and HR practices," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 483-498.
    20. Luigi Galletto & Luigino Barisan, 2019. "Carbon Footprint as a Lever for Sustained Competitive Strategy in Developing a Smart Oenology: Evidence from an Exploratory Study in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, March.
    21. Garnett, Tara, 2011. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(Supplemen), pages 23-32, January.
    22. David Bedford & Mikko Sandelin, 2015. "Investigating management control configurations using qualitative comparative analysis: an overview and guidelines for application," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 5-26, April.
    23. Martinez, Marian Garcia & Briz, Julian, 2000. "Innovation In The Spanish Food And Drink Industry," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 3(2), pages 1-22.
    24. Fabio R. Chaddad & Mario P. Mondelli, 2013. "Sources of Firm Performance Differences in the US Food Economy," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(2), pages 382-404, June.
    25. Stefan Hirsch & Jan Schiefer, 2016. "What Causes Firm Profitability Variation in the EU Food Industry? A Redux of Classical Approaches of Variance Decomposition," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 79-92, January.
    26. Stefan Hirsch & Jan Schiefer & Adelina Gschwandtner & Monika Hartmann, 2014. "The Determinants of Firm Profitability Differences in EU Food Processing," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 65(3), pages 703-721, September.
    27. Hans van Kranenburg & John Hagedoorn & Jacqueline Pennings, 2004. "Measurement of International and Product Diversification in the Publishing Industry," Journal of Media Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 87-104.
    28. Andrea Revell & Robert Rutherfoord, 2003. "UK environmental policy and the small firm: broadening the focus," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(1), pages 26-35, January.
    29. Pigford, Ashlee-Ann E. & Hickey, Gordon M. & Klerkx, Laurens, 2018. "Beyond agricultural innovation systems? Exploring an agricultural innovation ecosystems approach for niche design and development in sustainability transitions," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 116-121.
    30. Horbach, Jens, 2008. "Determinants of environmental innovation--New evidence from German panel data sources," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 163-173, February.
    31. Kesidou, Effie & Demirel, Pelin, 2012. "On the drivers of eco-innovations: Empirical evidence from the UK," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 862-870.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. González-Moreno, Ángela & Triguero, Ángela & Sáez-Martínez, Francisco José, 2019. "Many or trusted partners for eco-innovation? The influence of breadth and depth of firms' knowledge network in the food sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 51-62.
    2. Adrián Rabadán & Ángela Triguero & Ángela Gonzalez-Moreno, 2020. "Cooperation as the Secret Ingredient in the Recipe to Foster Internal Technological Eco-Innovation in the Agri-Food Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-19, April.
    3. Adelina Gschwandtner & Stefan Hirsch, 2018. "What Drives Firm Profitability? A Comparison of the US and EU Food Processing Industry," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 86(3), pages 390-416, June.
    4. Carlos J. O. Trejo-Pech & Karen L. DeLong & Dayton M. Lambert & Vasileios Siokos, 2020. "The impact of US sugar prices on the financial performance of US sugar-using firms," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-17, December.
    5. Fernández, Sara & Torrecillas, Celia & Labra, Romilio Ernesto, 2021. "Drivers of eco-innovation in developing countries: the case of Chilean firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    6. Zouaghi, Ferdaous & Hirsch, Stefan & Garcia, Mercedes Sanchez, 2016. "What Drives Firm Profitability? A Multilevel Approach To The Spanish Agri-Food Sector," 56th Annual Conference, Bonn, Germany, September 28-30, 2016 244762, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA).
    7. Caroline Danièle Mothe & Thuc Uyen Nguyen-Thi, 2017. "Persistent openness and environmental innovation: An empirical analysis of French manufacturing firms," Post-Print hal-01609129, HAL.
    8. João Leitão & Sónia de Brito & Serena Cubico, 2019. "Eco-Innovation Influencers: Unveiling the Role of Lean Management Principles Adoption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-27, April.
    9. Stefan Hirsch, 2018. "Successful In The Long Run: A Meta†Regression Analysis Of Persistent Firm Profits," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 23-49, February.
    10. Grazia Cecere & Nicoletta Corrocher & Maria Luisa Mancusi, 2020. "Financial constraints and public funding of eco-innovation: empirical evidence from European SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 285-302, January.
    11. Marzucchi, Alberto & Montresor, Sandro, 2017. "Forms of knowledge and eco-innovation modes: Evidence from Spanish manufacturing firms," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 208-221.
    12. Sanni, Maruf, 2018. "Drivers of eco-innovation in the manufacturing sector of Nigeria," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 303-314.
    13. Tariq, Adeel & Badir, Yuosre F. & Tariq, Waqas & Bhutta, Umair Saeed, 2017. "Drivers and consequences of green product and process innovation: A systematic review, conceptual framework, and future outlook," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 8-23.
    14. Pilar Portillo-Tarragona & Sabina Scarpellini & Jose M. Moneva & Jesus Valero-Gil & Alfonso Aranda-Usón, 2018. "Classification and Measurement of the Firms’ Resources and Capabilities Applied to Eco-Innovation Projects from a Resource-Based View Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-23, September.
    15. García-Granero, Eva M. & Piedra-Muñoz, Laura & Galdeano-Gómez, Emilio, 2020. "Measuring eco-innovation dimensions: The role of environmental corporate culture and commercial orientation," MPRA Paper 119909, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Caroline Mothe & Uyen T. Nguyen-Thi & Ángela Triguero, 2018. "Innovative products and services with environmental benefits: design of search strategies for external knowledge and absorptive capacity," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(11), pages 1934-1954, September.
    17. Torrecillas, Celia & Fernández, Sara & García-García, Claudia, 2023. "Drivers to increase eco-efficiencies in Uruguay, Peru, and Panama," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    18. Fernanda Q. Sperotto & Iván G. P. Tartaruga, 2021. "The Green Side of Industry: The Drivers and the Impacts of ECO-Innovations in Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-23, July.
    19. Silvia Andr?s Gonz?lez-Moralejo & Mildrey Garc?a Cort?s & Juan Francisco L?pez Miquel, 2021. "Are small and medium-size food industry firms profitable? Explaining differences in their performance: The case of the Valencia Region," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 23(1), pages 1-24.
    20. Grazia Cecere & Nicoletta Corrocher & Cédric Gossart & Muge Ozman, 2014. "Lock-in and path dependence: an evolutionary approach to eco-innovations," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 1037-1065, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:20:p:5590-:d:275283. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.