"Digital Transformation for Eco-Innovation: Evidence From Agriculture 4.0 Adoption in Wine Firms"

Published in Business Strategy and the Environment

Authors:
Alessandro Muscio, University of Foggia
Amir Maghssudipour, Department of Economics and Management - University of Padua
Yuntao Wang, University of Foggia

Firms face a fundamental strategic dilemma: how to align digital transformation with environmental sustainability while maintaining competitive advantage.

This paper explores how digital transformation supports eco-innovation in the wine industry, distinguished by Cleaner Production (proactive) and End-of-Pipe (reactive) strategies. Using survey data from 387 Italian wine firms, it shows that Agriculture 4.0 technologies - especially precision agriculture, weather monitoring, and management software - strongly enable proactive eco-innovation (Cleaner Production). Digital adopters are also more likely to compete in premium and ultra-premium segments, suggesting that digital transformation can drive sustainable differentiation strategies.

Click here and read the full paper