Settembre Blundo, D; García-Muiña, F E; Pini, M; Volpi, L; Siligardi, C and Ferrari, A M (2019) Sustainability as source of competitive advantages in mature sectors: The case of ceramic district of Sassuolo (Italy). Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 8(1), pp. 53-79. ISSN 2046-6099
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how sustainability can become a source of competitive advantage for mature manufacturing sectors where technologies are standardized, and innovation is mainly generated across the value chain and not by individual companies. Design/methodology/approach: From the methodological point of view, this research estimates the sustainability status of ceramic production in the Sassuolo district (Italy), using the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) model, and changing the observation point for the analysis, from the enterprise (micro level) to the entire sector (meso level). Findings: This paper provides an analysis of the environmental, economic and social impacts of the four main types of ceramic tiles manufactured in Italy, both in aggregate terms for the entire sector and per square meter of product. Practical implications: The methodological approach used in this research is easy to replicate both for companies when designing their sustainability strategies and for public decision makers when assessing the sustainability performance of a sector or supply chain. Social implications: For the first time, a socio-economic impact assessment is proposed for the ceramic sector, conducted in parallel with the environmental impact assessment through stakeholder mapping and prioritization. Originality/value: This paper conceptualizes the theme of relations and interdependencies between ceramic producers organized in industrial districts and the territories in which they operate in order to determine empirically the sustainability performance of Italian ceramic sector, using the LCSA model with a territorial extension that presupposes an innovative contribution to current literature and practice.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | circular business model; competitive advantage; industrial district; Italian ceramic industry; life cycle sustainability assessment; sustainability |
| Index terms: | socio-economic impact, strategy, sustainability assessment, Italy, methodology, mapping, sustainability performance, aggregate, environmental impact assessment, life cycle, value chain, competitive advantage, social impact, estimate, business model |
| Subjects: | sociology, market analysis, value chain strategy, Geography, spatial and geospatial analysis, research methods, management, sustainability assessment, financial and cost management, value management, materials science, economic and policy analysis, environmental impact, business |
| Topics: | Cost Management, Business Strategy, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Sustainability, Supply Chain Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here