Sustainable Innovations in the Women-Owned Businesses. Evidences from the Olive Oil Sector in Calabria, South of Italy

Italy is one of the largest producers of olive oil. Italy is the second world producer and the second country for exports. The territorial distribution shows the areas with the highest olive growing vocation are concentrated in Southern Italy. By number of farms Calabria ranks third among Italian regions, and Calabria is the second region in Italy for oil production (including organic) after Puglia. The presence of women-owned businesses in the olive oil industry is significant: within the sector, women-owned businesses are around 30% of the total and reach 41% in Calabria. Firms in the olive oil industry, as well as all businesses, are called to achieve sustainable development objectives. Taking this into account, the research aims to investigate, on the one hand, what innovations would enable olive farms and mills to be more sustainable. On the other hand, the research aims, through the analysis of some business cases, to investigate the propensity of women's firms to make sustainability-oriented innovation. Results show, on the one hand, the attention of women entrepreneurs to sustainable cultivation and production practices; on the other hand, they highlight how eco-sustainability and respect for biodiversity represent factors capable of giving the extra virgin olive oil product a high quality, recognized worldwide. However, the companies studied show they pursue sustainability predominantly through the recovery and enhancement of native cultivars and through the conservation of biodiversity. Other large investments in sustainability-oriented innovations are, however, desirable; investments that are difficult to be made by individual enterprises but possible if done in cooperation. It emerges that networking is extremely important to grow and create a business culture that can innovate. There is a need to accompany and support olive-growing and oil-producing enterprises in making investments to increase their sustainability, including by promoting cooperation among enterprises.