Although eco-innovation in the agri-food sector is receiving increasing attention, the heterogeneity of firms operating in the sector encourages the development of specific sub-sectoral studies to define specific strategies. In this regard, the main goal of the present study is to evaluate the drivers of eco-innovation in the olive oil production sector. Our empirical method relies on data from Spanish olive oil mills, and uses qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). The results show that large olive oil cooperatives have an important commitment to sustainability, and that cooperation with a wider range of different agents encourages the implementation of eco-innovation, particularly among smaller firms. However, the main finding of the study is the limiting effect of belonging to a protected designation of origin (PDO) on the implementation of eco-innovative measures. Although traditional production of olive oil (production under a PDO) is still perceived as a central competitive advantage in olive oil firms, further efforts should be made to coordinate traditional elaboration with production under a more sustainable management approach.

中文翻译：

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传统与生态创新：受保护的原产地标记（PDO）对橄榄油行业实施可持续性措施的约束作用

尽管农业食品行业的生态创新受到越来越多的关注，但该行业中企业的异质性鼓励发展特定的子行业研究以定义特定的策略。在这方面，本研究的主要目标是评估橄榄油生产行业中生态创新的驱动力。我们的经验方法依赖于西班牙橄榄油厂的数据，并使用定性比较分析（QCA）。结果表明，大型橄榄油合作社对可持续发展具有重要承诺，与更多不同代理商的合作鼓励了生态创新的实施，特别是在小型企业中。然而，该研究的主要发现是，受保护的原产地名称（PDO）对实施生态创新措施的影响有限。尽管传统的橄榄油生产（在PDO下生产）仍被视为橄榄油公司的主要竞争优势，但应进一步努力，以更可持续的管理方式将传统的精加工与生产进行协调。