Eco-Innovation in Worker Cooperatives and Investor-Owned Industrial Firms: a Comparative Analysis

  1. Imanol Basterretxea 1
  2. Ana Fernández-Sainz 1
  3. Jorge Gutiérrez-Goiria 1
  4. Josu Santos-Larrazabal 1
  1. 1 Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
    info

    Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

    Lejona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/000xsnr85

Revista:
Revista de economía mundial

ISSN: 1576-0162

Año de publicación: 2024

Número: 67

Páginas: 145-173

Tipo: Artículo

Otras publicaciones en: Revista de economía mundial

Resumen

The study examines eco-innovation in cooperatives and investor-owned firms, analysing their primary driving factors. After evaluating responses from 718 industrial establishments in the Basque Country, including 57 cooperatives, we conclude that cooperative principles do not guarantee success in eco-innovation. The voluntariness of eco-innovation is no more relevant in cooperatives than in other firms; instead, regulatory pressures and market forces are the primary drivers. Despite facing greater limitations, cooperatives achieve similar environmental benefits. The results reinforce the importance of public policies for an effective ecological transition, and support the need for a re-evaluation based on empirical evidence of certain postulates in social economy literature.