University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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research involved three Tuscan industrial clusters: the Capannori (LU) paper cluster,
the Santa Croce s/Arno (PI) tanning cluster and the Empolese-Valdelsa (FI) clothing
cluster. In each cluster, an innovative approach for co-operative CSR management
was proposed, based on the role of local “intermediary institutions and
organisations”. A number of industrial (SMEs) and non-industrial organizations (i.e.,
trade associations, local authorities, service providers) selected, adapted and
developed a series of CSR “formalized” practices and tools, relying on some cooperative
and collective actions, with the aim of defining a new method for
mainstreaming CSR among SMEs. As a first step a working group was created in
each cluster with the aim of designing and implementing a territorial cooperative
approach to CSR:
• in the tannery cluster five actors participated (three local business
associations, the representatives of the main local trade union and the
provincial local authority),
• in the clothing cluster the participants were seven (the local development
agency, the local public authority representative of the Municipalities, three
local business associations, the local office of Regional Environmental
Protection Agency and a local sectorial trade union),
• and finally, in the paper producing cluster four members (Lucca Province,
the main local business association, the local paper Cluster Committee and
the local Chamber of Commerce).
In each working group, the Sant’Anna School had the role of scientific expert. As
shown, in each cluster the constitution of the working groups was different,
according to the differences of the three productive sectors. Tanning and clothing
clusters are mostly composed of small and micro enterprises operating in fragmented
supply-chains (i.a.: Dunford, 2003; Nordas, 2004; IFM, 2007), whose representatives
are the artisans associations (and not only industrial ones); differently, the paper
cluster is made up of medium size enterprises, represented only by industrial
association.
Many activities were carried out in the project; among these the most important in
terms of research results were the following three: the drafting of the Sustainability
Report of the Cluster, the identification and dissemination of CSR tools for
individual SMEs, and finally the carrying out of a focus group.
The Sustainability Report is a cluster representative document concerning social,
economic and environmental performances, measured by establishing and sharing a
special panel of indicators. The utility of Sustainability Report has been multifaceted
and related to both the overall size of the cluster and that of individual SMEs. In
particular:
• in terms of the overall cluster: the Report allowed to define a set of indicators
for each territory to measure economic, social and local environmental
performances[3], highlighting the “strategic position” of that area compared
to the three pillars of sustainability. In the second place, this was a first
opportunity to study and focus the relationships between public and private
actors of the cluster on sustainability-related issues. Thirdly, the Report has