University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

elations inside the cluster; and, finally, the micro one, that is the point of view of the
organisations operating in the cluster.
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From the macro level, one has to notice that the benefits connected with CSR
management reckoned at the individual firm level can be strengthened and amplified
if CSR is applied at the territorial level to a whole industrial cluster, producing
multiplying effects in terms of diffusion and adoption of innovative managerial tools.
This aspect could positively reflect on the opportunities related to a global ethical
and green supply chain management (i.a. Walton, Handfield, Melnyk, 1998; Carter,
2000; Theyel, 2001). The industrial clusters of traditional sectors (such as clothing
and tanning ones) are today competing on the national and international markets; in
this global competitive arena the diversification emerged in the COOPERATE
experience as a potential strategic variable (as shown in the focus groups, or in the
opinion of leader SMEs) and the territorial characterization a new strategic
opportunity (something like a “territorial brand”). In such a way the promotion of
CSR policies and actions at the cluster level – as proposed in the paper - can improve
the image of the cluster “brand” and, consequently, the competitive capability of
many SMEs located in the same territory.
From the point of view of the cluster internal relations (meso level), the application
of a “cluster approach” to CSR can improve the management of social and
environmental cumulative impacts caused by the concentration of a large number of
SMEs operating in the same sector/territory (Iraldo, 2002; Frey, Iraldo, 2008). The
co-operative nature of the approach proposed in the paper, in fact, avoids that these
impacts are undermined or not managed at all (it is evident in the risks emerged in
the unfair competition described by some weavers in respect to tanneries in the Santa
Croce cluster) or, on the contrary, there is a waste of resources in the territory (since
the different actors implement by themselves actions to manage the “cumulative”
effects). At the meso level, we can also underline that the co-operation promoted by
the “cluster approach” and the consequent use of common resources (in many cases
developed with the contribution of all the cluster’s organisations, as the Cluster
Sustainability Report), can also generate an improvement of the awareness on social
and environmental topics, not only by the organisations operating in the cluster but
also by the local community and the local public and private actors in the territory
(public bodies, trade unions, trade associations, etc.), as shown by the results of the
focus groups.
Finally, from the point of view of the organisations operating in the local productive
system (micro level), the application of the “cluster approach” resulted a
fundamental instrument to overcome the barriers that prevent them to develop
systematic CSR initiatives because of the perceived costs and complexity of the
operation. This need has been clearly expressed by the met SMEs, and the
opportunity of a coordinated approach has been identified as interesting with
potential positive effects perceived from both economic and organizational points of
view.
The co-operative approach proposed in the COOPERATE project can help in
exploiting the opportunities for sharing, within the cluster, the burden of innovation
and development, interacting with the same public authorities and social stakeholders,
co-ordinating the management of specific CSR-related issues (diversity management,