Green innovation and sustainable certifications for a circular path: the case of a bcorp winery

The approach of a circular business model requires a radical evolution of production techniques as well as different managerial approaches mixed up with new technological and marketing skills and competencies. Sustainable certifications are considered valuable instruments to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in boosting their circular pathways. However, there is a lack of evidence on how they could anchor sustainability at the core of SMEs. Within this framework, this study adopts a single case study approach to analyze the BCorp certification process of a SME, operating in the wine industry, to assess the extent to which it helped infusing circularity principles in the company business model. In particular, the findings highlight the mechanisms, practices and initiatives that orient and reinforce the circular pathway of low-tech SME, shedding lights on the potential of BCorp certification, acting as a bottom-up lever for sustainability.