Sicilian Wineries' Intention to Comply With Sustainability Certification as a Strategic Business Behavior

ABSTRACT

The present study explores the factors influencing Sicilian wineries' willingness to adopt sustainability certification, which represents an increasingly relevant tool for enhancing the environmental, social, and economic performance viticulture's sector. The behavioural determinants that shape Sicilian winegrowers' intentions to adhere to sustainability certification were investigated applying an extended model of the theory of planned behavior . The model incorporates the traditional theory of planned behavior constructs (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control) alongside two additional factors: perceived benefits of certification and the general orientation towards sustainability. The findings substantiate the robustness of the TPB model adopted in elucidating the behavioural intentions associated with sustainability certification. Among the relevant factors, attitude emerged as a strong and significant predictor of intention, underscoring the importance of wineries' positive evaluation of certification. Perceived behavioural control had a significant positive effect, suggesting that wineries are more likely to intend to adopt certification when they perceive a greater capacity to do so. Conversely, subjective norms did not significantly influence intention, suggesting that external social pressures play a limited role in this context. In an analogous manner, perceived benefits and sustainability orientation did not directly translate into stronger impact on intentions without supportive attitudes and a sense of control. The overall findings demonstrated a growing readiness among wineries to engage with sustainability initiatives, thus providing a foundation for future research assessing the impacts, barriers, and outcomes of sustainability certification in the wine sector.