A journey among the drivers and barriers that lead Italian food companies towards the adoption of a sustainable digital supply chain traceability system

The present paper proposes an exploratory research study to highlight the potentials of digitalization to enhance the environmental sustainability of the Italian agri-food supply chain, through the knowledge of its barriers and drivers. Using multiple case studies (Yin, 2003), it explores, the presence of digital tools and the willingness of the relevant actors in the supply chains of Italian extra virgin olive oil and wine to adopt digital sustainable food traceability systems. The research results outlined different behavior among the actors of the extra virgin olive oil and wine supply chains. Moreover, the utilization of increasingly sophisticated and accessible sustainable traceability systems, which are recognized by consumers as efficient and effective, and capable of generating added value for all actors who work inside the food supply chains examined, is becoming an important element in the purchasing choice processes of wine and virgin olive oil and is ever more used as a differentiation strategy.