The classic linear economy model based on extraction, processing, production and waste no longer seems to be functional in a world where natural resources are starting to run out. For these reasons, the aim of this study is to analyse the transition from a linear system to the circular economy, providing an example of reuse of sea urchin waste for the creation of new eco-sustainable products. From a comprehensive literature review, it is provided a framework of all the properties deriving from marine collagen and other inedible parts of the sea urchin. Thanks to its characteristics, marine collagen is a valid support for production of biomedical devices, dermal implants, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. To make their core business effective, companies should not consider only the financial perspectives but also the social and environmental aspects. Therefore, this work aims at analysing these three frameworks using the Triple-Layered Business Model Canvas, which is a useful tool to support the creative exploration of sustainable and innovative business models. The reuse of sea urchin waste is a clear example of how a circular economy model can be adopted for companies to be successful. Through this virtuous model, they can be projected towards a green economy based on a more eco-sustainable vision.

Purpose: This paper investigates how Geographical Indications (GIs) operate as territorial ecosystems of Intellectual Capital (IC) that mobilize human, structural, and relational resources to foster green innovation in the European agricultural systems. It also examines how this relationship varies with regions' technological proximity to the frontier. Design/methodology/approach: We compile a panel dataset for 251 regions in the EU-27 (1996–2022), combining eAmbrosia, OECD RegPat and ARDECO data. Green patents in agriculture are used as proxies for technological environmental innovation. A two-way fixed-effects Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimation and additional robustness checks assess the effect of GIs on regional green innovation conditional on the distance to the technological frontier. Findings: GIs significantly enhance regional green innovation capability, particularly in technologically lagging regions, where they act as collective IC infrastructures that enable cooperation, knowledge diffusion and adaptation. In frontier regions, the effect weakens or reverses, suggesting that strong market protection may reduce incentives for innovation. Research limitations/implications: Patent data capture only codified technological innovation; future research should explore non-technological innovations. Practical implications: GIs can be leveraged as strategic IC architecture to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems and align local identity with green transition goals, especially in lagging regions. Originality/value: The study advances IC research by conceptualizing GIs as territorial IC systems integrating human, relational and structural capital to support place-based sustainability transitions. It provides novel empirical evidence on how collective intangible assets foster green technological upgrading and regional resilience.

This paper investigates the economic impact of long‐run climatic conditions on Italian wine farms by applying a Ricardian framework to 1431 firms from the 2022 RICA‐FADN survey. We combine farm‐level revenues with viticulture‐specific agroclimatic indicators to assess how climate stress shapes profitability across 77 Italian NUTS3 provinces. Results reveal a significant non‐linear relationship between temperature, precipitation and net revenue per hectare, with stronger negative effects beyond thermal thresholds, particularly in Southern Italy. We further analyse the moderating role of EU subsidies, showing that while public support buffers short‐term losses, it may also weaken incentives for long‐term adaptation. Forward‐looking simulations under mild (+0.5°C), moderate (+1°C) and severe (+1.5°C) warming scenarios indicate potential revenue declines of up to −50 € per hectare by 2030 in the absence of adaptation. Policy implications highlight the need to align subsidy design with climate resilience, promote irrigation and varietal innovation and strengthen adaptation incentives in Mediterranean viticulture.

Circular bioeconomy initiatives often valorise food-processing residues into bio-based inputs, yet environmental gains depend on how technologies are implemented and governed across multiple actors. This study evaluates a pathway that converts leek processing residues into a bioactive extract used as a plant biostimulant in greenhouse lettuce production and develops an evidence-based procedure to design a sustainable business model around it. We conducted a cradle-to-gate Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) of leek extract production and a comparative LCA of lettuce cultivation for a baseline system and an alternative system applying the extract, using the Environmental Footprint (EF) 3.1 midpoint indicators. The alternative scenario improved most indicators, with consistent reductions in acidification, eutrophication and freshwater ecotoxicity, while selected trade-offs were associated with the upstream extract supply chain, particularly in resource-related and process-sensitive impact categories. We then embedded these multi-impact hotspot signals into an ecosystem-oriented Sustainable Business Model Canvas (SBMC) and an experimentation logic, specifying who must act on each hotspot (processors, extract producers, labs, farmers) and how mitigation and verification can be financed through value capture (product-service bundles, monitoring, and conditional sustainability claims). The approach links LCA evidence to actionable business model choices, supporting credible scaling of residue-based agrifood innovations.