Assessing agricultural SMEs’ sustainability performance: a new scoring methodology

Purpose – This paper aims to re-adapt the framework by Sachs (2021) and to develop a simplified environmental, social and governance scoring system, named ESG4AGRI, to evaluate the sustainability performance of agricultural SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-method approach was adopted, combining survey questionnaires with the collection of financial and non-financial data from 657 Italian wine SMEs. The data collection supported the definition of a set of metrics and regional benchmarks for designing the ESG4AGRI scoring system, which was ultimately applied to 464 Italian wine SMEs. Findings – The ESG4AGRI scoring applied to the sample showed that sustainability performance of wine SMEs generally appears modest and varies significantly across Italian macro-regions, regardless of size. Firms perform better on workforce stability, employee training and local procurement. Southern firms demonstrate higher energy efficiency and lower GHG emissions. Central Italy performs best in water management, whereas those in the South record the weakest performance. Gender balance in governance and human resources management displays mixed results. Practical implications – The ESG4AGRI score provides SMEs with an intuitive tool to benchmark sustainability, supporting decision-making and access to financing. Originality/value – By tailoring an established framework to agriculture, the study delivers a sector- specific methodology that balances analytical rigour with feasibility, helping SMEs overcome barriers to sustainability measurement and reporting.