The Role of Consulting Firms in Enhancing Corporate Sustainability: Evidence from Emilia-Romagna

This thesis examines the role of consulting firms in supporting companies in Emilia- Romagna to integrate sustainability into their business practices. The study aims to understand how consulting firms facilitate the implementation of sustainable practices, how consulting approaches differ by firm size and client characteristics, whether the regional economic context shapes service specializations, and which difficulties consultants encounter in encouraging client companies to move beyond compliance toward strategic sustainability. Methodologically, the study adopts a mixed-methods approach: a quantitative analysis of 39 consulting firms, including a territorial mapping of firms across provinces and the Two-Step clustering method, combined with four semi-structured interviews. The study shows that large and medium consulting firms generally offer a larger and more diversified service portfolio, although diversification is not always associated with firm size. ESG strategy, carbon footprinting, and reporting are the most common services, particularly among large and management consulting firms, while technical services are more typical of smaller or specialized firms. Moreover, the clustering analysis identified four portfolio groups: strategic-climate, assessment-oriented, selective-ESG, and technical-compliance. The territorial mapping indicates concentration in the province of Bologna and along the Modena-Reggio Emilia-Parma corridor, with higher service diversification in industrially dense provinces. Interviews confirm that consulting approaches are tailored to the size and sector of each client company and highlight that the barriers consultants encounter when helping client companies include poor data availability, weak top management’s commitment, and short-term economic logic. However, consultants often leverage compliance requirements such as the ESG reporting as entry points to gradually introduce strategic sustainability practices. These findings suggest that consulting firms play an increasingly relevant role in advancing sustainability in Emilia-Romagna, especially when regulatory obligations are transformed into long-term value creation opportunities.