The paper aims at understanding how innovations, that are promoted and facilitated by private actors, can be fostered by network creation and actor engagement in the agri-food value chains. More specifically, we investigated innovative governance mechanisms related to the introduction of new sustainable practices in food value chains and tried to evaluate the environmental, economic and social effects of these new practices. We use information derived from a case study based on an ongoing project in the North of Italy, where in 2013 a multinational corporation operating in the pasta and bakery sector has initiated an agreement with other three agri-food companies in order to facilitate sustainable sourcing from a group of farmers
