Green Practices as a Pathway from Perceived Implementation Barriers to Green Supply Chain Performance: Evidence from Thailand’s Green Industry

Abstract

Green supply chain management is increasingly important for organizations seeking to improve sustainability performance; however, its implementation remains challenging due to regulatory, customer, social responsibility, competitive, and supplier-related pressures. Although previous studies have examined implementation barriers and green practices separately, limited evidence explains how perceived implementation barriers, green practices, and green supply chain performance are structurally related, particularly in emerging economies. This study examines green practices as a pathway linking perceived implementation barriers with green supply chain performance in Thailand’s Green Industry. Questionnaire data were collected from 831 business owners, executives, and logistics and supply chain personnel in organizations certified at Green Industry Level 3 or above and analyzed using structural equation modeling with Robust Maximum Likelihood estimation. Perceived implementation barriers were positively associated with green practices (β = 0.646, p < 0.001), while green practices were strongly and positively associated with green supply chain performance (β = 0.822, p < 0.001). Theoretically, the findings integrate implementation barriers, green practices, and multidimensional performance within a unified framework and highlight green practices as an important pathway linking implementation challenges with sustainability outcomes. Practically, organizations should strengthen green practices and their capabilities to manage implementation challenges to improve economic, social, and environmental performance.