2026· International journal of research and innovation in social science· Vol 10, pp. 9842-9855· 0 citations
Abstract
Environmental sustainability has become a critical concern for manufacturing firms due to increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, industrial waste, and inefficient resource utilization. In Kenya's South Rift region, manufacturing industries play a significant role in economic development but continue to contribute substantially to environmental degradation. Despite growing regulatory requirements and stakeholder expectations, empirical evidence on how green process innovation enhances environmental sustainability remains limited, particularly regarding the role of green supply chain management. This study examined the mediating effect of green supply chain management on the relationship between green process innovation and environmental sustainability among manufacturing firms in the South Rift region of Kenya. Guided by Innovation Theory of Diffusion. The study adopted a positivist philosophy and a cross-sectional causal research design. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 162 senior managers drawn from 81 registered manufacturing firms. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that green process innovation significantly improves environmental sustainability through enhanced resource efficiency, waste reduction, and emission control. Furthermore, green supply chain management significantly strengthens the relationship between green process innovation and environmental sustainability (β = 0.224, p < 0.05), suggesting that cleaner production technologies generate stronger environmental outcomes when integrated with environmentally responsible procurement, manufacturing, and logistics practices. The study concludes that manufacturing firms can achieve superior environmental performance by aligning internal green process innovations with supply chain sustainability initiatives. The study recommends that managers invest in cleaner production technologies and integrate green supply chain practices to accelerate sustainable industrial development.
Environmental degradation, climate change, increasing resource depletion, and stricter environmental regulations have intensified pressure on manufacturing firms to adopt sustainable production practices. Green innovation has emerged as an important strategic approach for enhancing environmental sustainability. However, existing empirical studies have predominantly examined its influence on financial performance, organizational competitiveness, and operational efficiency, with comparatively limited attention given to environmental sustainability as the primary organizational outcome, especially in Kenya. Guided by the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory, this study examined the influence of green innovation strategies on environmental sustainability among manufacturing firms in the South Rift region of Kenya. The study adopted a positivist research philosophy and a causal cross-sectional survey design. A census of 81 registered manufacturing firms was undertaken, with primary data collected from 162 senior managers using structured questionnaires and supported by qualitative evidence from semi-structured interviews with 15 purposively selected managers. The measurement model was validated using Cronbach's alpha, Composite Reliability, Average Variance Extracted, the Fornell-Larcker criterion, and the Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 27, while the hypothesized relationships were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. The findings established that green process innovation (β = 0.245, p = 0.005) and green product innovation (β = 0.297, p = 0.003) positively and significantly influenced environmental sustainability, whereas green marketing innovation exhibited a negative but statistically insignificant effect (β = −0.120, p = 0.222). The higher-order construct, green innovation strategies, also exerted a positive and statistically significant influence on environmental sustainability (β = 0.386, p = 0.005). The study concludes that integrated green innovation strategies significantly improve environmental sustainability through cleaner production processes and sustainable product development. It recommends increased investment in cleaner technologies, eco-design, circular economy practices, and supportive policy incentives to accelerate sustainable manufacturing. The findings extend the Diffusion of Innovation Theory by demonstrating that coordinated adoption of complementary green innovations generates superior environmental sustainability outcomes within manufacturing firms.
Bett Samwel Kiptoo, J. Kirui, Pius Chumba· International journal of res...· 0 citations
Green supply chain management (GSCM) has become a strategic requirement for industrial firms seeking to reduce environmental harm while improving long-term sustainability performance. Despite growing interest in green procurement, eco-design, green manufacturing, and green distribution, limited empirical evidence explains how these practices are converted into sustainability performance through collaborative environmental action in the Sultanate of Oman. Guided by the Natural Resource-Based View, this study examines the effects of four GSCM practices on environmental collaboration and investigates the mediating role of environmental collaboration in the relationship between GSCM practices and sustainability performance. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain professionals working in Omani industries. From 520 questionnaires distributed, 342 valid responses were retained for analysis. The data were analyzed using Smart PLS 4.0 and partial least squares structural equation modelling. The measurement model demonstrated acceptable reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The structural results show that eco-design, green procurement, green manufacturing, and green distribution have significant positive effects on environmental collaboration. Environmental collaboration, in turn, has a strong positive effect on sustainability performance. The indirect effects also support the mediation of the relationships between the GSCM practices and the sustainability performance, confirming the mediation chain. The results indicated that green practices are not enough; they have to be integrated with the collaboration of suppliers, customers, logistics and other functions within the company to make green practices produce results in terms of performance. The study adds to GSCM and sustainability literature by providing a relational mechanism that determines the contribution of green practices to the industrial sustainability of the Oman context.
Shahzad Ahmad Khan, D. Muniyanayaka, Khalifa Al Adabi et al.· Journal of Intelligent Decis...· 0 citations
With the acceleration of the Chinese shift to sustainable development, companies are highly demanded to change the managerial preparedness to environmental innovation into quantifiable green entrepreneurial results. This paper investigates the effects of management readiness for green innovation (MRGI) on the success of green entrepreneurship based on green knowledge management (GKM) and green supply chain integration (GSCI), and evaluates the mediating nature of corporate environmental ethics (CEE). Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire from middle‐ and senior‐level managers in manufacturing and high‐technology companies in the environmentally sensitive industries across key industrial areas in China. Of the 1200 questionnaires distributed, 378 valid responses were retained for analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM) in Smart‐PLS. The results indicate that the MRGI is a significant contributor to the GKM, GSCI, and green entrepreneurial success. GKM and GSCI partially mediate the relationship between MRGI and green entrepreneurship success, with GSCI demonstrating a stronger mediating effect. CEE enhances the impact of GSCI on green entrepreneurial success. Theoretically, the research expands green entrepreneurship literature by conceptualizing management readiness as a higher‐order strategic capability. In practice, it emphasizes how companies should enhance preparedness, knowledge bases, supply‐chain partnerships, and moral environmental investment to achieve green entrepreneurial success. The novelty of the research lies in integrating readiness, knowledge, supply‐chain, and ethical mechanisms into a single framework within the Chinese industrial setting.
Bo Wu, Talla M. Aldeehani, Tin-Chang Chang et al.· Corporate Social Responsibil...· 0 citations
This study examines how environmental regulations and green innovation influence sustainable business performance in Vietnam's hospitality industry. Drawing on the resource‐based view and natural resource‐based view frameworks, the study investigates how regulatory pressure and internal green capabilities contribute to economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Data were collected through a structured survey of 357 managers and board members from hotels and resorts across major tourist destinations in Vietnam. The results reveal that environmental regulations play a significant role in driving green innovation, which in turn enhances sustainable business performance. Green innovation also serves as a key driver of competitive advantage, operational efficiency, and long‐term profitability. These findings highlight the strategic importance of integrating green innovation and sustainability practices to meet regulatory requirements, strengthen market positioning, and support holistic business success. The study provides actionable insights for policymakers, business leaders, and researchers seeking to advance sustainable development within the hospitality sector.
Q. Trương, Phuong Ngoc Van Nguyen, A. M. Do et al.· Sustainable Development· 0 citations
Organizational sustainability has become a strategic priority for public-sector organizations, yet empirical evidence explaining how Responsible Innovation Practices (RIP) enhance sustainability through Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) remains limited, particularly in developing countries. This study analyzes the direct and indirect associations among RIP, GHRM, and Organizational Sustainability (OS) in the Indonesian public sector. To achieve this objective, the study adopted a quantitative explanatory research design and used survey responses from 300 civil servants and managers employed by the Provincial Government of Gorontalo. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that Responsible Innovation Practices positively affect Green Human Resource Management and Organizational Sustainability. Furthermore, Green Human Resource Management significantly improves Organizational Sustainability while partially mediating the influence of Responsible Innovation Practices on sustainability outcomes. These findings extend Responsible Innovation Theory by demonstrating that the effectiveness of responsible innovation depends on organizational capabilities embedded in sustainability-oriented human resource practices. The study also supports Stakeholder Theory, the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework, and the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) in explaining sustainability transformation in public-sector organizations. Practically, public institutions should integrate responsible innovation with sustainability-oriented human resource management to strengthen long-term organizational sustainability.
Yakup, Olfin Ishak, Firman Dera· Journal of Economics and Man...· 0 citations
Growing environmental challenges and rising climate‐driven pressures have forced organizations to incorporate sustainability concerns in their strategic and innovation activities. However, it is still not well understood how environmental capabilities and climate‐oriented strategies can be translated into sustainable firm performance. Addressing this gap, the current study examines the relationships between environmental innovation, corporate climate strategy, green innovation strategy, green entrepreneurial orientation, and sustainable firm performance. Based on the Natural Resource‐Based View (NRBV) and the entrepreneurial orientation perspective, this study proposes a framework to investigate the direct and indirect impacts of environmental innovation and corporate climate strategy on sustainable firm performance through the mediating effect of green innovation strategy, and to evaluate the moderating effect of green entrepreneurial orientation. Data were collected from 398 respondents employed by energy companies in Beijing and Guangzhou, China, and the proposed hypotheses were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM). The empirical results show that environmental innovation and corporate climate strategy have a significant positive impact on sustainable firm performance and green innovation strategy for the sustainable development of the firms. Furthermore, a green innovation strategy affects sustainable firm performance and mediates the links between environmental innovation, corporate climate strategy, and sustainable firm performance. The results also show that green entrepreneurial orientation positively moderates the relationship between green innovation strategy and sustainable firm performance. By integrating environmental capabilities, innovation strategy, and entrepreneurial orientation into the model, this study contributes to the sustainability management and innovation literature by providing clarity on the strategic mechanisms by which firms achieve sustainable performance. The findings also offer practical insights for managers and policymakers seeking to promote sustainability‐oriented innovation and climate strategies in energy‐intensive industries.
Ao-Xue Mei· Corporate Social Responsibil...· 0 citations
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