ESG-Oriented Collaborative Governance and Sustainable Supply Chain Performance: Supply Chain Resilience as a Mediator

Abstract

In the highly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) era, global supply chains face escalating exposure to external shocks ranging from geopolitical disruptions to public health crises. This study investigates how environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-driven multi-stakeholder collaborative governance influences sustainable supply chain performance under conditions of severe macro-level disruption. Adopting a qualitative single-case study methodology, we conduct an in-depth longitudinal analysis of BYD Company Limited, examining its operational dynamics across the critical period from 2019 to 2023. The findings reveal that collaborative governance does not directly generate measurable performance dividends; rather, supply chain resilience functions as a crucial mediating mechanism that translates governance efforts into tangible outcomes. By organically integrating governments, suppliers, and non-governmental organizations, core enterprises cultivate profound relational capital and achieve extreme informational transparency across the network. These foundational elements systematically enhance the supply network's proactive readiness, concurrent resistance, and rapid recovery capabilities through agile resource bricolage. Ultimately, this enhanced resilience drives holistic sustainable performance across the Triple Bottom Line, encompassing economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Theoretically, this research unlocks the operational black box linking ESG initiatives to long-term performance, effectively bridging Stakeholder Theory with operations management scholarship. Practically, it provides actionable insights for managers seeking to transition from zero-sum bargaining paradigms to symbiotic ecosystems, leveraging ESG metrics not merely as compliance costs but as strategic instruments to construct resilient networks capable of navigating extreme global uncertainties.