Relationship between Green Entrepreneurial Orientation, Green Intellectual Capital, Green Supply Chain Management, and Sustainable Performance: The Moderating Role of Environmental Uncertainty

Abstract

With the increasing global emphasis on sustainable development, manufacturing industries, as major resource consumers and pollution emitters, are under significant pressure to achieve sustainability. Drawing on the natural foundation view and the theory of uncertainty and complexity, this study introduces environmental uncertainty (EU) as a moderating variable and proposes a higher-order theoretical model to elucidate the impact mechanisms of green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO), green intellectual capital (GIC), and green supply chain management (GSCM) on sustainable performance (SuP). A survey of 516 Chinese manufacturing managers was conducted, and the data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLSSEM) via SmartPLS. The results reveal the following key findings: (1) GEO, as a strategic model integrating environmental and economic considerations, significantly contributes to SuP; (2) Both GIC and GSCM positively influence SuP, indicating that heightened environmental awareness and proactive environmental actions within organizations are associated with superior overall performance outcomes; (3) EU negatively moderates the relationships between GIC and SuP, as well as GSCM and SuP. This finding suggests that in the face of environmental uncertainty, the effectiveness of green strategies on sustainable performance may be diminished. This study provides empirical evidence for how manufacturing industries in developing countries, externally in uncertain environments, can enhance sustainable performance through the implementation of green strategies.