Moderating effects of total quality environmental management on environmental performance

Abstract

In response to increasing worldwide awareness of the importance of business sustainability, there have been more and more environmental regulations enforced in the last decade for example, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)" and the "restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS). Those regulations have enormous impact on global supply chain systems and have begun to force companies to implement green supply chain management (GSCM). More specifically, firms must collaborate with their supply chain partners to improve their environmental management. This study examines the moderating effects of total quality environmental management (TQEM) on the relationship between GSCM and environmental performance (EP). The research premise is that total organizational effort from top management and employees facilitate the implementation of GSCM, which ultimately enhances green performance. The statistical results indicate that the interactions of GSCM and TQEM enhance environmental performance. Specifically, firms that implement GSCM practices and simultaneously adopt TQEM perform better in all aspects of environmental management. Several managerial implications are presented with suggestions for future research.