Dynamic Capabilities, Environmental Management Capabilities, Stakeholder Pressure and Eco-Innovation of Chinese Manufacturing Firms: A Moderated Mediation Model

Zhunxin Huang () and Zengrui Xiao
Additional contact information
Zhunxin Huang: School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Zengrui Xiao: School of International Education, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 311100, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: Growing social and academic concerns toward environmental sustainability are constantly driving attention toward eco-innovation as an effective solution to environmental problems. Extant studies on drivers of eco-innovation have not fully investigated the interaction mechanisms between different factors. Drawing upon the resource-based view, stakeholder theory, and environmental literature, this paper aims to explore the mechanisms of how firm capabilities and perceived stakeholder pressure interact to facilitate eco-innovation. Based on survey data collected from 169 Chinese manufacturing firms, the results of regression analysis based on bootstrap resampling method show that environmental management system (EMS) completely mediates the relationship between dynamic capabilities (including absorptive capability and reconfiguring capability) and eco-innovation (including eco-process and eco-product innovation). Furthermore, the relationship between absorptive/reconfiguring capabilities and EMS, as well as the direct and indirect relationship between absorptive capability and eco-process innovation, is contingent upon stakeholder pressure. The direct and indirect effects become stronger when managers perceive higher stakeholder pressure. This paper contributes to answering why firms undertake environmental activities beyond compliance through specifying the interaction between firm capabilities and stakeholder pressure.

Keywords: dynamic capabilities; environmental management system (EMS); stakeholder pressure; eco-innovation; environmental sustainability; green products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/9/7571/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/9/7571/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:9:p:7571-:d:1139876

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().