This study investigates the integrated relationships among corporate social responsibility, ESG integration, circular business model innovation, sustainability-oriented corporate performance, and AI adoption within Chinese firms, responding to critical theoretical gaps regarding the mechanisms through which sustainability-oriented organizational commitments generate superior corporate performance outcomes. Grounded in the resource-based view, the research proposes and empirically tests a comprehensive framework incorporating direct, mediated, and moderated relationships among these constructs. Data were collected through structured questionnaire surveys from 383 managers and senior executives across Chinese firms. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling through SmartPLS 4.0. Findings confirm that CSR and ESG integration independently and positively influence circular business model innovation, which subsequently drives sustainability-oriented corporate performance. Mediation analysis establishes that circular business model innovation significantly mediates both the CSR-performance and ESG-performance relationships. Moderation analysis reveals a theoretically nuanced divergence wherein artificial intelligence adoption failed to amplify the corporate social responsibility and circular business model innovation relationship, suggesting that socially responsible practices drive circular innovation through relational and institutional channels independent of technological capabilities, while artificial intelligence adoption significantly strengthened the ESG integration and circular business model innovation relationship, confirming that governance-structured sustainability frameworks are uniquely receptive to computational intelligence augmentation. This research delivers original theoretical contributions by offering an integrated sustainability framework, while providing Chinese corporate managers, policymakers, and investors with actionable strategic insights for leveraging circular innovation and selective artificial intelligence capabilities to achieve durable, multidimensional sustainability performance excellence.

The study explores how digital platform integration, innovation network strength, and institutional support for sustainability affect the circular economy adoption (CEA) through innovation ecosystem dynamism (IED), where digital transformation readiness (DTR) acts as a moderator in Cambodia and Vietnam. A cross-sectional quantitative method was used to gather information from 900 respondents, 450 each from country. Findings denote that digital platform, innovation networks, and institutional support have a significant effect on IED, which consequently enhances CEA. DTR enhances these relations directly and indirectly, which demonstrates its significance in circular transformation. The comparisons across countries demonstrate that there are differences in contexts related to a circular economy transition. The effects on CEA in Vietnam are more consistent across all paths and, as a result, the effect of digital platform and IED is stronger. The mediating role of innovation network and institutional support on IED is greater in Vietnam because of the moderation of DTR. The relationship and moderation effect in Cambodia are significantly lower, but not negligible, which suggests that there are discrepancies in structural and digital readiness. These contextual differences indicate how digital and institutional maturity can shape the resource orchestration towards sustainability. The research advances theory by integrating digital transformation, innovation ecosystems, and institutional support into a new, moderated mediation framework. In Vietnam, policymakers and managers should take advantage of more advanced digital platforms and stable policies to accelerate CEA. In Cambodia, investment in digital infrastructure and institutional support is essential to overcome structural barriers and boost CEA. As one of the first empirical studies using a moderated mediation model in trans-country Southeast Asia, this research demonstrates how digital preparedness shapes circular transitions.

Purpose This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI)-powered knowledge networks support sustainable business model innovation, focusing on the mediating role of knowledge absorptive capacity and the moderating role of sustainable entrepreneurial orientation. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the knowledge-based view and dynamic capability theory, the study tests a moderated mediation model using a final dataset of 400 valid responses affiliated with business schools in China. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to examine direct, mediated, moderated and moderated mediation effects. Findings The findings show that AI integration capability, innovation network strength and knowledge-sharing culture influence sustainable business model innovation both directly and indirectly through knowledge absorptive capacity. Sustainable entrepreneurial orientation strengthens selected relationships, particularly those involving AI capability, knowledge-sharing culture and absorptive capacity. Research limitations/implications The study is based on cross-sectional, self-reported data from business-school-affiliated respondents in China. Future research should test the model using practitioner-based samples, longitudinal designs and different industrial and national contexts. Practical implications Managers should not only invest in AI tools and collaborative networks but also develop employees' ability to interpret AI-generated knowledge and translate external knowledge into sustainability-oriented innovation. Social implications The findings highlight how AI-enabled knowledge networks can support sustainability-oriented innovation, resource efficiency, circular economy practices and broader social innovation goals. Originality/value The study integrates technological, relational, cultural, absorptive and entrepreneurial dimensions into a single framework explaining sustainable business model innovation.

This research empirically determines the synergetic roles of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Block Chain Integration (BCI) and Internet of Things (IoT) in enhancing supply chain transparency (SCT) and circular supply chain performance (CSCP), with an integration of reverse logistics efficiency (RLE) as a moderator, within the context of China's platform-based economies. Focusing on two emerging circular sectors, urban mobility services and consumer electronics rental and refurbishment, this research employs a rigorous cross-sectional quantitative research design to collect data from 800 industry professionals 400 from each sector using a structured questionnaire with validated multi-item Likert scales adapted from established literature. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and multi-group analysis (MGA) were applied via Smart-PLS to examine direct, mediating, moderating, and moderated mediation effects. The outcomes reveal that BCI, AI and IoT significantly impact SCT, which positively affects CSCP, with RLE significantly moderating the impact of the analysis that reveals novel contextual variations: RLE and BCI are more impactful in urban mobility services, reflecting the reliance of the sector on securing data-sharing for shared assets, while IoT puts a stronger direct effect on CSCP in consumer electronics, driven by real-time product lifecycle tracking. The moderated mediation effects are more pronounced in the urban mobility sector, highlighting the contextual dependency of digital circular capabilities. The managers are being advised to adopt sector-specific digital strategies, focusing on BCI in mobility and IoT in electronics and investing in reverse logistics as a strategic asset. The outcomes provide a groundbreaking perspective on leveraging digital technologies for sustainable supply chain transformation in platform-based economics.

The digital transformation and sustainability are converging rapidly, making the technologies enabled by the metaverse one of the most significant frontiers in green and intelligent manufacturing. This paper examines the potential of the metaverse based on cognitive realism, digital twins, technical interoperability, and real-time integration, which can be leveraged to create green value by enhancing sustainable innovation and green manufacturing processes in Chinese furniture companies. We employed the resource-based view (RBV) as the theoretical framework for this study, based on which data were gathered from 378 respondents and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that the use of the metaverse has a significant impact on sustainable innovation and green manufacturing, resulting in improved green firm performance. Digital organizational culture strengthened these relationships to enhance the positive effects of metaverse technology on sustainability outcomes. By combining technological and cultural resources in a coherent structural model, this study extends the digital sustainability literature.

This study examines whether artificial intelligence (AI) functions as a sustainability capability that accelerates progress toward SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) in the context of China's low-carbon transition. Using a panel of listed enterprises from 2007 to 2022, the findings show that firms with higher AI capability undertake significantly more energy technology innovation (ETI). This relationship remains robust under alternative model specifications and lag structures. Moreover, the effect of AI is stronger for firms that publicly commit to low-carbon strategies and those located in resource-intensive regions facing higher transition pressure. These results indicate that AI strengthens corporate capacity to interpret environmental complexity and convert transition pressures into innovation outcomes. The study contributes to sustainability governance research by demonstrating how digital intelligence can support enterprise-level advancement of SDG-aligned energy innovation in emerging economy settings.

PurposeThe current study examines the factors that influence attitudes towards renewable energy and the implications that such attitudes have for the intention to adopt renewable energy systems based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as the theoretical framework. In particular, the study uses the TPB through the incorporation of moral identity and sustainable knowledge to fill a gap in the existing body of knowledge regarding the inadequacy of ethical self-concept and sustainability-associated cognition regarding the adoption of renewable energy.Design/methodology/approachThe structured survey data were collected, and partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The measurement model was first established in terms of reliability and discriminant validity. Subsequently, the PLS bootstrapping was carried out to examine the relationship between variables in the structural model.FindingsThe results show that moral identity and sustainable knowledge act as major predictors of positive attitudes to renewable energy, which predicts the intention to adopt it with significant power. Besides this, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control have a direct influence on attitudes.Originality/valueThis study advances the TPB theory by integrating moral identity and sustainable knowledge as novel predictors of renewable energy attitudes and adoption intention. This study extends the TPB beyond its traditional attitude, normative and control elements by adding to its explanatory power in the adoption of renewable energy. The empirical findings provide theory-based suggestions to practitioners and policymakers, related to the development of ethically based and knowledge-based interventions, to strengthen pro-adoption attitudes and accelerate a shift to renewable energy.

The need and the emerging opportunity of green entrepreneurship have grown at a considerable pace particularly in the manufacturing and technology-driven small- and medium-sized enterprise sector. The sector should follow sustainable, environmentally friendly, and innovative practices to further reap the benefits of circular economy business approaches. This paper examines how innovation capability, knowledge-sharing culture, entrepreneurial ecosystem support, and circular business design have compound effects on green entrepreneur success in manufacturing and technology-related small- and medium-sized enterprises in China. The study, which is conducted on a population size of 550 small- and medium-sized enterprises and results based on PLS-SEM, establishes that knowledge transfer effectiveness and sustainability mindset are critical mediators and the quality of digital infrastructure is a critical moderator. Results verify an integrated framework that internal capabilities, ecosystem support, and synergy provided by the added impact of digitalization are the prerequisites to attain entrepreneurial sustainability results. These findings offer practical implications to policymakers and managers who may be interested in enhancing green entrepreneurship and future research on sustainable business model innovation.

This study examines the role of knowledge management, green social behaviour, dynamic capabilities, and green service innovation in gaining entrepreneurial success. The study has adopted a quantitative research method, targeting service sector employees based in China. A survey-based method was used to collect data, and the statistical tests were performed using PLS-SEM. The measurement model was assessed using reliability and validity methods, while the structural model was examined through structural equation modelling. Findings showed that knowledge management, dynamic capabilities, green social behavior and green service innovation significantly improve entrepreneurial success. Additionally, results revealed that green creativity mediates the association of knowledge management, dynamic capabilities and green social behavior with entrepreneurial success. The study significantly contributes to the extant literature by providing insight into organizational trust and ethical and green practices. The study provides a valuable solution to entrepreneurs and offers future directions to researchers.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts have garnered increased attention as companies recognize their potential to enhance both employee well-being and green performance. Based on affective event theory (AET) and social exchange theory (SET), this research examines the impact of perceived firm diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on employee well-being and green performance, with a focus on the moderating effect of leader emotional expression. This study specifically links DEI to environmental management by demonstrating how inclusive workplace cultures foster employee well-being, which enhances organizational commitment to sustainable practices, such as reducing environmental impact and achieving firm green performance. 362 United States respondents were collected, and the analysis was conducted using SmartPLS. The results indicate that perceived firm DEI has a strong positive effect on employee well-being and green performance, including environmental outcomes. DEI increases green performance by improving innovation and stakeholder engagement, aligning with sustainability targets. The outcomes indicate that the emotional expression of a positive leader enhances green performance by supporting a conducive environment that promotes employees to adopt sustainable practices, while negative expressions of a leader may limit this impact due to an increase in employee resilience. The present research has numerous theoretical and practical implications, providing an explanation of how companies can utilize inclusive practices to support staff well-being and maximize performance, particularly in enhancing environmental sustainability, as well as identifying which leadership behaviors might enhance these advantages.

The logistics industry has recently been pressured to adopt sustainable practices due to increasing environmental concerns and regulatory mandates. This study investigates the nexus between ecological innovation, stakeholder pressure, open innovation, and renewable energy adoption in logistics firms, emphasizing the moderating role of managers’ cognition of sustainable opportunities and competitive advantage. In this regard, stakeholder pressure compels organizations to adopt renewable solutions. On the other hand, open innovation and eco-innovation are pivotal in taming firms’ internal limitations and advancing the adoption of renewable technologies. Thereby, analyzing empirical data from China’s logistics firm, the present study demonstrates how open innovation, eco-innovation, and stakeholder pressure affect renewable energy adoption and the firm’s competitive advantage. In addition, the study explicitly outlines the critical role of managers’ cognition of sustainable opportunities and competitive advantage as a moderator. Through SEM, the study reveals a positive and significant relationship between open-innovation, eco-innovation, and stakeholders’ pressures regarding renewable energy adoption. The moderation of managers’ cognition in the case of eco-innovation and open innovation proved significant, whereas, in the case of stakeholder pressure, it is insignificant. Competitive advantage, another moderator, failed to moderate the proposed relationship. Findings explain that managers can realize strategic significance in terms of sustainability. They may shift toward green strategies aligned with market apprehensions and environmental regulations. This cognitive factor enhances the usefulness of open and eco-innovation during renewable adoption. Overall, the study’s findings underscore the significance of managerial insights in leveraging these factors to accelerate the industry toward a sustainable future.

Natural resources are a strong factor in economic advancement. However, the excessive mining and consumption of natural resources lead to various environmental issues in both emerging and developed economies. Carbon emission due to the exploitation of natural resources is inevitable. Institutional quality and decentralized fiscal policy can lessen the harmful influence of the volatility of natural resources on climate quality. Hence, it is beneficial to examine the role of various factors in the connectedness of volatility of natural resources and CO2 emissions. This research examines the role of the volatility of natural resources, R&D in clean energy, decentralized fiscal policy, and institutional quality in mitigating or enhancing environmental quality. The study extends the space for further research by including comprehensive factors that affect the environment. The study employs the CS-ARDL econometric model and observes that R&D in clean energy, institutional quality, and decentralized fiscal policy have negative connectedness with CO2 emissions, while GDP and natural resource volatility have positive connectedness with carbon emissions. The study implies that institutional quality and decentralized fiscal policy influence climate quality, which is complementary to natural resource volatility. The study recommends that governments of BRICS countries establish an effective adoption of long-term strategies to improve climate quality through the empowerment of lower-level government and good governance.

The advent of Industry 4.0 is profoundly reshaping supply chains, driving a transformation in traditional business models and operational paradigms. Central to this evolution are smart technologies, which streamline supply chain processes and develop collaboration to address pressing sustainability challenges. This study investigates the intricate linkages between Industry 4.0 technologies and the transition to a circular economy, emphasizing the mediating role of supply chain integration (SCI). Additionally, it explores the moderating influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to determine how ethical and sustainable practices enhance the effectiveness of integrated supply chain mechanisms in achieving circular economy objectives. Focusing on the Chinese steel sector, a critical contributor to national economic growth but also a significant emitter of carbon dioxide, the study contextualizes these dynamics in an industry grappling with overcapacity, high emissions, and increasing scrutiny under China's carbon neutrality commitments. Furthermore, this research employs SmartPLS 4 to analyze the proposed relationships. Findings reveal that smart manufacturing and data processing technologies significantly contribute to the circular economy transition, with SCI serving as a pivotal mediating factor. Furthermore, CSR emerges as a crucial moderator, amplifying the alignment of integrated supply chain practices with sustainability goals. The study underscores the transformative potential of Industry 4.0 technologies, SCI, and CSR in fostering circularity, offering actionable insights for policymakers and industry leaders.

With increased climate change issues, renewable energy has become important for ensuring environmental quality. Using fossil fuels or other pollutants in energy production adversely influences human life and threatens environmental well-being by reducing environmental quality. The present research highlights renewable energy policy and its ability to enhance environmental quality and mitigate climate change issues in the most polluted European countries. The study has adopted a secondary approach for quantitative research. Data has been collected from 2008 to 2022 and analysed using the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR). The model provides beneficial insights, showing non-linearity and asymmetries in the variables. The outcomes show that renewable energy has no significant effect on environmental quality and plays a substantial negative role in climate change mitigation. Moreover, environmental taxes and urbanization are found to play positive roles in climate change mitigation and environmental quality. The research has numerous theoretical and practical implications as it extends the growing body of literature regarding renewable energy policies, environmental quality, and the mitigation of climate change. Furthermore, the practical insights of the study provide beneficial guidelines for governments regarding improving environmental sustainability through renewable energy policies.

Using green management practices to build sustainable entrepreneurship is both effective and challenging for growing businesses. Meanwhile, knowledge management has proven to be a critical part of contemporary business practices. Thus, there is a growing demand for socially and environmentally aware behaviour as a part of existing strategies for dealing with the effects of such practices in the realm of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. This study adopts a dimensional view of the knowledge-management model and its effect on sustainable entrepreneurship in Malaysia. We also include green information technology (GIT) acceptance in the model to examine its moderating effect on the proposed model. Partial least-squares structural equation modelling is used to explore the connections among variables. The results reveal that knowledge creation and transfer have a significant and positive relationship with sustainable entrepreneurship. However, the application and use of knowledge have insignificant effects on sustainable entrepreneurship. We also find that GIT acceptance significantly moderates the relationship between knowledge creation, knowledge transfer and storage, and sustainable entrepreneurship. By contrast, it insignificantly moderates the association between the application and use of knowledge and sustainable entrepreneurship. Our findings can help those involved in sustainable entrepreneurship development to more effectively utilise knowledge creation, GIT acceptance and adoption, and knowledge application and use.

This study deeply analyses the key role of FinTech in promoting the development of the green finance market through multiple econometric models. The study finds that FinTech significantly improves the transparency and efficiency of green finance market, especially in countries with developed economies and sound regulatory environments. The study reveals the important role played by FinTech in emerging markets, alleviating the structural challenges of green finance development by improving access to funds and enhancing risk management. The study also finds that, although FinTech promotes the development of green finance in various markets, the risks it brings are significantly different for developed and emerging markets. This paper not only verifies the positive impact of FinTech on green finance market but also provides empirical evidence for global policymakers to formulate differentiated strategies, emphasizing the importance of local regulatory and policy support for the integrated development of FinTech and green finance.

The present study examines the nexus between sustainable digital entrepreneurship, open innovation, green human resource, and circular economy in the context of the Chinese fashion sector. Since fashion brands delve into the adoption of digital technologies, the opportunity to harness such innovation has become more pronounced in order to achieve sustainability. Circular economy, in recent years, has garnered the attention of scholars as they view the concept as a strategic mechanism which helps in achieving sustainable goals through cleaner production. Thus, the research assumes that digital entrepreneurship under the disguise of sustainable principles nurtures open innovation and green HRM practices, shaping circular economic goals. The study also scrutinizes the mediating role of knowledge sharing and digital orientations as they are proven critical enablers of sustainable principles. The researcher has gathered data from the full-time employees in the HRM department of fashion companies in China; these employees included departmental heads, line managers, managers, and employees having good knowledge regarding the observed variables of the study. By employing PLS-SEM, the findings of the study reveal that there is a significant positive association of circular economy with the firm's open innovation and green HRM practices, while it is not related to sustainable digital entrepreneurship. In light of the findings, the study offers a significant contribution by introducing a comprehensive model that fosters sustainability initiatives. However, the study is limited to the Chinese fashion industry, so its findings cannot be generalized. Therefore, future researchers are recommended to study some other industries as well.

This research examined consumption-based carbon emission reduction by nuclear energy consumption and environmental tax while considering the context of trade globalization in the highest five emitter nations from 1990 to 2020. This study used various empirical methodologies, including preliminary analysis to check the stationarity and cointegration, the CS-ARDL for long-run analysis, CCEMG, AMG for robustness, and the DH causality test for short-term pairwise causation. The results indicated that nuclear energy consumption, environmental tax, and trade globalization help to mitigate consumption-based carbon emissions while economic growth and population density boost carbon emissions. Furthermore, the results also found two-way casual connection exists between nuclear energy consumption, population density, and consumption-based carbon emissions. Thus, the results emphasize the need for government policies that encourage nuclear energy and environmental tax as a strategy to reduce carbon emissions and achieve and maintain environmental development.

Achieving product lifecycle circularity is a central challenge for firms transitioning toward sustainable production systems, particularly in manufacturing-intensive economies such as China. This study investigates how innovation-related capabilities, digital platforms, and value co-creation drive product lifecycle circularity through circular economy adoption. Using primary survey data collected from 395 respondents in China, the study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test a comprehensive research framework. The results show that innovation network strength, innovation ecosystem dynamism, digital transformation readiness, platform-based business model innovation, and value co-creation capability positively influence circular economy adoption. Circular economy adoption, in turn, significantly enhances product lifecycle circularity. Product lifecycle orientation and collaborative consumption culture positively moderate this relationship. The study advances circular economy and innovation ecosystem literature by empirically establishing circular economy adoption as a key mechanism linking innovation, platforms, and co-creation to lifecycle circularity. Managers and policymakers can foster lifecycle circularity by strengthening innovation ecosystems, enhancing digital readiness, promoting platform-based models, and encouraging stakeholder co-creation. This study offers an integrated, ecosystem-oriented explanation of product lifecycle circularity and provides empirical evidence from China, a critical context for global circular economy transitions.

As global concerns over climate change and sustainability grow, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors have become critical in evaluating corporate practices. In China, the increasing adoption of ESG ratings by investors has highlighted discrepancies in these ratings, which may impact corporate risk. While extensive research exists on ESG performance, the effects of ESG rating disparities on corporate risk, particularly in Chinese enterprises, remain underexplored, especially the mediating role of financing constraints. Utilizing data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2015 to 2022, this study examines the impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rating disparities on corporate risk, focusing on the mediating role of financing constraints. The findings indicate that discrepancies in ESG ratings significantly increase corporate risk, particularly in non-state-owned enterprises and heavily polluting industries, while having no significant impact on state-owned enterprises. Discrepancies in governance ratings exert the greatest impact on corporate risk, underscoring the critical role of corporate governance. Financing constraints further exacerbate the impact of rating discrepancies on corporate risk. These results provide new insights into enhancing the ESG rating system and mitigating corporate risk, offering a foundation for relevant policy-making.