Sustainable supply chain finance adoption and firm performance: Is green supply chain integration a missing link?

Despite the importance of sustainable supply chain finance (SSCF), how it influences firm performance is still inconclusive. On the basis of social exchange theory, we examine how SSCF adoption affects firm performance via green supply chain integration (GSCI), as well as the moderating effect of environmental leadership. Employing data from 317 Chinese manufacturers, we conduct hierarchical regression analyses to examine research hypotheses. Our findings reveal that SSCF adoption positively affects GSCI. Green customer integration partially mediates the influence of SSCF adoption on firm performance. Green supplier integration partially mediates the effect of SSCF adoption on environmental performance, but does not mediate the effect of SSCF adoption on financial performance. Furthermore, environmental leadership negatively moderates the SSCF adoption-GSCI link. This research adds knowledge to the theory and practice by unveiling the black box between SSCF adoption and firm performance.

Automated summary

This study examines the impact of sustainable supply chain finance (SSCF) adoption on firm performance, as well as the moderating effect of environmental leadership, based on social exchange theory. The findings show that SSCF adoption positively affects green supply chain integration (GSCI), and green customer integration partially mediates the influence of SSCF adoption on firm performance.