Supply chain collaboration and eco-innovations: An institutional perspective from China

Peter S. Hofman, Constantin Blome, Martin C. Schleper, Nachiappan Subramanian

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

86 Citations (Scopus)
54 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study explores the impact of supply chain collaboration on eco-innovations in the context of 220 Chinese manufacturing supplier firms involved in global supply chain networks. It investigates how supplier and customer collaborations help firms to enhance product eco-innovations, and/or process eco-innovations, and how the institutional context (i.e., regulatory, market, and community pressures) influences these relationships. The structural equation modeling approach is used to analyze the data captured from medium and large manufacturing enterprises in three major sectors: automotive, electronics, and textiles. The results show that community pressure has a positive effect on supplier collaboration, which further leads to enhanced process eco-innovation. On the other hand, the findings indicate that while market pressure enhances customer collaboration, this does not reinforce product eco-innovation. Contrary to our expectation, regulatory pressures do not impact supplier or customer collaboration for innovation. Overall, different institutional factors indicate divergent effects on supply chain collaboration and product/process eco-innovation. The importance of normative pressures, such as those applied through the local community and interest groups, for eco-innovations in production processes is further discussed as a typical feature of the institutional environment of Chinese supplier firms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2734-2754
Number of pages21
JournalBusiness Strategy and the Environment
Volume29
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2020

Keywords

  • China
  • customer collaboration
  • eco-innovation
  • institutional theory
  • supplier collaboration
  • sustainable supply chain management

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Business and International Management
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Strategy and Management
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Supply chain collaboration and eco-innovations: An institutional perspective from China'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this