Can blockchain technologies enhance environmental sustainable development goals performance in manufacturing firms? Potential mediation of green supply chain management practices

Abstract

AbstractThe nexus between manufacturing firms and the green environment is unavoidable. It is merely due to the huge waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from large‐scale production and complex supply chain management processes involved in manufacturing firms. Continuation of the traditional business practices during Industry 4.0 made it impossible for the manufacturing firm to commit to green environmental practices and comply with environmental SDGs. At odd, it requires novel business strategies to ensure compliance of manufacturing firms with environmental sustainable development goals (SDGs). Blockchain is an ideal technology for delivering green environmental‐related information because it offers real‐time, shareable, and entirely transparent data kept on an immutable ledger that is accessible to members of a network. These green environmental‐related information received in real‐time through blockchain technology help in the transformation of the traditional supply chain management practices into a more green supply chain management practice. This green transformation ensures business compliance with environmental SDGs and that compliance is shared with multiple stakeholders through blockchain technology in real‐time, thus approving a positive mediating role of green supply chain management practices between blockchain technology and environmental SDGs performance. The proposed strategic framework through various propositions development will mainly offer policy insights toward (a) identifying novel antecedents of blockchain technology, (b) offering insights toward upgrading the traditional supply chain management framework into a green supply chain management framework, and (c) illuminating novel mediating role of green supply chain management practices between blockchain technology and environmental SDGs performance.