How to Leverage Digital Sustainability Orientation to Promote Environmentally Sustainable Practices of Manufacturing Enterprises in China

Abstract

The promotion of high-quality, environmentally sustainable practices in enterprises in the digital age has become an important topic in business and academic circles. In this study, by employing a perspective combining digital orientation (DO) and sustainability commitment orientation (SCO), the concept of digital sustainability orientation (DSO) is presented, and digital green capability (DGC) is introduced as the mediating variable. Moreover, the driving mechanism model of corporate environmental sustainability practice (ESP) is constructed, and the moderating role of environmental scanning (ES) is taken into consideration. Using two sets of research data from 353 manufacturing enterprises in China, the empirical test results show that DSO has a significant role in improving ESP, and DGC is important in mediating between DSO and ESP. ES acts as a moderating variable between DSO and DGC and further moderates the mediating role of DGC between DSO and EPS; that is, the stronger the ES, the more significant the mediating effect of DGC. The conclusion of this study broadens the application scope of strategic orientation theory in the study of digital sustainability and has theoretical and practical implications for exploring the development of DGC and the dynamic mechanism of ESP.