Digital Transformation and Green Innovation Efficiency: Empirical Evidence on Blockchain-Enabled Supply Chain Integration
Main article
Abstract
The accelerating integration of blockchain technology into manufacturing supply chains has prompted intensifying scholarly and managerial interest in how digital ledger capabilities translate into sustainable performance outcomes. Drawing on the resource orchestration perspective and the dynamic capabilities view, this study empirically examines the mechanism through which blockchain technology application (BTA) enhances green innovation efficiency (GIE) in Malaysian manufacturing firms operating under heightened environmental regulatory pressure. We propose that supply chain integration (SCI) functions as a network-level bundling mechanism that converts structured digital resources into systemic green innovation capabilities, while supply chain trust, task complexity and a green digital learning orientation serve as boundary conditions that shape the strength of the transformation. Survey data were collected from 401 senior managers of Malaysian manufacturers distributed across seven heavily-regulated industry sub-sectors. Structural equation modelling and bias-corrected bootstrap analysis show that SCI fully mediates the positive relationship between BTA and GIE (indirect β = 0.045, 95% CI [0.020, 0.073]); supply chain trust positively moderates the BTA→SCI pathway while task complexity attenuates it; and a green digital learning orientation amplifies the SCI→GIE pathway. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the indirect benefit of BTA is substantially larger for large firms and high-pollution sectors. The findings advance digital transformation theory by unpacking the systemic mechanism linking blockchain infrastructure to environmentally-oriented innovation outcomes and inform practitioners about the organisational and relational conditions under which blockchain investment translates into genuine sustainability performance.
