Improving sustainable development and firm performance in emerging economies by implementing green supply chain activities

Abstract The concept of green supply chain management (GrSCM) and sustainable development is still thought to be in the initial phases in the academic and research arena especially in Asian emerging economies. This study adopts a more holistic approach toward investigating the influential power of GrSCM on firm performance measures with a mediating role of investment recovery and competitiveness. The current study serves as an initiative to identify if the association between investment recovery and firm performance measures is mediated by competitiveness. Data were collected from 272, ISO (14001) certified textile firms based in Pakistan, and the theoretical model was assessed using partial least square structural equation modeling. Underpinning the resource dependence theory, the statistical results reveal that GrSCM practices positively impact firm performances whereas investment recovery acts as a strong mediator between intraorganizational green activities and company's performance.