Digital technology-enabled carbon-neutral management: A mechanism of supply chain digitalization in carbon performance

A global industrial revolution is underway, marked by the pursuit of carbon neutrality and the widespread adoption of advanced digital technologies (DTs). However, existing studies focus on strategies and approaches to mitigate carbon emissions within individual firms, with limited emphasis on reducing carbon emissions throughout the supply chain (SC). To fill this gap, we investigate how SC digitalization influences SC carbon performance through the lens of the natural resource-based view (NRBV). Employing hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrap method on survey data from 245 Chinese firms across various industries, we reveal that SC ecocentricity is a crucial mediator in linking the SC digitalization‑carbon performance association. Additionally, of the two SC governance modes, contractual governance, as opposed to relational governance, significantly mediates the SC digitalization‑carbon performance association. Most interestingly, we confirm the serial mediation effect involving SC ecocentricity and contractual governance. We enhance the current sustainability research by identifying influential factors in the effectiveness of SC digitalization within the context of carbon neutrality. We also provide practical insights for firms in effectively implementing DT-enabled carbon-neutral management.