Environmental Management, Green Innovation, and Social–Open Innovation

Abstract

The present study aims to determine the impact of green innovation (GI) on the overall performance of an organization while keeping the variable of environmental management (EM) as a moderator. We used a dataset consisting of four data years, from 2014 to 2017, of A-share companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE). The concept of green innovation refers to the use of advancements in technology that enable savings in energy, along with the recycling of waste material. When advanced technology is utilized in the production process, the products are referred to as green products and the whole process of adopting such technologies and product design is referred to as “Corporate Environmental Management”. Such innovations improve the overall financial performance of companies as it enables them to improve their social image by reducing their carbon footprint and ensures their long-term sustainability. The main issue is the limited focus and attention given to the topic, from the perspective of companies. This research focuses on the impact of green innovation and the importance of environmental management for the sustainability of companies. Our findings suggest that the relationship between green innovation and the performance of the company is positive and verifies the existence of moderating effects of environmental management on the relationship between green innovation and firm performance. Implications are given to academia and practitioners.