As key drivers of the digital economy, ICT firms face increasing pressure to reduce their own carbon footprints while enabling broader decarbonization through technological innovation. This dual expectation makes the greening of ICT supply chains both urgent and complex. Drawing on the awareness-motivation-capability (AMC) framework, this study adopts a holistic perspective to identify the necessary conditions and configurational pathways that enable ICT firms to achieve high-level green supply chain management (GSCM).
This study employs a combined analytical framework integrating necessary condition analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) using data from 18 Chinese ICT firms. NCA is first used to identify bottleneck conditions necessary for achieving high-level GSCM, while fsQCA is subsequently applied to uncover multiple sufficient configurations for achieving this outcome. Firm-level publicly available data are further incorporated into a representative case analysis to elaborate on the identified causal recipes.
This study identifies internal green management capability as the foundational “key” for achieving high-level GSCM. Building on this foundation, it unlocks three distinct configurational pathways through which conditions of motivation and capability synergistically combine to enable high-level GSCM in ICT firms.
This study expands the application of the AMC framework in the GSCM field from a holistic perspective, revealing the causal complexity underlying high-level GSCM in ICT firms. By identifying the necessary conditions and sufficient configurations, it provides ICT firms with actionable guidance for strengthening core capabilities and selecting appropriate strategic pathways.
