Geopolitical frictions and energy security concerns have renewed attention to renewable energy, sustainable development and the achievement of responsible consumption and production (SDG12). Against this background, this study aims to examine how coercive market pressure and coercive regulatory pressure relate to supply chain adaptability and carbon accounting systems, and how these internal mechanisms are linked to net-zero transitions performance and circular supply chains performance in the photovoltaic (PV) industry.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted using 363 valid responses from PV-related firms in China. The proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Supply chain adaptability was specified as a reflective-reflective higher-order construct and estimated using a disjoint two-stage approach.
Coercive market pressure is strongly related to supply chain adaptability, but not directly to carbon accounting systems. Coercive regulatory pressure is related to both internal mechanisms, with a stronger path to carbon accounting systems. Supply chain adaptability is related to carbon accounting systems and circular supply chain performance, but not directly to net-zero transition performance. Its indirect path to net-zero transition performance through carbon accounting systems is significant. Carbon accounting systems show their strongest path to net-zero transition performance.
This study shows that coercive market and regulatory pressures are associated with different internal transition mechanisms. It positions supply chain adaptability as an operational reconfiguration mechanism and carbon accounting systems as a carbon-information governance mechanism, thereby clarifying their complementary roles in PV firms’ circular and net-zero transition.
