Digital transformation and sustainable performance in supply chains: The strategic mediating role of net-zero capability
- 1School of Business Management, Noida International University, India
- 2Division of Packaging Logistics and Center for Food Resilience and Competitiveness (FORCE), Lund University, Sweden; Corresponding author.
- 3Division of Engineering Logistics, Lund University, Sweden
Abstract
Supply chain organizations face intensifying pressure to meet net-zero commitments, yet digital investment does not consistently translate into sustainability gains. This study examines whether Net-Zero Capability (NZC) helps explain this gap. Drawing on the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capability View, NZC is positioned as the organizational capability through which digital resources support greenhouse gas measurement, carbon visibility, analytical optimization, supplier coordination and low-carbon innovation. Survey data from 424 professionals in supply chain, operations, sustainability, procurement and strategy functions in India were analyzed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4. India provides a pertinent empirical context because its heterogeneous, multi-tier supply chains face simultaneous digitalization and decarbonization demands. Digital transformation is positively associated with NZC (β = 0.598) and Sustainable Performance (β = 0.220), while NZC is positively associated with Sustainable Performance (β = 0.515). The indirect association through NZC is significant (β = 0.308) and accounts for approximately 58% of the total association, indicating complementary partial mediation. The model explains 35.8% of the variance in NZC and 45.0% in Sustainable Performance. The study contributes by integrating RBV and DCV into a resource-to-capability-to-performance mechanism and by specifying NZC as a net-zero-specific, digitally enabled and supply-chain-oriented capability. Practically, the findings suggest that digital roadmaps should be complemented by carbon-data governance, measurement routines and supplier engagement. Given the cross-sectional, self-reported design, the relationships are interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.
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BibTeX
@article{sharma2026digital,
title = {{Digital transformation and sustainable performance in supply chains: The strategic mediating role of net-zero capability}},
author = {Mona Sharma and Rashmi Manhas and Priyadarshani Singh and Mohit Malik and Sandeep Jagtap},
journal = {Sustainable Futures},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102249},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102249},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Digital transformation and sustainable performance in supply chains: The strategic mediating role of net-zero capability
AU - Mona Sharma
AU - Rashmi Manhas
AU - Priyadarshani Singh
AU - Mohit Malik
AU - Sandeep Jagtap
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Sustainable Futures
DO - 10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102249
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2026.102249
AB - Supply chain organizations face intensifying pressure to meet net-zero commitments, yet digital investment does not consistently translate into sustainability gains. This study examines whether Net-Zero Capability (NZC) helps explain this gap. Drawing on the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capability View, NZC is positioned as the organizational capability through which digital resources support greenhouse gas measurement, carbon visibility, analytical optimization, supplier coordination and low-carbon innovation. Survey data from 424 professionals in supply chain, operations, sustainability, procurement and strategy functions in India were analyzed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4. India provides a pertinent empirical context because its heterogeneous, multi-tier supply chains face simultaneous digitalization and decarbonization demands. Digital transformation is positively associated with NZC (β = 0.598) and Sustainable Performance (β = 0.220), while NZC is positively associated with Sustainable Performance (β = 0.515). The indirect association through NZC is significant (β = 0.308) and accounts for approximately 58% of the total association, indicating complementary partial mediation. The model explains 35.8% of the variance in NZC and 45.0% in Sustainable Performance. The study contributes by integrating RBV and DCV into a resource-to-capability-to-performance mechanism and by specifying NZC as a net-zero-specific, digitally enabled and supply-chain-oriented capability. Practically, the findings suggest that digital roadmaps should be complemented by carbon-data governance, measurement routines and supplier engagement. Given the cross-sectional, self-reported design, the relationships are interpreted as associations rather than causal effects.
SN - 2666-1888
ER -