Diffusion of selected green supply chain management practices: an assessment of Chinese enterprises

Abstract

Environmental pollution and resource depletion pressures have caused manufacturers in developing countries such as China to improve environmental performance. In response, thoughtful and innovative enterprises have implemented emergent environmental management practices including elements of green supply chain management (GSCM). Diffusion of these practices to enterprises occurs from internal and external influences. Given that GSCM practices can be viewed as management innovations, this article applies the seminal Bass model to analyse GSCM practices diffusion. Specifically, the Bass model for diffusion is used to evaluate data for ISO 14001 certification and eco-labelling practices in China. In this investigation, we evaluate the relative roles of innovation and imitation drivers for diffusion of these GSCM practices. We find that even though innovation is not insignificant, imitation plays a much larger role for these specific GSCM practices diffusions amongst Chinese enterprises. Managerial and policy implications of these and other findings are also discussed.