Environmental innovation and SDGs among the production SMEs: the mediating role of green branding

Purpose This study evaluates the impact of environmental innovation (EI) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with mediating role of green branding among the production oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based on the resource-based view (RBV) and ecological modernization theories. Design/methodology/approach The study compiled data through questionnaire-based survey and inspected via partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to find results. Findings The findings indicate that EI aligns positive significant association with SDGs among the production SMEs. The study also discovers that green branding mediates between EI and SDGs. Practical implications The results have interesting implications for policy and explicate the practitioners to apply the techniques of eco-organizational innovation, eco-product innovation and eco-process innovation to achieve SDGs. Originality/value Even, the topics of EI and SDGs have gained significant attention, but this is the first study in these domains.