From Environmental Burden to Export Advantage: Net Zero Commitments and Competitive Transformation in Vietnam's Seafood Sector

This study examines the relationship between net zero commitments and competitive advantage within Vietnam's seafood export sector, addressing a critical gap in understanding how environmental sustainability initiatives translate into tangible business outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods approach combining structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this research analyses data from 287 Vietnamese seafood exporters collected between 2016 and 2017. The theoretical framework integrates resource-based view theory with stakeholder theory to examine how net zero commitments influence export performance through enhanced operational efficiency, market differentiation, and stakeholder legitimacy. The findings demonstrate that net zero commitments significantly enhance competitive advantage through three distinct pathways: cost reduction mechanisms (β = 0.342, p < 0.001), market premium acquisition (β = 0.298, p < 0.01), and stakeholder trust development (β = 0.267, p < 0.05). The fsQCA results reveal four configurational pathways leading to superior export performance, with environmental certification and technological innovation serving as core conditions. This study contributes to the sustainability-performance discourse by providing empirical evidence that environmental commitments, rather than imposing financial burdens, can serve as strategic assets for emerging market exporters. The research offers practical implications for Vietnamese seafood companies seeking to transform environmental compliance costs into competitive advantages whilst advancing theoretical understanding of the sustainability-competitiveness nexus.