Boosting green collaborative innovation among manufacturing firms with digital technology: the role of knowledge recombinative potential within supply chain network

Purpose Advances in digital technology (DT) offer significant opportunities to enhance entire industry value chains. This paper aims to explore the influence of DT on green collaborative innovation (GCI) among manufacturing firms by integrating perspectives from supply chain and knowledge management. It also examines the roles of supply chain network (SCN) and knowledge recombinative potential (KRP) in shaping this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This paper constructs an analytical framework of “DT-SCN-KRP-GCI” and empirically examines the aforementioned relationship mechanism using panel data from Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2022. Findings DT significantly drives GCI among manufacturing firms within the SCN. Furthermore, DT indirectly influences GCI among manufacturing firms by optimizing the location of the SCN, although the richness of structural holes makes it difficult to achieve this effect. The high KRP within SCN further strengthens relationships. Heterogeneity analysis shows that DT has a stronger positive impact on GCI for manufacturing firms in regions with low intellectual property protection, those using supply chain finance strategies, and those led by chief executive officers without green experience. Originality/value This paper explores the influence of DT on GCI by adopting a perspective that combines supply chain and knowledge management. The findings extend the cross-application of multiple theories in the fields of innovation and knowledge management and provide a unique perspective for exploring green development in manufacturing firms. In addition, the results elucidate the role of KRP within SCN, thereby filling the existing gap, as previous studies have primarily focused on intra-organizational knowledge recombination.