Environmental, social, and governance performance for enhancing supply chain resilience under the effects of supply chain visibility and resource allocation efficiency

Purpose Environmental, social and governance (ESG), an important measure of corporate sustainability, is considered an effective means to enhance supply chain resilience (SCR). Understanding how ESG performance contributes to SCR is of great value for enterprises striving to build a resilient supply chain. Design/methodology/approach The purpose of this study is to examine the impact mechanism of ESG performance on SCR under the combined effect of the two mediating variables of supply chain visibility (SCV) and resource allocation efficiency (RAE) as well as the moderating variable of digital transformation (DT). Survey data is collected from 528 Chinese manufacturing enterprises and analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation model. Findings The results show that ESG performance has a direct positive impact on SCR, which is a critical driver for enhancing SCR. SCV mediates the relationship between ESG performance and SCR, where its effect is increased by the moderating of DT. However, the mediating role of RAE is not significant. Although DT strengthens the impact of ESG performance on RAE, that of RAE on SCR is nonsignificant. Comparing the two mediation pathways, it suggests that Chinese manufacturing enterprises still take passive ESG practices to improve SCR as the preferred path, while active ESG practices are lacking and fail to positively influence SCR. Originality/value The study provides unique insights into understanding the influencing mechanism between ESG performance and SCR, and valuable references for managers to practice ESG management and SCR enhancement activities.