Assessing the effects of green innovation, renewable energy, and environmental policy stringency on ecological and material footprints in G7 economies

Ecological pressure is a multidimensional measure that includes factors such as water and soil pollution, air quality, and raw material consumption. It is therefore important to consider the determinants of ecological stress using many indicators to account for all these dimensions. More precisely, the intention behind this investigation is to identify the impacts of green energy, green innovation, GDP per capita, and the rigor of environmental governance on ecological and material footprints, by analyzing data covering G7 countries over the 1990–2020 period. Therefore, the CS-ARDL panel approach is applied. Actually, the findings confirm that, in the long run, GDP per capita increases both ecological and material footprints by 2.819 and 21.154, respectively. Furthermore, the strictness of environmental policy and the use of renewable energies are key factors in lessening the ecological footprint (by − 0.061 and − 0.038, respectively, in the long run). On the other hand, green innovation increases the material footprint (by 0.111 in the short run and 0.067 in the long run). Therefore, the resource intensity of green technologies must be considered. In fact, this research emphasizes the need for developed economies to adopt strategies that enable them to become not only more carbon–neutral but also less resource-intensive. Actually, these findings can help policymakers address the dual challenge of ecosystem preservation and resource efficiency by orienting their efforts toward circular and resource-efficient economic models.