Heterogeneity in corporate green supply chain practice adoption: Insights from institutional fields

Firms adopt different green supply chain management (GSCM) practices at varying levels. Drawing on institutional field theory, this study aims to explore the heterogeneity in GSCM practice adoption considering different firm characteristics, including firm size, industry, and ownership. Secondary data from 394 firms operating in China show that four organizational groupings-brown, light brown, light green, and green-firms exist. Multinomial logistic regression results show that larger firms and firms in the electronics industry are more likely to be greener, indicating that firm size and industry play a strong role in discriminating GSCM practice adoption. Interestingly, no differences between domestic and foreign-owned firms exist, implying that the gaps in institutional perspectives between Chinese domestic and non-domestic ownership may be disappearing. This study provides practical implications for strategic benchmarking of GSCM practices. The results also have broader implications for firm operations within China and Chinese firms competing elsewhere.