IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v34y2025i1p788-803.html

Critical factors for the success of Sustainable Development Goal 12 in the digital transformation era: The effect of ISO 14001

Author

Listed:
  • Joana Morgado Oliveira
  • Carlos F. Gomes

Abstract

Competing in the global market requires organizations to change rapidly, addressing both digital transformation and sustainable development challenges. This study uncovers new relationships and critical factors, enriching current knowledge and guiding future research on how digital transformation enhances sustainable consumption and production (Sustainable Development Goal 12 [SDG12]) success. It identifies key factors that enhance or inhibit these relationships by combining structural model and necessary conditions analysis. The findings reveal that organizations must excel in digital capabilities directly and through excellence practices to achieve SDG12 success. ISO 14001 further strengthens the impact of digital transformation and excellence practices on SDG12. The results empirically demonstrate what European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and American Society for Quality (ASQ) advocate: excellence practices are a tool for sustainable development. This study adds both to the literature and practice on the relationships between digital transformation, excellence models, and sustainable development and how these relationships are influenced by ISO standards.

Suggested Citation

  • Joana Morgado Oliveira & Carlos F. Gomes, 2025. "Critical factors for the success of Sustainable Development Goal 12 in the digital transformation era: The effect of ISO 14001," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 788-803, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:1:p:788-803
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.4023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.4023
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.4023?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rameshwar Dubey & Angappa Gunasekaran & Stephen J. Childe & Thanos Papadopoulos & Benjamin T. Hazen & David Roubaud, 2018. "Examining top management commitment to TQM diffusion using institutional and upper echelon theories," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(8), pages 2988-3006, April.
    2. Govindan, Kannan, 2018. "Sustainable consumption and production in the food supply chain: A conceptual framework," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 419-431.
    3. Samuel Roscoe & Nachiappan Subramanian & Charbel J.C. Jabbour & Tao Chong, 2019. "Green human resource management and the enablers of green organisational culture: Enhancing a firm's environmental performance for sustainable development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 737-749, July.
    4. Dul, Jan, 2016. "Identifying single necessary conditions with NCA and fsQCA," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1516-1523.
    5. Feliciano-Cestero, María M. & Ameen, Nisreen & Kotabe, Masaaki & Paul, Justin & Signoret, Mario, 2023. "Is digital transformation threatened? A systematic literature review of the factors influencing firms’ digital transformation and internationalization," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    6. Pablo Arranz Val & Julio César Puche Regaliza & Paula Antón Maraña, 2020. "Quality in organizations: its capacity for transformation to create sustainable value," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 9(4), pages 306-316.
    7. Yagi, Michiyuki & Kokubu, Katsuhiko, 2020. "A Framework of Sustainable Consumption and Production from the Production Perspective: Application to Thailand and Vietnam," MPRA Paper 103931, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Alsawafi, Ahmed & Lemke, Fred & Yang, Ying, 2021. "The impacts of internal quality management relations on the triple bottom line: A dynamic capability perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    9. Parvez Alam Khan & Satirenjit Kaur Johl & Shireenjit K. Johl, 2021. "Does adoption of ISO 56002‐2019 and green innovation reporting enhance the firm sustainable development goal performance? An emerging paradigm," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 2922-2936, November.
    10. Chengwei Zhang & Sultan Sikandar Mirza & Tanveer Ahsan & Sardar Muhammad Usman, 2023. "Corporate digitalization, managerial power distance and corporate sustainability performance: evidence from China," Post-Print hal-04117139, HAL.
    11. Haitao Yin & Peter J. Schmeidler, 2009. "Why do standardized ISO 14001 environmental management systems lead to heterogeneous environmental outcomes?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 469-486, November.
    12. Nicole Franziska Richter & Sven Hauff & Christian M. Ringle & Marko Sarstedt & Aleksandar E. Kolev & Sandra Schubring, 2023. "How to Apply Necessary Condition Analysis in PLS-SEM," Springer Books, in: Hengky Latan & Joseph F. Hair, Jr. & Richard Noonan (ed.), Partial Least Squares Path Modeling, edition 2, chapter 0, pages 267-297, Springer.
    13. Armstrong, J. Scott & Overton, Terry S., 1977. "Estimating Nonresponse Bias in Mail Surveys," MPRA Paper 81694, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Ismail Sila, 2018. "Linking Quality with Social and Financial Performance: A Contextual, Ethics†Based Approach," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 27(6), pages 1102-1123, June.
    15. Kynčlová, Petra & Upadhyaya, Shyam & Nice, Thomas, 2020. "Composite index as a measure on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG-9) industry-related targets: The SDG-9 index," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    16. Dominik M. Wielgos & Christian Homburg & Christina Kuehnl, 2021. "Digital business capability: its impact on firm and customer performance," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 762-789, July.
    17. Mahak Sharma & Pratibha Singh & Konstantinos Tsagarakis, 2024. "Strategic pathways to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 12 through Industry 4.0: Moderating role of institutional pressure," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(6), pages 5812-5838, September.
    18. Jan Dul & Sven Hauff & Ricarda B. Bouncken, 2023. "Correction: Necessary condition analysis (NCA): review of research topics and guidelines for good practice," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1535-1537, May.
    19. John Hulland & Hans Baumgartner & Keith Marion Smith, 2018. "Marketing survey research best practices: evidence and recommendations from a review of JAMS articles," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 92-108, January.
    20. P.M. Unnikrishnan & Jyoti Tikoria & Arun Kumar Agariya, 2019. "TQM to business excellence: a research journey (1985-2018)," International Journal of Business Excellence, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 19(3), pages 323-363.
    21. Yuzhong Lu & Cheng Xu & Bingsheng Zhu & Yanqi Sun, 2024. "Digitalization transformation and ESG performance: Evidence from China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 352-368, February.
    22. André Hanelt & René Bohnsack & David Marz & Cláudia Antunes Marante, 2021. "A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1159-1197, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Panagiota Xanthopoulou & Alexandros Sahinidis, 2025. "Mapping the Intersection of Entrepreneurship, Digitalization, and the SDGs: A Scopus-Based Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-24, September.
    2. Qinghua Pang & Huilin Zhai & Jingyi Liu & Luoqi Yang, 2025. "Does ICT Exacerbate the Consumption-Based Material Footprint? A Re-Examination of SDG12 Challenges in the Digital Era Across G20 Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-24, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shahriar Hasan Ratul & Md. Ismail Hossain & H. M. Belal & Palash Saha & Md. Ashikur Rahman, 2026. "Navigating Sustainability through Flexible Hyperautomation and Reverse Logistics in the B2B Sector: Implications for the Electronics Industry," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 27(1), pages 99-121, March.
    2. Md. Ismail Hossain & Subrata Talapatra & Palash Saha & H. M. Belal, 2025. "From Theory to Practice: Leveraging Digital Twin Technologies and Supply Chain Disruption Mitigation Strategies for Enhanced Supply Chain Resilience with Strategic Fit in Focus," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 26(1), pages 87-109, March.
    3. Juan José Tarí & José F. Molina‐Azorín & María D. López‐Gamero & Jorge Pereira‐Moliner, 2021. "The association between environmental sustainable development and internalization of a quality standard," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2587-2599, July.
    4. Christian Homburg & Moritz Tischer, 2023. "Customer journey management capability in business-to-business markets: Its bright and dark sides and overall impact on firm performance," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(5), pages 1046-1074, September.
    5. Sok, Keo Mony & Danaher, Tracey S. & Sok, Phyra, 2023. "Multiple psychological climates and employee self-regulatory focus: Implications for frontline employee work behavior and service performance," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 228-246.
    6. Dominik M. Wielgos & Christian Homburg & Christina Kuehnl, 2021. "Digital business capability: its impact on firm and customer performance," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(4), pages 762-789, July.
    7. Surajit Bag & Shivam Gupta & Ajay Kumar & Uthayasankar Sivarajah, 2021. "An integrated artificial intelligence framework for knowledge creation and B2B marketing rational decision making for improving firm performance," Post-Print hal-03188195, HAL.
    8. Merín-Rodrigáñez, Joan & Dasí, Àngels & Alegre, Joaquín & Hughes, Mathew, 2025. "Dynamic managerial capabilities for digital transformation in innovative SMEs: What are the effects on new product development performance?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    9. Farouk Umar Kofar Naisa & Enjun Xia & Abdul Gaffar Khan & Muhammad Shaheer Nuhu & Adams Adeiza & Mohammed Sani Abdullahi, 2025. "The Impact of Open Innovation on the Performance of Multinational Corporations in Emerging Markets: an Empirical Study," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(3), pages 11731-11767, September.
    10. Wang, Fengquan & Jiang, Jihai & Cosenz, Federico, 2025. "Understanding data-driven business model innovation in complexity: A system dynamics approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    11. Rahman, Syed Mahmudur & Carlson, Jamie & Chowdhury, Noman H. & Gudergan, Siegfried P. & Wetzels, Martin & Ringle, Christian M. & Grewal, Dhruv, 2026. "Omnichannel safe customer experience: how should it be measured? Does it affect customer well-being and retailers’ performance?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    12. Li, Xiaolin & Zhang, Mengjie & Li, Weiwen & Chen, Juanyi, 2025. "Looking for new possibilities in emerging industries: The impact of strategic sensing capability on high-tech startups’ product innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    13. Cho, Young Sik & Linderman, Kevin, 2019. "Metacognition-based process improvement practices," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 132-144.
    14. Laxmi Gupta & Ravi Shankar, 2022. "Adoption of Battery Management System in Utility Grid: An Empirical Study Using Structural Equation Modeling," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 23(4), pages 573-596, December.
    15. Alexandra RADU & Mihaela HERCIU, 2025. "Data Analytics, Decision-Making Process And Business Performance: A Bibliometric Analysis," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 20(2), pages 292-313, August.
    16. Niu, Zhipeng & Liu, Wenjia & Yao, Jia & Xiao, Xu & Wu, Jianjun, 2025. "A multidimensional analysis of potential suppliers’ behavioral intentions in shared parking: Insights from SEM, NCA, and fsQCA," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    17. María D. López‐Gamero & José F. Molina‐Azorín & Juan José Tarí & Jorge Pereira‐Moliner, 2025. "Identifying the role of absorptive capacity in the relationship between quality management and sustainability: Evidence from the tourism industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 325-340, January.
    18. Shore, Adam & Tiwari, Manisha & Tandon, Priyanka & Foropon, Cyril, 2024. "Building entrepreneurial resilience during crisis using generative AI: An empirical study on SMEs," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    19. Piyush Ranjan & Preeti Narwal, 2025. "Investigating Organizational Unlearning and Agility in Digital Transformation for improved Innovation Performance in an Emerging Economy: Moderating Roles of Digital Business Intensity and Firm Sizes," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 26(3), pages 601-623, September.
    20. Merín-Rodrigáñez, Joan & Dasí, Àngels & Alegre, Joaquín, 2024. "Digital transformation and firm performance in innovative SMEs: The mediating role of business model innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:1:p:788-803. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.