From Smart Waste Management to Environmental Performance: The Mediating Roles of Blockchain Transparency and Corporate Image in the Textile Industry

ABSTRACT

Digital investment in smart waste management does not automatically translate into environmental performance (EP) gains, and this technology–performance gap is acute in the textile and apparel (T&A) industry, the world's second most polluting sector. Drawing on the resource‐based view, institutional theory, the technology acceptance model, the technology–organization–environment framework, and technological determinism as a rival baseline, this study tests whether smart waste management system (SWMS) adoption improves EP directly, and whether blockchain technology (BCT) and corporate image (CI) mediate this relationship, with environmental management system (EMS) as a moderator. Survey data from 294 T&A professionals in Bangladesh were analyzed using PLS‐SEM (SmartPLS 4) across eight hypothesized paths. SWMS shows no significant direct effect on EP; instead, the SWMS–EP relationship is fully mediated through a serial BCT–CI pathway, and this pathway is strengthened by EMS. The findings indicate that technology adoption alone is insufficient for environmental gains without complementary reputational and governance mechanisms, offering both a theoretical refinement of technology–performance models and practical guidance for green business strategy and circular economy activation in global apparel supply chains.