Reconfiguring green intellectual capital: environmental governance and strategic capitals in carbon disclosure

Abstract

Purpose Amid escalating regulatory and stakeholder pressures for environmental transparency, the effectiveness of corporate carbon disclosure has become a critical area of inquiry. However, existing studies have offered limited insight into how firms' internal and relational intellectual resources contribute to disclosure outcomes. This study aims to investigate how firms' intellectual resources influence carbon disclosure effectiveness. Specifically, it reconceptualizes green intellectual capital (GIC) by proposing a sustainability-driven intellectual capital (SDIC) framework, which integrates sustainable competency capital (SCC), sustainable digital capital (SDC) and collaborative ecosystem capital (CEC), with environmental governance orientation (EGO), examined as a moderating capability. Design/methodology/approach The study integrates the resource-based view, stakeholder theory and dynamic capabilities theory. Empirical analysis is based on survey data from manufacturing firms, examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings We found that SCC, SDC and EGO significantly enhance carbon disclosure effectiveness, whereas CEC does not exert a direct effect. Notably, EGO moderates the nexuses between SDC and CDE, and between CEC and carbon disclosure effectiveness, underscoring the dynamic role of governance in transforming resources into meaningful disclosures. Practical implications The study presents actionable recommendations for firms, regulators and policymakers aiming to elevate carbon transparency. Firms' efforts to align internal competencies supported with sustainable digital infrastructure, and ecosystem collaboration can improve their effectiveness of disclosure and broader sustainability performance. Originality/value By reconceptualizing GIC to integrate SCC, SDC and CEC, and incorporating EGO as a moderating capability, this study presents a novel and more comprehensive model that captures how modern firms mobilize intellectual and relational assets to meet heightened carbon transparency expectations.