Toward Sustainable Manufacturing: Green Knowledge, Leadership, and Innovation as Drivers of Environmental Performance

ABSTRACT Environmental pollution caused by industrial activities continues to be a challenge for sustainable development, particularly in manufacturing sectors. This study investigates the effects of green knowledge management (GKM) and green transformational leadership (GTL) on environmental performance (EP) of China's manufacturers of renewable energy products. Drawing from the resource‐based and knowledge‐based view, survey evidence was collected from Henan and Hebei provinces. Shannon entropy, PLS‐SEM, and multigroup analysis point to GKM and GTL both having a positive impact on EP. Green technological innovation (GTI) is established as a mediating variable of utmost significance. Moderating effect of firm size reveals that large firms get benefits from resource scalability and small‐medium encounter implementation hurdles. Regional variation is observed, with Henan firms being more knowledge‐driven and innovation‐led and Hebei firms more leadership‐led. This study contributes to the literature by calling attention to internal organizational mechanisms that improve EP and supports the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 13.