Effects of Environmental Awareness Training and en

PLOS ONE
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Effects of environmental awareness training

and environmental commitment on firm’s
green innovation performance: Empirical
insights from medical equipment suppliers
Qiong Wu1, Senlin Xie2, Shihan Wang3, Anning Zhou3, Lucille Aba Abruquah4,5,
Zhen Chen ID6*
1 School of Management Science and Engineering, Chongqing Technology and Business University,
a1111111111
Chongqing, China, 2 School of International Business, Chongqing Technology and Business University,
a1111111111 Chongqing, China, 3 School of Business Administration, Chongqing Technology and Business University,
a1111111111 Chongqing, China, 4 CERATH Development Organization, Accra, Ghana, 5 Research Global, Accra,
a1111111111 Ghana, 6 Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, China
a1111111111
* zhenchen2017@outlook.com
Abstract
OPEN ACCESS
Citation: Wu Q, Xie S, Wang S, Zhou A, Aba In recent years, the intensification of global industrialization coupled with the enterprise’s
Abruquah L, Chen Z (2024) Effects of production and operating activities have caused pollution, increasing the current environ-
environmental awareness training and mental pressure. Relevant government departments in China have instituted several strin-
environmental commitment on firm’s green
innovation performance: Empirical insights from
gent measures (environmental protection sensitization and awareness activities, training
medical equipment suppliers. PLoS ONE 19(3): sessions, and exchange activities targeted towards enterprise managers) to address these
e0297960. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. rising environmental problems. Though these measures have gained traction over the
pone.0297960
years, there is a dearth of research on their effectiveness on the green innovation perfor-
Editor: Xingwei Li, Sichuan Agricultural University, mance of enterprises. To bridge the gap, this research explores the effect of environmental
CHINA
awareness training, knowledge exchange activities, and commitment on green innovation
Received: May 19, 2023 performance with survey data from 285 medical equipment manufacturing companies in
Accepted: January 14, 2024 China. It further expands the theoretical application of environmental awareness training,
Published: March 5, 2024
commitment, and innovation performance from the lens of the Knowledge-Based View. The
findings depict a positive relationship between environmental awareness training and inno-
Peer Review History: PLOS recognizes the
benefits of transparency in the peer review
vation performance. It also finds a mediating influence of environmental commitment in the
process; therefore, we enable the publication of relationship between environmental awareness training and green innovation performance.
all of the content of peer review and author Furthermore, environmental knowledge exchange activities positively moderate the rela-
responses alongside final, published articles. The
tionship between environmental awareness training and environmental commitment. These
editorial history of this article is available here:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297960 findings offer valuable insights for the green development of medical equipment manufactur-
ing enterprises and the government to formulate environmental protection policies.
Copyright: © 2024 Wu et al. This is an open access
article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author and
source are credited.
Data Availability Statement: The data underlying

the results presented in the study are available
PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297960 March 5, 2024 1 / 18

PLOS ONE Environmental awareness training and environmental commitment on firm’s green innovation performance
from (https://figshare.com/s/ 1. Research background

5ed7ec4ed8edeab92ad4)
The significance of green innovation cannot be overemphasized in developed and emerging
Funding: This work was supported by the National
economies. It plays a critical function in the twenty-first century for enterprises’ success, devel-
Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing [Grant
Number CSTB2022NSCQ-MSX0502]; and the City-
opment, and survival. Mo, Boadu [1] assert that green innovation manages the environment,
School Cooperation Project of Dazhou Science and energy usage, pollutant production, and waste disposal and recycling towards cleaner produc-
Technology Bureau [Grant Number tion and sustainability. Thus, it serves as a superior player, mitigates the production of pollut-
DZKJJ2020S05]. The entire process and ants, and increases cost efficiency and competitive advantage. For the past few years,
conclusions of this study were not influenced by stakeholders have gradually become aware of green innovation’s importance to society and
the fund sponsor. The funders had no role in study
how enterprises should operate in an environmentally friendly manner to integrate green
design, data collection and analysis, decision to
publish, or preparation of the manuscript. practices into strategic and process management. However, compared with developed markets
environment, emerging markets face challenges between development and the environment.
Competing interests: The authors have declared
For instance, with the escalation of global industrialization, Chinese enterprises’ production
that no competing interests exist.
and operating activities have caused pollution, threatening the life of the earth’s ecosystem [2].
Due to the alarming nature of the menace, for enterprises to survive, scholars, government
agencies, and civil society organizations have recognized environmental protection sensitiza-
tion and awareness training programs as a vital weapon for curbing the rising environmental
issues to promote sustainability. Environmental awareness training refers to the sum of the
training and learning actions on ecological issues, hands-on activities for sustainability, and
relevant environmental policies and regulations taken by enterprises to meet environmental
challenges. Environmental awareness training activities offer corrective measures to mitigate
ecological menace towards innovation performance. Previous studies have established the pos-
itive impact of pro-environmental education on environmental protection [3, 4]. However,
there is a dearth of studies on the environmental awareness training effectiveness on the green
innovation performance (GIP) of enterprises, especially in emerging economies. This research
aims to bridge the gap by exploring the cause-and-effect relationship between environmental
awareness training (EAT), environmental knowledge exchange activities (EKEA), and envi-
ronmental commitment (EC) in GIP and related boundary conditions using the Chinese med-
ical equipment manufacturing industry. Chinese market environment offers a fertile ground
for the study of such nature to understand the linkage amongst the variables.
First, research shows that education and training experiences are crucial in business man-
agement decisions [5, 6]. For instance, extant works have established the positive impact of
pro-environmental education on environmental protection [3, 4]. However, there is still a lack
of relevant evidence on the specific extent to which environmental training impacts GIP.
Hence, the current study probes the linkage between EAT and GIP.
Second, this work contends that EC mediates between EAT and GIP. From the extant liter-
ature, research on EC primarily centers on the basic level of individuals and the environment.
For example, Hojnik, Ruzzier [7] explore the determinants of individuals’ inclination to pay
for green energy. Cicatiello, Ercolano [8] explore the relationship between personal views on
the environment and the environment of a specific region. Few studies have, however, linked
EC with GIP to examine the impact of EC on EAT and GIP. This research thus investigates the
involvement and efficacy of EC in the green innovation process of medical equipment enter-
prises to bridge the research gap.
Third, leveraging the knowledge-based view, this research probes into the expansion effect
of EKEA on the relationship between EAT and EC. EKEA can aid enterprises in overcoming
knowledge limitations that arise within a single entity [9], promote collaboration [10] and
multilevel knowledge sharing [11], and effectively improve the green innovation performance
of enterprises [12]. Hence, this scholarship examines the moderating effect of EKEA in the

model and expands the application of a knowledge-based view in environmental protection-

related fields.
In summary, to solve the above problems, this scholarship uses survey data from 285 medi-
cal equipment manufacturing companies in China to investigate the mechanism of EAT’s
influence on GIP, the mediating role of EC and the positive regulatory impact of EKEA, and
the logical relationship between these variables from the perspective of knowledge-based the-
ory. The findings are expected to expand the applications of EKEA and EC in the green inno-
vation field, making it an essential contribution to the theoretical and practical aspects of the
subject. Thus, it provides the academic community, enterprises, and governments with a fur-
ther understanding of the role of EAT, EC, and EKEA in green innovation planning. It also
provides a decision-making reference for the green development of medical equipment
manufacturing enterprises.
2. Literature review
2.1 Knowledge-based view
We draw from the knowledge-based view (KBV) to explore the relationship between environ-
mental awareness activities and GIP. The KBV of the enterprise builds and extends the
resource-based view (RBV) that emphasizes the strategic significance of knowledge as a unique
resource [13]. The theory concentrates on how enterprises create, acquire, protect, transfer,
and use knowledge [14] for higher performance. Thus, it is regarded as the convergence of the
enterprise knowledge research flow. Proponents of KBV perceive knowledge as the most sig-
nificant strategic organizational resource in terms of value creation. Although, lack of consen-
sus over the nature of knowledge has prevented the KBV from developing into an integrated,
stand-alone theory, but has not constrained its ability to provide penetrating insights into
organizational strategy and management. Boadu, Xie [15] assert that the fundamental purpose
of an organization is to create and apply knowledge that can offer the foundation for sustain-
able differentiation (i.e., difficult to imitate) to attain a competitive edge. The theory asserts
that knowledge base and ability are the main determinants for enterprises to obtain results in
the knowledge economy [16]. Though multifaceted, scholars have established that the amal-
gamation and the configuration of intangible resources, such as knowledge resources, are cru-
cial to innovation [4]. Admittedly, KBV postulates that focusing on the efficiency of
knowledge exchange and searching for the best method can boost the management and opera-
tion of business activities, leading to organizational innovation and competitive edge [14, 17].
Hence, the KBV perspective is suitable for scrutinizing environmental awareness knowledge
exchange and GIP. It explicitly addresses how EAT affects the knowledge base of managers,
which is reflected in the management’s future business decisions [18], resulting in an enhanced
EC and ultimately improving the GIP of enterprises.
To this end, with the KBV as a foundation, we have developed a research model on EKEA,
EAT, EC, and GIP, as shown in Fig 1.
2.2 Environmental awareness training and green innovation performance

Green innovation performance measures the extent to which organizations develop innova-
tions that condense or abate environmental damages, impact, and worsening while optimizing
the use of natural resources [1]. Thus, it denotes the innovative practices of businesses in prod-
ucts, processes, management, and reduction of pollution emissions. As a strategy, it offers
great opportunities to meet buyers’ requirements while preserving the ecosystem [1]. Admit-
tedly, the concept offers organizations a roadmap for achieving sustainable competitive advan-
tages in an ecologically effective way [1, 19]. From the extant studies, green innovation has

Fig 1. Research framework.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297960.g001
been categorized into two aspects, namely, product and process innovation [20]. However, the
ultimate goal is to condense environmental risks in product and service functions for custom-
ers, resource utilization and cost efficiency, and organizational flexibility [21].
From the extant works, there is no clear definition of EAT. This paper draws from similar
research on environment protection and training [22, 23] to define EAT as the sum of the
training and learning actions on environmental issues, hands-on activities for sustainability,
and relevant environmental policies and regulations taken by enterprises to meet environmen-
tal challenges. Drawing on the KBV, EAT can influence the manager’s knowledge and envi-
ronmental awareness by facilitating the exchange and learning of relevant knowledge, leading
to improved green innovation performance [24, 25]. It is predominantly manifest in two main
ways: First, it allows managers to acquire knowledge associated with preserving the environ-
ment (e.g., environmental concepts, culture, and values). Thus, EAT is more inclined towards
green innovation-related strategies and actions in management decisions, which can promote
the green innovation performance of enterprises [26, 27]. Second, there is evidence to suggest
that organizational identity has a positive impact on GIP [28]. Previous studies have estab-
lished the positive impact of pro-environmental education on environmental protection [4].
In this context, we contend that training on environmental protection in the Chinese medi-
cal equipment manufacturing sector can promote managers’ willingness to participate in envi-
ronmental protection activities, which, in turn, enhances the green corporate image and
identity of enterprises and ultimately promotes GIP [29]. For this, we suggest the following
hypothesis:
H1: Environmental awareness training has a positive impact on green innovation
performance.
2.3 EAT and EC

Environmental commitment has gradually become one of the important subjects in environ-
mental management [1]. Studies show that higher environmental education can stimulate citi-
zenry environmental awareness [30] and promote environmental protection behavior [31, 32].
Drawing on the KBV, EAT can increase awareness and change in behavior, thus promoting
EC [33]. For instance, environmental education organized by the government and society can

make managers realize the importance of environmental protection, thus boosting EC.
Besides, environmental protection education provided by the government and society can
strengthen the managers’ sense of social responsibility, which, in turn, promotes EC. Previous
studies have proved that regular knowledge acquisition activities and initiatives aimed at envi-
ronmental issues positively influence environmental commitment [34].
Building on the KBV, we contend that the environmental awareness training process of the
Chinese medical equipment manufacturing sector can boost environmental commitment.
Hence, we postulate that EAT can affect EC in an organization. We suggest the following
assumptions:
H2: Environmental awareness training has a positive impact on environmental commitment
2.4 EC and GIP

Linked to the above Hypothesis 2, drawing upon the KBV, environmental commitment is one
of the most significant motives for individual intent to acquire knowledge about ecological
deeds. EC refers to people’s willingness to engage in environmental protection efforts. Accord-
ing to the KBV, EC can influence the enterprise’s environmental management and green prac-
tices, which, in turn, leads to enhanced green innovation performance. It manifests in two
ways: First, it can cultivate a sense of sustainable development within enterprises. This helps
enterprises to create sustainable practices and invest necessary funds in developing green
products, which ultimately promotes GIP [35, 36]. Second, consumers not only have a growing
concern for the environment but also exhibit an increasing interest in purchasing green prod-
ucts [37]. EC can, thus, improve the organizational image of enterprises, competitiveness, and
market share, which, ultimately promotes GIP. For instance, the findings of studies conducted
by Mo, Boadu [1] and Lin and Ho [38] on managerial environmental concerns and green
innovation performance and green innovation reveal significant impacts among the variables.
Drawing on the KBV, we contend that EC can aid enterprises in formulating wide-ranging
ecological protection strategies in the direction of environmental matters, which, in turn,
enhances enterprises’ GIP. We therefore propose the following assumptions based on these
assertions:
H3: Environmental commitment positively affects green innovation performance
2.5 Mediating role of EC in EAT and GIP

Studies have indicated that EAT is a continuous education that influences managers’ environ-
mental awareness and decision-making, ultimately shaping their environmental attitudes [3,
39]. Concerning external knowledge acquisition, EAT can help managers acquire knowledge
related to environmental protection concepts and practices. Therefore, EAT can change their
behavioral awareness [32], which affects their values and environmental attitudes [40], thus
promoting EC.
EAT further establishes the value orientation of green development through EC, which
enhances green product development of enterprises [41, 42] and ultimately promotes GIP.
The current scholarship contends that EC can positively influence enterprises’ green innova-
tion activities. Thus, enterprises can adopt some responsible production techniques to enhance
GIP. Extant works have proved how managerial environmental concerns affect the enterprise’s
GIP. For instance, Mo, Boadu [1] and Xie, Chen [4] find a snooping consequence of manage-
rial environmental concerns in the correlation between pro-environmental education and
eco-friendly agricultural production and CSR activities and GIP, respectively.

Drawing from the internal knowledge transfer, we contend that EAT can promote EC
while in the internal knowledge sharing and exchange, it makes environmental protection the
consensus of managers to establish the image of enterprises in the hearts of the people and the
government, thus promoting GIP. We therefore suggest the hypothesis below:
H4: Environmental commitment mediates the relationship between environmental awareness
training and green innovation performance
2.6 Moderating role of EKEA

EAT ensures the transfer of knowledge to enterprise managers through training. Training cre-
ates environmental protection awareness, which enhances the sense of social responsibility in
enterprise managers. The enhanced social responsibility of enterprise managers improves
their inclination to formulate ecological strategies, which ultimately promotes EC [43]. How-
ever, most knowledge transmitted to managers through education and training is explicit.
Explicit knowledge is open and lacks creativity [44], which is not conducive to transmission
and reception. On the contrary, tacit knowledge is the source of several opportunities and
potentials found and created. Therefore, in knowledge management, it is a great challenge to
make explicit knowledge implicit so that knowledge can be effectively received and used in the
transmission process [45]. This paper introduces the variable EKEA, which can effectively
solve this obstacle.
With reference to Buder [46], this paper defines EKEA as the behavior of changing one’s
environmental awareness or interacting with others. EKEA is a dynamic and flowing process
that combines different forms of knowledge from multiple sources to effectively improve the
efficiency and practicality of knowledge transfer [47]. Existing research has shown that EKEA
is critical in extending the knowledge spillover effect within organizations and building com-
petitive advantages [48]. Additionally, EKEA has the potential to facilitate collaboration
between individuals with diverse backgrounds and skills, which results in the creation of new
knowledge and more efficient sharing and utilization of existing knowledge. This enhances the
effectiveness of knowledge transfer and acquisition [49]. Therefore, when EKEA is limited, the
knowledge acquired by managers is mainly reflected at the explicit level, which results in low
efficiency of knowledge transmission and acceptance. This adversely affects the impact of EAT
on EC. Conversely, when there is an abundance of EKEA, it enhances knowledge transfer effi-
ciency through the transfer mode of mutual exchange and sharing of implicit knowledge. This
enhances the impact of EAT on EC. Therefore, we suggest the assumptions below:
H5: EKEA plays a positive regulatory role in the link between EAT and EC, such that strength-
ening EKEA enhances the positive effect of EAT on EC, while weakening EKEA decreases
this impact.
3. Methods
3.1 Flow chart
3.1 The flow diagram of the methods is displayed below (see Fig 2).
3.2 Participants and procedure

This research has received approval from the Hospital Academic Ethics Committee. In testing
the hypothesis, this study uses China’s medical equipment enterprises as a survey object

Fig 2. Flow diagram of the methods.

through quantitative research methods. In ensuring the clarity of survey questions, focus
group discussions with five medical equipment suppliers were undertaken. After several
rounds of revisions, a pilot survey was conducted. The pilot survey entailed interviewing 42
senior executives of medical equipment suppliers from two top three hospitals in southwest
China. The data analysis results preliminarily verified the study hypothesis.
Furthermore, we obtained a directory of senior executives of medical equipment suppliers
from the Alumni platform of several double first-class universities in the southwest region.
Through random sampling, we selected more than 400 senior executives from the directory
and invited them to participate in the survey via email or phone. After receiving a positive
response via email or phone, 377 questionnaires were distributed to senior executives of medi-
cal equipment enterprises from March 2023 to April 2023. Finally, we received a total of 296
questionnaires from the senior executives. After deleting invalid questionnaires, the study
retained 285 valid samples, representing a participation rate of 75.60%. The characteristics of
the respondents are presented in Table 1.
3.3 Variables
A seven-point Likert-type was applied to measure the variables, where “1” represents totally
disagree and “7” represents totally agree.
3.3.1 Dependent variable: GIP. Our approach to measuring GIP was influenced by the
gaps identified in previous research [1, 35]. Past studies focused on the innovation process and
did not depict what "green" entails. Using the measurement of GIP in previous literature as a
reference, this paper redefines and proposes additional measurement indicators of GIP. Based
on existing literature [1, 35] and enterprise interview data, this paper measures GIP from four
aspects: raw materials, energy conservation, waste disposal, and recyclability. It probed into
whether (1) New products or businesses developed by the enterprises focused on the use of
environmentally friendly materials; (2) New products or businesses developed by the enter-
prises attached great importance to energy conservation; (3) The new products or businesses
developed by the enterprises reasonably dispose of hazardous substances or waste materials;
(4) The new products or businesses developed by the enterprises attach great importance to
the recyclability and reusability of the goods sold.
3.3.2 Independent variable: EAT. At present, few direct measurements of EAT have been
found. Based on similar research [22, 23], this paper measures EAT from four aspects: (1)
Enterprise managers actively participate in the environmental protection theoretical training

Table 1. The features of the respondents.

Feature Category Quantity Percentage
Age < = 30 62 21.75%
31–40 149 52.28%
41–55 58 20.35%
> = 56 16 5.61%
Gender Male 217 76.14%
Female 68 23.86%
Education Undergraduate and below 103 36.14%
Postgraduate and above 182 63.86%
Tenure 0–2 years 31 10.88%
2–5 years 39 13.68%
5–10 years 136 47.72%
10 years and above 79 27.72%
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297960.t001
organized by government agencies or other organizations; (2) Enterprise management person-

nel actively participate in pro-environmental practice which organized by the government
agencies or other organizations; (3) Enterprise managers actively participate in the skills train-
ing in low-carbon energy conservation arranged by government institutions or non-govern-
mental organizations; (4) Enterprise managers actively participate in environmental policy-
related education and awareness programs, which are arranged by government institutions or
non-governmental organizations.
3.3.3 Mediation variable: Environmental commitment. With reference to the descrip-
tion of organizational commitment by Meyer and Allen [50] and the measurement indicators
of environmental commitment from an individual level presented by He, Cheng [51], this
study proposes four components of environmental commitment on an organizational level.
These are: (1) Enterprises pay close attention to environmental interests in production and
operation; (2) Enterprises’ corporate culture and values deeply reflect the performance of envi-
ronmental protection responsibilities; (3) Enterprises are willing to continuously invest man-
power, material resources, and funds to fulfill environmental responsibilities; (4) Enterprises
consider environmental protection to be a crucial aspect of its long-term strategy.
3.3.4 Moderating variable: EKEA. Drawing on research by Lee and Wong [52] and
Kwahk and Park [53], as well as considering the pertinent aspect of environmental protection,
this paper proposes four measurement indicators of EKEA, namely: (1) Enterprises actively
organize employees to share knowledge and experience beneficial to environmental protec-
tion; (2) Enterprises encourage employees to discuss knowledge about environmental protec-
tion measures or technologies; (3) Enterprises actively participate in environmental protection
related exchange meetings and programs which arranged by government institutions or non-
governmental organizations; (4) Enterprises actively participate in the sharing activities of
environmental protection related knowledge and technology organized by the industry.
3.3.5 Control variables. Factors such as enterprise size, age, ownership, government sub-
sidies, R&D intensity, and net profit can affect the results of enterprise innovation behavior.
With reference to research by [54, 55], this paper uses the number of workers to indicate orga-
nizational size. The ownership structure of enterprises is measured, as 1 indicates state-owned
enterprises and 0 indicates privately owned enterprises [45]. The intensity of R&D is measured
by calculating the ratio of R&D investment to total sales.

3.4 Reliability and validity

Firstly, we performed a factor analysis to eliminate the influence of common method variance
(CMV). The total variance interpretation table shows that the explained variance of the first
factor without the pre-rotation eigenvalue greater than 1 is 28.226%, less than 40%. This value,
therefore, confirms that there are no serious CMV problems in this study.
Secondly, we used the principal component analysis method to conduct factor analysis on
potential variables. The result shows that the dimension division result after factor rotation is
the same as the questionnaire setting in this paper. This shows that the potential variable com-
bination corresponding to each variable in this paper is a good fit for the sample distribution
characteristics.
Thirdly, we calculated some important observation indicators related to the reliability and
validity through SPSS. The results show that all variables had a Cronbach’s α reliability coeffi-
cient greater than 0.7, demonstrating that the questionnaire responses in this study are highly
reliable. Additionally, the KMO value and the variables’ factor loading were all above 0.7, indi-
cating that the questionnaire responses are valid and suitable for factor analysis. Furthermore,
we found that all composite reliability (CR) value were above 0.7, and the average variance
extracted (AVE) were above 0.5. Table 2 depicts that all the observed reliability and validity
indicators of this research questionnaire have achieved a satisfactory level.
Furthermore, we carried out a confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS software. The
results demonstrate that χ 2/df value is 1.083, below 3; the RMSEA value is 0.017, below 0.08;
the SRMR value is 0.0245, below 0.05. Additionally, key indicators such as CFI, GFI, TLI, IFI,
and NFI are 0.997, 0.957, 0.997, 0.997, and 0.967, respectively, exceeding the recommended
threshold of 0.9, indicating good structural validity of the questionnaire used in this study.
4. Result
4.1 Descriptive and correlation analysis
Table 3 describes the sample characteristics and variable correlations. The findings demon-
strate that EAT is positively related to GIP, with a coefficient of 0.359, p<0.01, and EC, with a
Table 2. Reliability & validity test.

Variables Cronbach’sα AVE CR KMO Factor loading
Environmental awareness training 0.909 0.785 0.9359 0.851 0.878
0.888
0.893
0.885
Environmental Commitment 0.927 0.8205 0.9481 0.854 0.892
0.912
0.906
0.913
Environmental knowledge exchange activities 0.909 0.7870 0.9366 0.846 0.906
0.874
0.896
0.872
Green innovation performance 0.900 0.7696 0.9304 0.850 0.866
0.873
0.880
0.890

Table 3. Mean, SD and correlation.

Variables Size Age State-Ownership Financial Subsidy R&D Intensity Net profits EAT EC EKEA GIP
Size 1
Age .253** 1
State-Ownership .056 .151* 1
Financial Subsidy .156** .209** .122* 1
R&D Intensity .127* -.062 .059 .216** 1
Net profits .260** -.021 .202** .090 .182** 1
EAT .263** .025 .172** .107 .325** .310** 1
EC .249** .006 .222** .174** .177** .348** .457** 1
EKEA .009 .015 -.045 .023 .071 .106 -.041 .030 1
GIP .163** -.027 .182** .242** .396** .22** .359** .328** -.017 1
Mean 2.400 2.614 0.372 2.867 2.768 2.811 3.904 3.964 4.159 3.941
SD 1.377 1.345 0.484 1.442 1.415 1.480 1.737 1.750 1.743 1.696
Note: N = 285;
* p < 0.05,
** p < 0.01.
coefficient of 0.457, p<0.01. Furthermore, EC is positively related to GIP, with a coefficient of

0.328, p<0.01. This is consistent with the fundamental hypothesis of this study. At the same
time, all regression models in this paper have VIFs less than 10, indicating the absence of
severe collinearity.
4.2 Hypotheses testing

This paper utilized SPSS and Process software to examine the correlation between variables
and verify the proposed research hypothesis.
4.2.1 Direct effect and mediation effect. Table 4 presents the outcomes of the regression
analysis of both the direct and mediation effects.
Table 4. Regression analysis—main effect and mediation effect.

Variables GIP: M1—M4 EC: M5—M6
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6
1.Size 0.084(0.070) 0.047(0.07) 0.051(0.07) 0.032(0.07) 0.168(0.074) ** 0.106(0.071)
2.Age -0.077(0.072) -0.074(0.07) -0.063(0.07) -0.064(0.07) -0.072(0.075) -0.066(0.071)
3. State-Ownership 0.131(0.192) * 0.108(0.189) * 0.100(0.191) 0.091(0.189) 0.156(0.202) ** 0.117(0.191) *
4. Financial Subsidy 0.151(0.066) ** 0.152(0.064) ** 0.13(0.065) * 0.136(0.064) * 0.105(0.069) 0.107(0.065) *
5. R&D Intensity 0.322(0.066) *** 0.268(0.067) *** 0.307(0.065) *** 0.27(0.067) *** 0.074(0.07) -0.017(0.068)
6. Net profits 0.103(0.065) 0.062(0.065) 0.053(0.066) 0.036(0.066) 0.248(0.068) *** 0.181(0.066) **
7.EAT 0.208(0.057) *** 0.158(0.06) * 0.348(0.057) ***
8.EC 0.198(0.056) *** 0.145(0.059) *
R2 0.210 0.242 0.240 0.255 0.177 0.272
F 13.585*** 13.964*** 13.788*** 13.131*** 11.146*** 16.127***
Note:
***p<0.001,
**p<0.01,
*p<0.05.;N = 285.

M1 depicts the effect of the selected control variables on GIP. The findings indicate that the
ownership, financial subsidies and proportion of R&D investment to sales revenue are posi-
tively associated with GIP. This is in line with existing research conclusions.
M2 depicts the regression analysis results on the impact of the explanatory variable EAT on
GIP while controlling for the influence of other variables. The findings indicate that the vari-
able EAT positively influences GIP(β = 0.208, p<0.001), thereby supporting H1.
M4 shows the regression analysis findings on the impact of the explanatory variable EC on
GIP while controlling for the influence of other variables. The results indicate a significant pos-
itive effect of EC on GIP (β = 0.145, p<0.05), which confirms H3.
M6 examines the regression analysis on the impact of the explanatory variable, EAT on EC
while controlling for the influence of other variables. The findings indicate a significant posi-
tive impact of EAT on EC(β = 0.348, p<0.001), which supports H2.
Based on the findings of M1-M6, we can preliminarily speculate the mediating role of EC
in the relationship between EAT and GIP according to the basic meaning of mediating vari-
ables. To assess the strength and validity of the mediating effect, we further conducted a Boot-
strap analysis using the PROCESS software. The findings of the Bootstrap analysis are depicted
in Table 5. The results indicate a significant mediation effect of EC on the relationship between
EAT and GIP. The 95% confidence interval does not include 0, suggesting the results are
robust and reliable. The direct effect value was 0.1538, accounting for 75.76% of the total effect,
while the value of the indirect effect was 0.0492, representing 24.24% of the total effect. These
findings are in support of H4.
4.2.2 Moderating effect test. Table 6 presents the findings of the regulatory effect model’s
regression analysis. To mitigate the impact of collinearity, we first decentralized interaction
terms between the independent and regulatory variables. M9 demonstrates a significant posi-
tive impact of the interaction effect between EAT and EKEA on EC (β = 0.180, p<0.001).
These findings are in support of H5.
In order to better demonstrate the impact of moderating variables, we subsequently used
the PROCESS software to draw a moderating effect diagram and got Fig 3. Fig 3 shows that
when the level of EAT is held constant, an increase in EKEA will significantly enhance the
level of EC. These findings demonstrate a significant moderating effect of EKEA and support
H5 again.
4.2.3 Moderated mediation effect. In exploring the moderated mediation effect, we use
the PROCESS software to run MODEL 7 (here, select MODEL 7 in the software) to calculate
the data. The findings in Table 7 depict that the conditional indirect effect of EKEA on
EAT-EC-GIP was significant. Moreover, the 95% confidence intervals for the conditional indi-
rect effect did not include 0, indicating a significant moderated mediation effect. The coeffi-
cient of the moderated mediation effect is 0.0146, and the confidence interval does not include
0, indicating that the Moderated mediation effect of EKEA between EAT-EC-GIP is
significant.
Table 5. Bootstrap mediating effect test.

IV DV: GIP
Types Effect Boot SE Bootstrap 95% CI Rate
LLCI ULCI
EAT Total 0.2030 0.0568 0.0912 0.3147 100%
Direct 0.1538 0.0600 0.0358 0.2719 75.76%
Indirect 0.0492 0.0216 0.0116 0.0982 24.24%

Table 6. Regression analysis—regulation effect.

Variable EC
M7 M8 M9
1. Size 0.168(0.074) ** 0.107(0.071) 0.095(0.070)
2. Age -0.072(0.075) -0.068(0.071) -0.057(0.070)
3. State-Ownership 0.156(0.202) ** 0.119(0.192) * 0.106(0.189) *
4. Financial Subsidy 0.105(0.069) 0.107(0.065) * 0.116(0.064) *
5. R&D Intensity 0.074(0.070) -0.019(0.069) -0.036(0.067)
6. Net profits 0.248(0.068) *** 0.177(0.066) ** 0.174(0.065) **
EAT 0.351(0.058) *** 0.34(0.057) ***
IKEA 0.03(0.052) 0.017(0.051)
EAT*EKEA 0.180(0.029) ***
R2 0.177 0.270 0.299
F 11.146*** 14.121*** 14.483***
Note:
***p<0.001,
**p<0.01,
*p<0.05.;N = 285.
5. Conclusion, implications, and limitation

5.1 Conclusion
Knowledge of environmental awareness is crucial in today’s business practices, growth, and
sustained competitive edge. Environmental awareness training offers corrective measures to
mitigate ecological menace towards innovation performance. Although research has uncov-
ered the significance of pro-environmental education on environmental protection activities,
the impact of environmental awareness training on green innovation performance remains
underexplored, especially in emerging economies. This study fills the literature gap by using
Fig 3. The moderating effect of EKEA.


Table 7. Moderated mediation effect.

IV Moderating variable EAT!EC!GIP
Conditional indirect effect Moderated mediation effect
Effect Standard error LLCI ULCI Effect Standard error LLCI ULCI
EAT Low EKEA 0.0225 0.0149 0.0008 0.0621 0.0146 0.0075 0.0033 0.0336
High EKEA 0.0735 0.0318 0.0157 0.1402
survey data from 285 medical equipment manufacturing companies in China to investigate
the mechanism of EAT’s influence on GIP, the mediating role of EC and the positive regula-
tory impact of EKEA, and the logical relationship between these variables from the perspective
of KBV. The results show that: (1) There is a positive relationship between EAT and GIP; (2)
EAT positively affects EC; (3) EC positively affects GIP; (4) EC plays a mediation role between
EAT and GIP; (5) EKEA positively regulates the relationship between EAT and EC.
5.2 Theoretical implications

Firstly, this paper innovatively developed an indicator for measuring the variables of EAT and
GIP, thereby contributing to the methodological advancement of research in this area. The
measurement of GIP by previous studies [1, 35] focused on the "innovation process" and did
not depict what "green" entails. Using the measurement of GIP in previous literature as a refer-
ence, this paper redefines and proposes additional measurement indicators of GIP. This study
thus measures GIP from four facets: raw materials, energy conservation, waste disposal, and
recyclability. Presently, little literature on the direct measurement of EAT has been found.
Based on similar research [22, 23], this paper designs EAT measurement indicators from four
perspectives namely: theoretical learning, practical works, skills training, and environmental
protection policies. The conceptual framework and measurement results used comprehen-
sively consider existing theories and insights from organizational research. The high reliability
of these measures enhances their value as a reference for similar studies in the future.
Second, we have contributed to research related to EAT and GIP. Our empirical analysis
reveals that EAT has a positive influence on GIP. This conclusion is somewhat in line with
prior academic works such as Xie, Chen [3, 4], which highlight the pivotal role that pro-envi-
ronmental education plays in influencing environmental protection activities. Our study adds
nuance to the extant works in several key ways. Foremost among these is the targeted focus on
the impact of EAT on GIP, which has hitherto been underexplored, particularly within the
medical equipment manufacturing sector in emerging economies. Our results extend KBV by
demonstrating that it plays a key function in the impact of EAT on GIP.
Third, this research depicts the internal influence mechanism of EAT on GIP from the per-
spective of KBV. Existing research has conducted extensive research on GIP based on methods
[56, 57], knowledge management [58], quality management [59], green core competence [29],
and other aspects. The current research neglects the influence of the managerial subjective per-
ception. The environmental education and training for enterprise managers will inevitably
affect their objective conscious behavior and values. Research on internal influence mecha-
nisms is needed to attain a holistic understanding of EAT. This paper reveals the internal pro-
cess mechanism of "Environmental awareness training—Environmental commitment—Green
innovation performance" based on the KBV perspective, filling this research gap, which is
somewhat in line with prior academic works such as Mo, Boadu [1] and Xie, Chen [4] that
highlight an interfering consequence of managerial environmental concerns in the correlation
between pro-environmental education and eco-friendly agricultural production and CSR

activities and GIP, respectively. Our study delves deeper by identifying that EC mediates the
correlation between EAT and GIP. This indicates that EAT and EC are key stepping stones for
the GIP to take place effectively. The study is an add-on to KBV and related studies on GIP.
Finally, utilizing the knowledge-based view as a theoretical framework, this research ana-
lyzed the moderating effect of EKEA and identified a boundary condition that enhances the
impact of EAT on EC. EAT by government organizations promotes the acceptance of relevant
environmental protection concepts, thus effectively promoting EC. However, in this process,
most of the knowledge is explicit knowledge, ignoring the implicit process of explicit knowl-
edge [60], which ultimately leads to problems such as low efficiency and low availability of
EAT knowledge in the transmission process and acceptance. Based on this, we introduced the
variable EKEA, which can help enterprise executives solve challenges that arise during the
knowledge transfer process [61]. From the knowledge-based perspective, this paper examines
the reinforcement of EKEA on EAT and EC and the moderated mediation effect of EKEA on
“Environmental awareness training—Environmental commitment—Green innovation perfor-
mance.” These findings contribute to extending the scope of the KBV in environmental
education.
5.3 Management implications

There are three main management implications of this study:
Firstly, the research findings indicate that EAT is significantly associated with GIP. We sug-
gest civil society organizations and government agencies organize environmental protection
awareness, sensitization, and training programs for enterprise managers to grip EAT concepts
in their green innovation policies.
Secondly, the results of this study show that EKEA moderates the relationship between
EAT and EC and plays a significant role in regulating the overall process of "Environmental
awareness training—Environmental commitment—Green innovation performance.” This
shows that environmental knowledge exchange activities are conducive to managers’ assimila-
tion, accelerate the knowledge-gathering process, and thus improve the efficiency of knowl-
edge transmission and reception. We suggest that enterprises consider EKEA as a process in
the publicity activities of environmental protection knowledge. The exchange of training expe-
riences among participants after the training sessions can aid in improving managers’ green
innovation awareness, thus promoting EC.
Finally, authorities or government departments should formulate relevant incentive mea-
sures, implement the green development policy, and integrate environmental protection
awareness and sensitization into their strategic framework. And apply it to develop the capac-
ity of enterprise managers, which, in the long run, improves the GIP of businesses.
5.4 Limitation
Though this research has made significant contributions to related knowledge, several limita-
tions should be noted.
First of all, concerning the sample and scope of the study, data was only collected on man-
agement at the enterprise level. However, factors such as enterprise grassroots implementation,
government policies, economic environment, and social recognition are likely to affect GIP.
Future studies can, therefore, probe into these factors in assessing the relationship between
environmental awareness training and green innovation performance. The multiple perspec-
tives from these findings will ensure more accurate and objective conclusions.
The second limitation of this study is the variable design. In the design process of indica-
tors, the study considered both subjective and objective variables provided in the literature.

The subjective nature of some variables introduced, such as EKEA and EC, may result in biases
and erroneous conclusions that require further empirical analysis. Subsequent research can,
therefore, reassess these variables based on relevance to improve the research framework and
obtain more accurate research conclusions.
Finally, this study was conducted in a single geographic context (China) in a single sector
(medical equipment manufacturing companies in China). Therefore, researchers must be cau-
tious when generalizing these results and conclusions to other settings. Replicating this study
in a different geographic context or sector would be helpful to generalize our insights and
conclusions.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for their efforts in
improving our paper.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization: Qiong Wu, Zhen Chen.
Data curation: Qiong Wu, Senlin Xie, Zhen Chen.
Funding acquisition: Zhen Chen.
Investigation: Qiong Wu, Senlin Xie, Zhen Chen.
Methodology: Qiong Wu, Senlin Xie, Zhen Chen.
Supervision: Zhen Chen.
Validation: Qiong Wu, Senlin Xie.
Writing – original draft: Qiong Wu, Senlin Xie, Lucille Aba Abruquah, Zhen Chen.
Writing – review & editing: Qiong Wu, Senlin Xie, Shihan Wang, Anning Zhou,
Lucille Aba Abruquah, Zhen Chen.
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PLOS ONE

Effects of environmental awareness training

Data Availability Statement: The data underlying

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from (https://figshare.com/s/ 1. Research background

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model and expands the application of a knowledge-based view in environmental protection-

2.2 Environmental awareness training and green innovation performance

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Fig 1. Research framework.

2.3 EAT and EC

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2.4 EC and GIP

2.5 Mediating role of EC in EAT and GIP

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2.6 Moderating role of EKEA

3.2 Participants and procedure

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Fig 2. Flow diagram of the methods.

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Table 1. The features of the respondents.

organized by government agencies or other organizations; (2) Enterprise management person-

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3.4 Reliability and validity

Table 2. Reliability & validity test.

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Table 3. Mean, SD and correlation.

coefficient of 0.457, p<0.01. Furthermore, EC is positively related to GIP, with a coefficient of

4.2 Hypotheses testing

Table 4. Regression analysis—main effect and mediation effect.

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Table 5. Bootstrap mediating effect test.

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Table 6. Regression analysis—regulation effect.

5. Conclusion, implications, and limitation

Fig 3. The moderating effect of EKEA.

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Table 7. Moderated mediation effect.

5.2 Theoretical implications

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5.3 Management implications

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