• CSR significantly promotes renewable energy adoption in ecologically fragile regions, strengthening firms' sustainability transitions. • Renewable energy adoption partly mediates the link between CSR and ecological–economic performance, improving both environmental quality and business outcomes. • PLS-SEM analysis of 330 firms confirms that CSR-driven clean energy strategies enhance overall ecological–economic performance (R 2 = 0.55). • A supportive external policy environment intensifies the positive impact of renewable energy adoption on performance outcomes. • Rigid internal governance structures constrain the effectiveness of CSR initiatives in advancing renewable energy use. • Findings provide practical insights for aligning CSR, renewable energy strategies, and institutional frameworks to accelerate SDG 7, 9, 12, and 13 implementations in ecologically vulnerable areas.
TongTong et al. (Fri,) studied this question.