Empowering Green Choices: How Laws Influence Ecological Commitment, Environmental Knowledge, and Green Technology Adoption for a Cleaner Tomorrow

The threat of environmental degradation caused by production activities is growing worldwide owing to the unsustainable behavior of firms.Environmental legislation plays a central role in developing firms' conservation-oriented and nature-friendly behavior.Limited literature is available on how environmental legislation affects firms' nature-friendly behavior and adoption of environmentally friendly technologies.This research presents an empirical investigation into the intricate interplay between ecological commitment, environmental knowledge, firms' nature-friendly behavior, and the adoption of environmental technologies within organizations.Moreover, the study examines the moderating role of environmental law between firms' nature-friendly behavior and the adoption of environmental technologies.Data were collected from 401 firms through face-to-face and online surveys during the pandemic in China.The study used Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data.The results show significant associations between ecological commitment (β = 0.421, p<0.01), environmental knowledge (β = 0.301, p<0.01) and firms' naturefriendly behavior.The findings also reveal that a firm's nature-friendly behavior (β = 0.271, p<0.01) positively influences its adoption of environmentally friendly technologies.Similarly, environmental law positively and significantly moderates the relationship between firms' nature-friendly behavior and the adoption of environmental technologies.Therefore, firms should align their values and operations with ecological commitment, fostering a culture of environmental responsibility that permeates all levels of the organization.