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The research objective was to check the impact of industry 4 (I4) technologies on environmental sustainability (ENS) with the mediating role of green supply chain management (GSCM) of textile companies in Saudi Arabia.

Data was collected from those respondents who were linked with management and also have knowledge of I4 technologies. The researchers distributed 500 questionnaires among respondents for data collection, 350 questionnaires were received, and used for analysis. The researchers employed the quantitative research approach and cross-sectional research design.

The results indicate that I4 has a positive effect on ENS and GSCM practices except for green purchasing where I4 has an insignificant impact on green purchasing. On the other hand, GSCM practices also significantly mediate between I4 and ENS except for green purchasing which has an insignificant mediating effect.

This study has a great theoretical contribution to literature as it provides strategic insight to managers as well as policymakers. From the perspective of resource-based view, this study is supportive to use I4 technology practices in GSCM. Furthermore, the current research suggests managers to implement I4 technologies and adopt the GSCM practices. These practices should be part of environmental strategies. The implementation of these practices will assist in building a strong reputation and satisfaction of customers and to fulfill the requisites of stakeholders.

The research was conducted with the extended framework of the mediating effect of GSCM between I4 and ENS of Saudi Arabia textile companies which are considered to be a pioneer study in the extant literature.

The desire of international retail brands to implement sustainable supply chain practices in the fashion value chain and improve suppliers' sustainability efforts; this research paper elucidates the relationship between blockchain technology and sustainability to impact apparel firms' triple bottom line.

For studying the impact of sustainable supply chain practices on the triple bottom line, a survey questionnaire was chosen and sent out to 500 garment companies simultaneously, of which 371 responded. The data collected is cross-sectional. The questionnaire survey was developed keeping in mind a few demographic elements such as experience, age and qualification to generalize the findings. For analysis, SmartPLS is used to run model structuring and regression analysis.

Test runs on model structure confirm the instrument's validity and reliability. Bootstrapping on the theoretical model to test developed hypotheses suggests that supply chain sustainability practices positively affect social, environmental and economic performance in a direct relationship. Further, indirect relation testing conducted to test blockchain technology's moderation influences only the constructs' relations.

The clubbing of sustainable supply chain practices and blockchain technology is a novel idea in the apparel industry; however, there are more constructs in the context of practice-based theory and supply chain which impact firm performance. Also, the research limits itself from discussing IT infrastructure and smart contract types that impact the technology's performance.

The study provides a framework for interpreting the synergetic influence of SSCP on firm social, environmental and economic performances, which is demanded both by consumers and regulators in an industry. The results suggest that managers sustainably design the production ecosystem, thus eliminating any discrepancy or slackness in the complete chain. Usually, suppliers are ignored, which are precursors in implementing SSCP.

The paper studies sustainability problems through ecological modernization theory and practical-based theory giving a unique perspective on the issue faced by the apparel industry and combining sustainable supply chain practices and blockchain.