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The capability to manage the supply chain is a key issue in general management as well as green management. The topic has been widely discussed in the literature, however only few studies focused on how this capability could influence the effectiveness of certified Environmental Management Systems. To bridge this gap, we administered a survey with more than 400 EU EMAS-registered companies in order to investigate the relation between green supply chain management capability and some key organisational performance such as environmental management system internalisation, environmental reputation, eco-innovation and market competitiveness. The results show a positive influence of green supply chain management capability on performance through the mediating role of the internalisation of environmental management system and directly on market competitiveness. The study opens the floor on further academic debates on green supply chain management capability in environmental management systems and it identifies possible managerial and policy implications.

Most firms, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), find it difficult to integrate circular economy strategies within their business models. Moreover, there is a lack of research on approaches for the successful implementation of circular economies in SMEs in the field of manufacturing. To fill this gap, we investigate the antecedents of absorptive capacity in successful circular economy business cases using a qualitative multiple-case study. Focusing on the horticultural sector, we interviewed six Italian SMEs using NVivo 12 for the analysis. The data were then classified into first-order and second-order categories and then sorted into absorptive capacity dimensions. Our results highlight the significant contribution provided by absorptive capacities to the circular economy in SMEs. We highlighted three antecedents for each absorptive capacity dimension and explored their key concepts. Our study contributes to the academic literature on the links between absorptive capacity and corporate sustainability by providing insights into the role of acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation capabilities in the successful implementation of circular economy practices.