Multilevel regresion between supply chain 4.0 and environmental performance in large Brazilian companies

Supply chain 4.0 refers to the application of industry 4.0 in the context of the supply chain, and few studies have explored its impacts. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between the use of digital technologies in the supply chain and its respective environmental performance. A sample of companies from different sectors, and indicators of use of digital technologies in supply chain, and of environmental performance (in case, solid waste disposal) were defined. With the data collected, factor analysis was applied to decrease the number of variables related to the use of digital technologies. To test the formulated hypotheses, linear multilevel regressions, with three levels, were subsequently performed. The results revealed four groups of digital technologies, and only one group was associated with a decrease in environmental performance. In addition, all the contingencies considered (sector, sector’s technological intensity, and tier) represented a small positive moderate effect on the investigated relationships. From a theoretical point of view, the results respond to the association between the use of digital technologies and solid waste disposal. From a practical point of view, the results can help professionals prioritize groups of digital technologies for implementation and internal training according to the desired performance.