The effect of green supply chain management on green performance and firm competitiveness in the context of container shipping in Taiwan

•This study examines internal green practices, external green integration, green performance, and firm competitiveness in container shipping.•Internal green practices and external green collaboration positively impact on green performance, and help to enhance firm competitiveness.•Green performance and external green collaboration act as mediator variables between internal green practices and firm competitiveness.

This study empirically examines the relationships between internal green practices, external green integration, green performance, and firm competitiveness in the container shipping context. We collect data from a survey of 163 container shipping firms in Taiwan, and apply a structural equation model (SEM) to test the research hypotheses. We confirm that internal green practices and external green collaboration have positive impacts on green performance, which in turn helps to enhance firm competitiveness. The findings show that a firm’s green performance and external green collaboration act as mediator variables between internal green practices and firm competitiveness, and they influence firm competitiveness positively. We also discuss in this paper the managerial implications for container shipping firms to improve their green performance and competitiveness.