How Technological Gaps and Institutional Voids Influence Green Global Value Chains—A Systematic Literature Review

As global value chains integrate firms operating under varied institutional contexts and distinct technological capabilities, the uniform adoption of green standards becomes challenging. A “one-size-fits-all” sustainability approach often fails to account for the voids faced by firms in different contexts participating in one value chain, particularly in developing economies an area where academic research remains limited and fragmented. This research gap is the motivation for the present study. Through a systematic review of 56 articles, this paper examines how technological gaps and institutional voids in global value chains (GVCs) affect firms’ capacity to leverage environmental performance across different national and organizational contexts. Building on this synthesis, we develop an integrative conceptual framework that elucidates these dynamics and offers actionable insights for managers seeking to navigate environmental performance in heterogeneous institutional and technological settings. Our findings contribute to the literature on sustainable GVCs and guide practitioners aiming to foster effective cross-border collaborations that enhance environmental performance.