## 4 Discussion  
The current research expands the body of research on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) by integrating it with operational research. Two key findings emerge when investigating the effects of operational transparency (OPT) and sustainable operations (SUP) on environmental sustainability as an operational driver. First, the results address RQ1, revealing that several obstacles to managing environmental sustainability in business operations include factors such as resource management, advanced technology, and governmental regulations and standards, which hinder the implementation of sustainable business practices. To overcome these operational challenges, a holistic approach is needed--one that integrates sustainability principles across various business functions and emphasizes the pivotal role of leadership in driving sustainable strategies. The findings offer a distinctive approach to environment management research, as most existing studies examining these connections are qualitative, with large-scale quantitative analyses still being quite rare [74]. Comparatively, the contributions are novel, and the outcomes of the current study are supported by literary works [74; 75; 76]. For example, the effects of EBPr towards OPT, EnS, and SUP were positive and significant. This means that EBPr adoptions have achieved the purpose of adoption toward the EnS at focal firms. In other words, high transparency in business operations, adoption of EBPr in business operations, and sustainability in operations motivate focal firms to highlight environmental issues. This finding supports the literature that asserts that business practices benefit ecological concerns [75; 77; 78]. Second, this study aims to determine whether OPT and SUP mediate the relationship between environmental business practices (EBPr) and environmental sustainability (EnS) concerning RQ2. Our findings confirm that achieving environmental sustainability requires high levels of transparency in environmental business practices. These results show the importance of operational transparency to manage business practices for accuracy in business procedures. The current findings are supported by previous literature [78; 79]. Academic researchers argue that close communication between business partners can enhance the overall performance of the supply chain [79]. For example, if key information \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Hypothesis** & **Coefficients (\(\beta\))** & **Standard Deviation (STDEV)** & **T Statistics (1O/STDEV1)** & \(p\)**-Values** \\ \hline EBPr–\(\rightarrow\)EnS & 0.257 & 0.026 & 9.931 & 0.000 \\ EBPr–\(\rightarrow\)SUP & 0.072 & 0.032 & 2.28 & 0.023 \\ EBPr–\(\rightarrow\)OPT & 0.149 & 0.033 & 4.553 & 0.000 \\ SUP–\(\rightarrow\)EnS & 0.231 & 0.026 & 8.73 & 0.000 \\ OPT–\(\rightarrow\)ENS & 0.259 & 0.027 & 9.509 & 0.000 \\ OPT–\(\rightarrow\)SUP & 0.233 & 0.032 & 7.368 & 0.000 \\ EBPr–\(\rightarrow\)SUP–\(\rightarrow\)EnS & 0.017 & 0.007 & 2.237 & 0.026 \\ OPT–\(\rightarrow\)SUP–\(\rightarrow\)EnS & 0.054 & 0.01 & 5.435 & 0.000 \\ EBPr–\(\rightarrow\)OPT–\(\rightarrow\)EnS & 0.039 & 0.009 & 4.154 & 0.000 \\ EBPr–\(\rightarrow\)SUP & 0.035 & 0.008 & 4.123 & 0.000 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note: SUP = sustainable operations, EnS = environmental sustainability, OPT = operational transparency, EBPr = environmental business practices.  
\end{table} 
Table 6: SEM analysis findings. Figure 5: Results for SEM. Where, “***” represents \(p\)-value \(\leq\) 0.000, and “***” represents \(p\)-value \(\leq\) 0.05.  
from suppliers or customers is shared with relevant business partners (e.g., raw material suppliers, wholesalers, manufacturers, or third-party participants), partners can update their operations accordingly, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the firm. Next, this study provides positive and significant mediating effects of sustainable operations and new grounds for the resource-based view theory.