The Impact of Startups’ Dual Learning on Their Green Innovation Capability: The Effects of Business Executives’ Environmental Awareness and Environmental Regulations

Under the environment of a green economy, green innovation serves as the only way for enterprises to grow, upgrade their competitiveness and seek continued business. Based on a questionnaire survey of 212 enterprises established within 4 years in the Pearl River Delta of China, this research utilizes structural methods to analyze the impacts of exploratory and applied learning (dual learning) on green innovation capability and verifies the environmental protection awareness of senior executives and the adjustment effects of environmental regulation. The results suggest that (1) exploratory and applied learning have a positively significant impact on green innovation capability; (2) under the regulation of environmental protection awareness of internal executives, there are differences in green innovation capabilities under the dual influences of exploratory and applied learning; and (3) under the adjustment of external environmental regulation, there are differences in green innovation capabilities under the dual influences of exploratory and applied learning. The findings indicate that new start-up ventures should raise awareness of environmental protection among senior executives under dual learning and perceive the changes of the government’s environmental regulations to enhance their green innovation capabilities.