The pursuit of sustainability has become critical for exporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), driven by stakeholder pressure and international buyer requirements. This poses challenges to their survival and performance in international markets. Drawing on the capabilities perspective, the present research pioneers the study of this issue by proposing and empirically validating a theoretical framework for the determinant and outcomes of sustainability competence in exporting SMEs. Results from 673 SMEs demonstrate that sustainability orientation drives the configuration of sustainability competence, resulting in enhanced environmental and market performance. Market performance (market legitimacy and brand equity) significantly enhances financial performance, emphasizing the importance of customer satisfaction and investor support. Although no direct causal relationship exists between environmental performance and financial performance, a significant positive correlation is observed. This study thus provides avenues for further research on factors, mechanisms, and contingencies influencing the relationship between environmental performance and financial performance in exporting SMEs.

中文翻译：

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中小型出口商的可持续发展能力：决定因素和结果

在利益相关者压力和国际买家要求的推动下，追求可持续性对于出口中小企业 (SME) 至关重要。这对他们在国际市场上的生存和表现提出了挑战。本研究从能力的角度出发，通过提出并实证验证了出口中小企业可持续能力的决定因素和结果的理论框架，开创了这一问题的研究。 673 家中小企业的调查结果表明，可持续发展导向推动了可持续发展能力的配置，从而提高了环境和市场绩效。市场表现（市场合法性和品牌资产）显着提高财务绩效，强调客户满意度和投资者支持的重要性。尽管环境绩效与财务绩效之间不存在直接因果关系，但观察到显着的正相关关系。因此，本研究为进一步研究影响出口中小企业环境绩效与财务绩效之间关系的因素、机制和意外事件提供了途径。