Innovating for sustainability: exploring the synergy between international digital trade, appeal mechanisms, renewable energy, and economic growth on ecological footprint in BRICST economies

In achieving sustainability, emerging economies are tremendously exploiting available resources, which are leading towards the climate change and environmental degradation. That’s why this study incorporated significant factors such as international digital trade, green technological innovation, renewable energy, GDP and GDP square. For this objective a panel dataset of BRICS-T economies sourced from World development Indicator comprises on 1990–2022 is employed. Econometric approaches such as FMOLS and DOLS affirm that international digital trade, green technological innovation, and renewable energy can significantly assisting to mitigate their ecological footprint in BRICS-T. Further, FGLS validates the FMOLS and DOLS findings and affirms the presence of EKC. Therefore, the responsibilities of policymakers have increased to eradicate the negative influence of economic growth while promoting digital trade, amplification of green technology and incentivize the adoption of renewable energy to achieve the environmental sustainability and development.