Metaverse dynamics: enhancing trust, information sharing, and sustainable supply chain resilience

Purpose The metaverse enables users to engage in an immersive virtual world through sensory feedback mechanisms. The purpose of this study is to investigate how immersive virtual environments in the metaverse enhance trust-building among manufacturing enterprises, thereby promoting information sharing and strengthening sustainable resilience. Design/methodology/approach A framework based on Trust Theory and Resource-Based View was tested using survey data from 483 Chinese manufacturing managers via partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings In the metaverse, sensory feedback enhances trust-building, which then improves information sharing. This mediates the relationship with sustainable resilience of manufacturing enterprises, augmenting their preparedness, responsiveness and recovery capability. Practical implications The findings of this study offer valuable guidance for using sensory feedback in immersive virtual environments to improve trust-building and information sharing, thus bolstering manufacturing enterprises’ sustainable resilience. Originality/value This study clarifies how metaverse enabled resources (immersive virtual environments and sensory feedback) evolve into relational capabilities (trust and information sharing) that drive sustainable resilience. This study extends resilience and trust literature and demonstrates practical pathways for achieving SDG 9.