Corporate altruism, dual innovation and competitive advantage

•Corporate altruism has a significant positive effect on competitive advantage;.•Altruism positively affects exploratory innovation;.•Altruism positively affects utilization innovation;.•Dual innovation significantly positively affects competitive advantage;. This paper uses the questionnaire survey method and empirical analysis to analyze the impact of corporate altruism, dual innovation on competitive advantage, and the mediating role of dual innovation between corporate altruism and competitive advantage. The results show that corporate altruism has a significant positive effect on competitive advantage; altruism positively affects exploratory innovation; altruism positively affects utilization innovation; dual innovation significantly positively affects competitive advantage; and dual innovation has a significant mediating effect between corporate altruism and competitive advantage.