Can the digitization of supply chains promote the low-carbon transformation of enterprises? A case study of listed companies in China
基于2012-2022年中国A股企业数据，利用准自然实验和双重差分模型，研究发现供应链数字化通过提升企业的吸收、创新和适应能力来促进低碳转型，且对大规模企业、制度关注和数据要素利用水平较低的企业效果更显著。
As digital technology intertwines more profoundly with supply chain operations, clarifying how supply chain digitization facilitates the shift of enterprises toward low-carbon practices is instrumental in promoting quality-driven and sustainable development. From the lens of dynamic capability theory, this study undertakes an empirical analysis of the influence of supply chain digitization on low-carbon transformation of enterprises and the underlying mechanisms driving this process drawing on data from China's A-share enterprises over the period spanning 2012 to 2022, with the help of quasi-natural experiments of “Pilot Supply Chain Innovation and Application” using a difference in-differences model. The findings of the research are summarized as follows: Firstly, supply chain digitization can effectively promote low-carbon transformation of enterprises. Secondly, further analysis of the mechanism shows that supply chain digitization facilitates low-carbon transformation of enterprises by enhancing their absorptive, innovative and adaptive capacities. Finally, the heterogeneity analysis shows that the facilitating effect of supply chain digitization on low-carbon transformation is particularly pronounced in firms with larger scales, as well as those with lower levels of institutional attention and data element utilization. The research evaluate the economic impact of the supply chain digitalization policy, and through empirical data, enlighten the enterprise management to increase the investment in supply chain digitalization, strengthen the advancement of enterprise dynamic capabilities, and expedite the process of low-carbon transformation.