Liang Lin, Lu Liujie, Su Ling
College of Business, Xinjiang University, No. 499 Northwest Road, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
Business School, University of International Business and Economics, No. 10 Huixin East Street, Beijing, China.
Sci Rep. 2023 Oct 31;13(1):18695. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-46037-8.
Green innovation plays a crucial role in transforming economic models and achieving sustainable development in enterprises. As an important embodiment of artificial intelligence technology, how industrial robots can effectively promote the green transformation of enterprises has become an important issue. This paper examines the impact and mechanisms of industrial robot adoption on corporate green innovation, as well as its heterogeneous effects. Using data from Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2019, we find that industrial robot adoption has a significant positive impact on corporate green innovation, enhancing both its quantity and quality. Furthermore, our mechanism study reveals that industrial robot adoption can promote corporate green innovation by improving productivity and environmental management capabilities. Additionally, we investigate the moderating effects of various factors and conclude that the positive impact of industrial robot adoption on green innovation is more pronounced among the state-owned enterprises, enterprises with the intense market competition, as well as enterprises located in regions with higher carbon emissions intensity. This paper contributes to enrich the research on industrial robots and corporate green innovation, and provides a reference to improve environmental management and achieve a low-carbon economy in emerging markets.
绿色创新在企业经济模式转型和实现可持续发展中发挥着关键作用。作为人工智能技术的重要体现，工业机器人如何有效推动企业绿色转型已成为一个重要问题。本文考察了工业机器人应用对企业绿色创新的影响、作用机制及其异质性效应。利用2007年至2019年中国上市公司的数据，我们发现工业机器人应用对企业绿色创新有显著的正向影响，在数量和质量上都有所提升。此外，我们的机制研究表明，工业机器人应用可通过提高生产率和环境管理能力来促进企业绿色创新。此外，我们考察了各种因素的调节作用，并得出结论：工业机器人应用对绿色创新的正向影响在国有企业、市场竞争激烈的企业以及碳排放强度较高地区的企业中更为显著。本文有助于丰富工业机器人与企业绿色创新的研究，并为新兴市场改善环境管理和实现低碳经济提供参考。
