Business School, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225127, China.
Institute of Suzhong Development, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Mar;31(14):21380-21398. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-32374-2. Epub 2024 Feb 23.
Driving enterprises to implement carbon emission reduction actions and reduce carbon emissions is a crucial research topic in achieving the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. As a significant external environment factor influencing corporate behavior, can institutional pressures effectively promote enterprises to reduce carbon emissions? This study aims to probe into the impact and mechanism of three institutional pressures, namely coercive, mimetic, and normative, on corporate carbon emissions, taking Chinese-listed companies as the research object. The results indicate that coercive pressure is positively associated with corporate carbon reduction, while normative pressure has no significant impact. Furthermore, mimetic pressure impedes corporate carbon emissions. The mechanism test shows that carbon reduction is a mediator in the influence exerted by three institutional pressures on corporate carbon emissions. In response to coercive pressure and mimetic pressure, enterprises tend to reduce their carbon emissions by cultivating concepts related to carbon emission reduction. Concepts related to carbon reduction play a more dominant role than carbon reduction actions when both are mediators, with the former even replacing the latter. This research provides a new perspective for improving corporate environmental performance and corporate sustainability.
推动企业实施减排行动、减少碳排放，是实现碳达峰碳中和目标的重要研究课题。制度压力作为影响企业行为的重要外部环境因素，能否有效促进企业减排？本文以中国上市公司为研究对象，探讨了三种制度压力，即强制性压力、模仿性压力和规范性压力对企业碳减排的影响及作用机制。结果表明，强制性压力与企业碳减排呈正相关，而规范性压力对企业碳减排没有显著影响。此外，模仿性压力会阻碍企业碳减排。机制检验表明，碳减排是三种制度压力对企业碳减排影响的中介。面对强制性压力和模仿性压力，企业倾向于通过培养与碳减排相关的理念来减少碳排放。在两种理念均作为中介时，碳减排理念的作用更为显著，甚至会替代碳减排行为。本文为提升企业环境绩效和企业可持续发展提供了新视角。
