Sustainable Digital Shifts in Chinese Transport and Logistics: Exploring Green Innovations and Their ESG Implications

This study, situated in the context of China's transportation and logistics industry, explores the impact of digital transformation on corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, as well as the role played by green innovation. Analyzing data from 95 A-share listed transportation companies from 2011 to 2021, this paper examines the relationship between digital transformation and corporate ESG performance, drawing on information asymmetry and agency theories. The research finds that digital transformation significantly elevates corporate ESG levels, with more pronounced effects in state-owned and large enterprises. The degree of financing constraints modulates this relationship, indicating a stronger enhancement of ESG performance by digital transformation under lower financing constraints. Moreover, green innovation serves as a mediator between digital transformation and corporate ESG performance, revealing that digital transformation boosts ESG outcomes through fostering green innovation. The contribution of this study lies in providing new insights into the relationship between digital transformation and corporate ESG performance in a specific industry context, expanding the field through a lens of mechanisms and conditions, and underscoring the central mediating influence of green innovation.