Search Results (85)

Based on a comprehensive review of the current research status of ecological compensation both domestically and internationally, combined with field survey data, this study delves into the issue of multi-stakeholder participation in the ecological compensation mechanisms of the Xin’an River Basin. This research reveals that the joint participation of multiple stakeholders is crucial to achieving the goals of ecological compensation in river basins. The government plays a significant role in macro-guidance, financial support, policy guarantees, supervision, and management. It promotes the comprehensive implementation of ecological environmental protection by formulating relevant laws and regulations, guiding the public to participate in ecological conservation, and supervising and punishing pollution behaviors. The public, serving as the main force, forms strong awareness and behavioral habits of ecological protection through active participation in environmental protection, monitoring, and feedback. As participants, enterprises contribute to industrial transformation and green development by improving resource utilization efficiency, reducing pollution emissions, promoting green industries, and participating in ecological restoration projects. Scientific research institutions, as technology enablers, have effectively enhanced governance efficiency through technological research and innovation, ecosystem value accounting to provide decision-making support, and public education. Social organizations, as facilitators, have injected vitality and innovation into watershed governance by extensively mobilizing social forces and building multi-party collaboration platforms. Communities, as supporters, have transformed ecological value into economic benefits by developing characteristic industries such as eco-agriculture and eco-tourism. Based on the above findings, further recommendations are proposed to mobilize the enthusiasm of upstream communities and encourage their participation in ecological compensation, promote the market-oriented operation of ecological compensation mechanisms, strengthen cross-regional cooperation to establish joint mechanisms, enhance supervision and evaluation, and establish a sound benefit-sharing mechanism. These recommendations provide theoretical support and practical references for ecological compensation worldwide. Full article

In this study, we selected the production processes and main products of three typical chemical enterprises in Shanghai, namely SH Petrochemical (part of the oil-refining sector), SK Ethylene, and HS Chlor-Alkali, to quantitatively assess the synergistic effects across technology, policy, and emission mechanisms. The localized air pollutant levels and greenhouse gas emissions of the three enterprises were calculated. The synergistic effects between the end-of-pipe emission reductions for air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions were analyzed using the pollutant reduction synergistic and cross-elasticity coefficients, including technology comparisons (e.g., acrylonitrile gas incineration (AOGI) technology vs. traditional flare). Based on these data, we used the SimaPro software and the CML-IA model to conduct a life cycle environmental impact assessment regarding the production and upstream processes of their unit products. By combining the life cycle method and the scenario simulation method, we predicted the trends in the environmental impacts of the three chemical enterprises after the implementation of low-carbon development policies in the chemical industry in 2030. We also quantified the synergistic effects of localized air pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions within the low-carbon development scenario by using cross-elasticity coefficients based on life cycle environmental impacts. The research results show that, for every ton of air pollutant reduced through end-of-pipe treatment measures, the HS Chlor-Alkali enterprise would increase its maximum CO₂ emissions, amounting to about 80 tons. For SK Ethylene, the synergistic coefficient for VOC reduction and CO₂ emissions when using AOGI thermal incineration technology is superior to that for traditional flare thermal incineration. The activities of the three enterprises had an impact on several environmental indicators, particularly the fossil fuel resource depletion potential, accounting for 69.48%, 53.94%, and 34.23% of their total environmental impact loads, respectively. The scenario simulations indicate that, in a low-carbon development scenario, the overall environmental impact loads of SH Petrochemical (refining sector), SK Ethylene, and HS Chlor-Alkali would decrease by 3~5%. This result suggests that optimizing the upstream power structure, using “green hydrogen” instead of “grey hydrogen” in hydrogenation units within refining enterprises, and reducing the consumption of electricity and steam in the production processes of ethylene and chlor-alkali are effective measures in reducing carbon emissions in the chemical industry. The quantification of the synergies based on life cycle environmental impacts revealed that there are relatively strong synergies for air pollutant and GHG emission reductions in the oil-refining industry, while the chlor-alkali industry has the weakest synergies. Full article

This study investigates the coupling coordination between carbon emission efficiency (CEE) and carbon balance (CB) in the Yellow River Basin (YRB), aiming to support high-quality regional development and the realization of China’s “dual carbon” goals. Based on panel data from 74 cities in the YRB between 2006 and 2022, the Super-SBM model, Ecological Support Coefficient (ESC), and coupling coordination degree (CCD) model are applied to evaluate the synergy between CEE and CB. Spatiotemporal patterns and driving mechanisms are analyzed using kernel density estimation, Moran’s I index, the Dagum Gini coefficient, Markov chains, and the XGBoost algorithm. The results reveal a generally low and declining level of CCD, with the upstream and midstream regions performing better than the downstream. Spatial clustering is evident, characterized by significant positive autocorrelation and high-high or low-low clusters. Although regional disparities in CCD have narrowed slightly over time, interregional differences remain the primary source of variation. The likelihood of leapfrog development in CCD is limited, and high-CCD regions exhibit weak spillover effects. Forest coverage is identified as the most critical driver, significantly promoting CCD. Conversely, population density, urbanization, energy structure, and energy intensity negatively affect coordination. Economic development demonstrates a U-shaped relationship with CCD. Moreover, nonlinear interactions among forest coverage, population density, energy structure, and industrial enterprise scale further intensify the complexity of CCD. These findings provide important implications for enhancing regional carbon governance and achieving balanced ecological-economic development in the YRB. Full article

New-quality productivity and industrial structure upgrading has become a primary area of concern with respect to regional economic transformation and sustainable development. Based on static panel data of 108 prefecture-level-and-above cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2013 to 2022, the projection pursuit model, coupling coordination degree model, and obstacle degree model were used to study the spatiotemporal patterns and key obstacle factors in the coupling of new-quality productivity and levels of industrial upgrading. Results show the following: (1) The average coupling coordination degree increased from 0.42 in 2013 to 0.53 in 2022, exhibiting a three-stage trend of “initial advancement, rapid growth, and high-level fluctuation”. (2) Regionally, a gradient pattern of “downstream leading, midstream following, and upstream catching up” persists, but regional gaps have narrowed significantly. (3) Spatially, the coupling coordination level shows a pattern of “high in the east, low in the west, led by the core, and breakthrough in the local area”, with significant positive aggregation characteristics. (4) The main obstacle factors across the entire area include digital patents (7.03%), green patents (7.03%), and the number of high-tech enterprises (6.96%), but the weights of the obstacle factors vary greatly across different areas. These findings provide scientific support for green transformation, regional integration, and sustainability-oriented industrial policy design in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Full article

In reality, there is often information asymmetry between upstream and downstream enterprises in a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) system, which can have a profound impact on the decisions of member enterprises and the operation of the system. Under asymmetric market demand information, this study examines CSR input and recycling decision making in CLSC. Four decision-making models were developed for CLSC, and the effects of consumer sensitivity to CSR input and demand information asymmetry on CLSC optimization were studied. The results indicate that higher consumer sensitivity to CSR input enhances both CSR levels and recycling rates, benefiting both manufacturer and retailer by increasing profits. In terms of increasing CSR levels, the manufacturer achieves the best results when independently managing CSR input and recycling. However, for improving recycling rates and market demand, the retailer is more effective when responsible for CSR input, with the manufacturer handling recycling. Additionally, demand information asymmetry reduces the manufacturer’s profit but may not affect the retailer’s profit. The retailer–manufacturer cooperation model proves more beneficial for overall CLSC system performance compared to information symmetry. Full article

The fundamental principles of “sustainable development” and “green” promoted by ESG align with the concept of “green and sustainable” development. Enhancing enterprise ESG is a methodical endeavor that necessitates enterprises to possess ESG investment capabilities, coordinate many stakeholders, and leverage the influence of prominent market players. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) possess a specific level of support within a nation’s economy. SOEs serve as a fundamental pillar of China’s socialist economic system with distinctive characteristics, significantly influencing business conduct and reinforcing corporate value orientation. Consequently, the capacity of SOEs to assume a strategic leadership role in enhancing supply chain ESG performance is of paramount importance for the general elevation of ESG standards among Chinese enterprises. Limited research has investigated the transmission effect of the ESG performance among chain enterprises from a supply chain viewpoint, particularly regarding the pivotal role of SOEs in enhancing the ESG performance of these entities. This article examines the influence of SOEs’ ESG performance on the ESG performance of supply chain enterprises, focusing on the spillover effects of SOEs’ ESG performance within the supply chain context. It investigates how SOEs lead upstream and downstream enterprises in enhancing their ESG performance, aiming to address the existing cognitive gap in this area and provide substantial evidence for pertinent theories and practices. This article, employing an empirical research methodology, discovers that the ESG performance of state-owned supply chain core enterprises significantly enhances the ESG performance of enterprises in a supply chain, while non-state-owned supply chain core enterprises do not exhibit this effect. Furthermore, research indicates that this effect is asymmetric: when the supply chain core enterprise is a SOE and the enterprises in the supply chain are non-state-owned, the leading effect is more pronounced, and this effect is more powerful for upstream enterprises. The heterogeneity test reveals that the impact of the ESG performance is more pronounced in larger state-owned supply chain core enterprises that have been publicly listed for an extended duration and operate in highly competitive markets. The conclusions of this essay address the deficiencies of current research and provide significant practical implications for the development of green supply chains in the contemporary era. Full article

As environmental issues are of worldwide concern and consumers grow more concerned about the environment, green investments have emerged as a key factor in attracting consumers. To enhance consumer trust in enterprise investments in green and sustainable practices, blockchain technology, with its tamper-resistant and traceable characteristics, is being adopted by an increasing number of enterprises. However, the resulting spillover effect may lead to adverse consequences in a co-opetitive supply chain. This study examines a green supply chain comprising Brand O, a high brand value entity, and a contract manufacturer (CM) with lower brand value. The two parties collaborate through outsourced production while competing in the retail market. Three decision-making models were constructed, namely, without blockchain, Brand O adopting blockchain, and the CM adopting blockchain, and equilibrium solutions were derived to facilitate analysis. We find that Brand O tends not to introduce blockchain in order to avoid the loss of brand value and the spillover of consumer trust. The CM tends to introduce blockchain to enhance its products’ environmental impact and gain an exclusive competitive advantage, targeting the high-end market. These findings guide managers and practitioners in a co-opetitive green supply chain: high brand value retailers should cautiously evaluate blockchain’s impact, staying alert to risks hidden beneath benefits; upstream manufacturers can prioritize blockchain adoption for competitive advantage. Full article

The cyclic process of the circular supply chain (CSC) involves many stakeholders, and how to synergistically promote the active participation of different entities in CSC practices in the complex context of interacting factors is an important condition for moving towards low-carbon sustainable development and realizing the economic benefits as well as the competitive advantages of enterprises. Therefore, based on the technology cycle perspective (recycling, remanufacturing, refurbishing, repairing, and reusing), this study combines text mining and bibliometrics to identify CSC drivers, establish a factor prioritization assessment model, and construct a comprehensive framework for a set of CSC implementation pathways covering multiple subjects and multidimensional factor interaction mechanisms. The results emphasize that the most critical drivers are policies and regulations, resource use efficiency, and consumer awareness and attitudes, with contribution rates of 5.1%, 4.5%, and 4.5%, respectively. On this basis, this paper explores the efficiency-enhancing path strategy for the synergistic implementation of CSC by multiple subjects from the perspectives of the four key subjects of CSC. It puts forward policy recommendations to promote the successful implementation of CSC at the level of mechanism construction and specific operation, to provide theoretical guidance for the cooperation of upstream and downstream subjects. Full article

Industrial Internet Platforms (IIPs) provide critical value for supply chain management. The motivation for value creation and capture by supplier firms increasingly depends on acquiring and processing customer-oriented information, with geographical distance to customers being a key factor in assessing costs and benefits. This study investigates whether firms’ IIP adoption increases or decreases the geographical distance to their customers, utilizing supply chain data and digital transformation metrics from China’s A-share listed firms in the new energy vehicle industry. The study finds that an increased adoption level of IIPs by focal firms leads to a greater average geographical distance to their customers. This conclusion remains valid after addressing endogeneity concerns and performing several robustness checks. Moreover, the effect of IIP adoption on expanding the geographic scope of sales is significant when the focal firm is more specialized in the supply chain, more socially embedded, located in China’s eastern region, or acts as an upstream/downstream complement to complete vehicle manufacturers. No significant difference in the impact of IIP adoption is observed between private and state-owned enterprises. This study combines platform innovation and transaction cost theories, offering new insights and policy implications regarding the spatial impact of digital technology adoption in advanced manufacturing and related service industries. Full article

Nitrogen pollution in urban rivers, exacerbated by rapid urbanization, poses a growing threat to water quality. Microbial communities are essential in mediating nitrogen cycling and mitigating pollution in these ecosystems. This study integrated three-year (2021–2023) water quality monitoring with metagenomic sequencing to investigate microbial community dynamics, nitrogen cycling processes, and their responses to nitrogen pollution in the Shi River, Qinhuangdao, China. Nitrogen pollution was predominantly derived from industrial discharges from enterprises in the Shi River Reservoir upstream (e.g., coolant and chemical effluents), agricultural runoff, untreated domestic sewage (particularly from catering and waste in Pantao Valley), and livestock farming effluents. Total nitrogen (TN) concentrations ranged from 2.22 to 6.44 mg/L, exceeding China’s Class V water standard (2.0 mg/L, GB 3838-2002), with the highest level at the urbanized W4 site (6.44 mg/L). Nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) accounted for 60–80% of TN. Metagenomic analysis revealed Fragilaria, Microcystis, and Flavobacterium thriving (up to 15% relative abundance) under nitrogen stress, with nitrogen metabolism genes (narG, nifH, nirK) enriched at polluted sites (W2, W4), narG reaching 26% at W1. Dissolved oxygen positively correlated with nitrate reductase gene abundance, while ammonia nitrogen inhibited it. Burkholderiales and Limnohabitans dominated denitrification, offering insights into sustainable urban river management. Full article

Mine water is both wastewater and a valuable unconventional water resource, and its recycling is crucial for the sustainable development of coal-resource-based cities. In response to the complex interactions among multiple stakeholders in the process of mine water recycling, this study innovatively develops a four-party evolutionary game model involving local government, coal mining enterprises, mine water operators, and water users. For the first time, key variables—mine water pricing, water volume, water rights trading, water resource taxation, and objective utility of water resources—are systematically integrated into a multi-agent game framework, extending the analysis beyond conventional policies, such as penalties and subsidies, to explore their impact on recycling behavior. The results show the following: (1) There are 10 possible evolutionary stabilization strategies in the system. The current optimal strategy includes supply, input, use, active support, while the ideal strategy under the market mechanism includes supply, input, use, passive support. (2) Local governments play a leading role in collaborative governance. The decisions of coal mining enterprises and mine water operators are highly interdependent, and these upstream actors significantly influence the water users’ strategies. (3) Government subsidies exhibit an inverted U-shaped effect, while punitive measures are more effective than incentives. The tax differential between recycled and discharged mine water incentivizes coal enterprises to adopt proactive measures, and water rights trading significantly enhances the users’ willingness. (4) Mine water should be priced significantly lower than fresh water and reasonably balanced between stakeholders. Industries with lower objective utility of water tend to prioritize its use. This study provides theoretical support for policy optimization and a market-based resource utilization of mine water. Full article

As the world accelerates efforts to combat climate change and transition toward a green, low-carbon economy, the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has become a key driver of carbon reduction. Its ability to innovate efficiently is critical to long-term sustainable development. This study builds on the innovation value chain theory and introduces an evaluation framework that accounts for undesirable outputs such as energy consumption and pollutant emissions. Using a super-efficiency network SBM–Malmquist model and Tobit regression, we analyze the technological innovation efficiency of 272 A-share listed NEV enterprises in China from 2016 to 2023. Expanding beyond traditional overall assessments, we examine efficiency at different stages of the industry chain and find that: (a) overall technological innovation efficiency has declined, mainly due to weak pure technical efficiency, underscoring the need for better R&D management and resource allocation; (b) efficiency varies across the industry chain, with midstream firms performing better than those upstream and downstream, reflecting differences in technological accumulation and market conditions; (c) R&D tax deductions and market competition significantly boost innovation efficiency by creating pressure-driven incentives, while mismatched labor skills, the “welfare dependence” effect of tax incentives and financing constraints hinder progress. By introducing a two-stage innovation efficiency evaluation framework, this study not only pinpoints where efficiency losses occur along the industry chain but also provides empirical insights to guide targeted policy decisions, offering valuable implications for the sustainable growth of the global NEV industry. Full article

With the advancement of global digital transformation, data trading has become a pivotal element in value circulation and innovation among enterprises. In particular, pricing strategies in the industrial chain’s data trading process critically influence the cooperation and market competitiveness of upstream and downstream enterprises. To address this issue, this study develops a Business-to-Business data transaction pricing model tailored to a single industry chain. The model incorporates factors such as data scarcity, encryption protection efforts, and market demand dynamics. By employing a Stackelberg dynamic model, the study systematically examines the pricing strategies of upstream and downstream enterprises under various incentive mechanisms and evaluates the impacts of encryption protection efforts and incentive mechanism coefficients on the profitability of the industry chain. The experimental results reveal that introducing incentive mechanisms for downstream enterprises modestly increases the profits of both upstream and downstream entities. Meanwhile, incentivizing upstream enterprises yields a multiplier effect, significantly boosting their profits while causing a slight decline in the profitability of downstream enterprises. Full article

In the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) environment, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is a key engine for shaping supply chain resilience (SCR). This study employs the entropy method to develop an evaluation index system for SCR, incorporating two key dimensions: resistance and recovery capacity. Using a sample of Chinese-listed enterprises from 2009 to 2022, this study reveals that AI significantly enhances SCR, and CEOs’ sports experience can positively moderate the association between AI and SCR. Mechanism examination shows that AI promotes SCR through operational efficiency optimization, information, and knowledge spillover in the supply chain. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the positive impact of AI is more significant in firms with a high-skilled labor force, firms with high heterogeneity of the executive team’s human capital, high-tech industries, and regions with strong digital infrastructure. Moreover, the AI application has a diffusion effect on the upstream and downstream enterprises of the supply chain, improving AI adoption levels. Our research not only augments the existing literature on the economic ramifications of AI adoption and the strategic value derived from CEOs’ extramural experience but also offers both theoretical frameworks and empirical insights for executive recruitment and fortifying SCR. Full article

The swift advancement of digital technologies under Industry 4.0 has significantly transformed business operations and supply chain management. These advancements hold the potential to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and foster sustainable development; however, they also create challenges due to the uneven adoption of digital technologies across enterprises. (1) Background: The adoption of digital technologies across supply chains is uneven, resulting in a digital divide between enterprises. This disparity disrupts supply chain collaboration and alignment with sustainable practices. (2) Methods: This research examines how the corporate digital divide affects the supply–demand imbalance by employing a quantitative method to identify obstacles and strategies for improving collaboration. This research employs a quantitative approach, specifically multiple regression analysis, to investigate how the digital divide among enterprises affects the supply–demand imbalance and to identify strategies for overcoming collaboration barriers. The research utilizes firm-level data from the Chinese stock market and accounting research databases and performs robustness checks, including methods such as the instrumental variable approach and the Heckman two-stage model, to ensure the validity of the findings. (3) Results: The study finds that the corporate digital divide exacerbates imbalances in both upstream and downstream chains. Elevating supply chain resilience has effectively alleviated this relationship. Specifically, the strengthening of resource resilience and process resilience has effectively alleviated the impact of the corporate digital divide on the supply–demand imbalance in the upstream supply chain, while the enhancement of system resilience and product resilience has effectively mitigated the impact of the corporate digital divide on the supply–demand imbalance in the downstream supply chain. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of the digital divide in supply chain enterprises on supply–demand imbalance varies under different conditions of network centrality, supply chain concentration, government digital focus, and enterprise nature. (4) Conclusions: To foster sustainability in Industry 4.0, enterprises must bridge the corporate digital divide and enhance supply chain collaboration. It is recommended to mitigate upstream supply chain disruptions caused by the digital divide by improving resource and process resilience while alleviating downstream impacts through strengthened system and product resilience. Furthermore, fostering collaborative digital development among enterprises is essential for optimizing supply chain sustainability. Full article