IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v34y2025i1p586-597.html

Does AI elevate corporate ESG performance? A supply chain perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Boqiang Lin
  • Yitong Zhu

Abstract

As a pivotal catalyst for sustainable development, the evolution and integration of AI are propelling both companies and society toward a more efficient trajectory. Utilizing a multi‐period difference‐in‐difference (DID) model, the study assesses the impact of the 2019 China Artificial Intelligence Pilot (AIP) policy on corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG). The study's findings are the following: (1) Optimizing corporate governance through artificial intelligence (AI), the AIP policy has significantly bolstered the ESG performance of companies in the pilot areas. (2) Mechanistic analysis demonstrates that the AIP policy elevates ESG by bolstering the efficiency of corporate supply chains. (3) Heterogeneity testing shows that the AIP policy exerts a more pronounced effect on non‐state‐owned companies, companies with high energy consumption, and those in the new energy sector. This manuscript furnishes empirical insights for evaluating the policy implications of AI development initiatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Boqiang Lin & Yitong Zhu, 2025. "Does AI elevate corporate ESG performance? A supply chain perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 586-597, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:1:p:586-597
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.3999
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3999
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.3999?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nishant, Rohit & Kennedy, Mike & Corbett, Jacqueline, 2020. "Artificial intelligence for sustainability: Challenges, opportunities, and a research agenda," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    2. Toorajipour, Reza & Sohrabpour, Vahid & Nazarpour, Ali & Oghazi, Pejvak & Fischl, Maria, 2021. "Artificial intelligence in supply chain management: A systematic literature review," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 502-517.
    3. Ren, Xiaohang & Li, Wenqi & Li, Yiying, 2024. "Climate risk, digital transformation and corporate green innovation efficiency: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    4. Evgeny Burnaev & Evgeny Mironov & Aleksei Shpilman & Maxim Mironenko & Dmitry Katalevsky, 2023. "Practical AI Cases for Solving ESG Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-15, August.
    5. Chen, Pengyu & Chu, Zhongzhu & Zhao, Miao, 2024. "The Road to corporate sustainability: The importance of artificial intelligence," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    6. Oren Mooneeapen & Subhash Abhayawansa & Naushad Mamode Khan, 2022. "The influence of the country governance environment on corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(4), pages 953-985, May.
    7. Rammer, Christian & Fernández, Gastón P. & Czarnitzki, Dirk, 2022. "Artificial intelligence and industrial innovation: Evidence from German firm-level data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(7).
    8. Pournader, Mehrdokht & Ghaderi, Hadi & Hassanzadegan, Amir & Fahimnia, Behnam, 2021. "Artificial intelligence applications in supply chain management," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    9. Omar. A. Alghamdi & Gomaa Agag, 2023. "Boosting Innovation Performance through Big Data Analytics Powered by Artificial Intelligence Use: An Empirical Exploration of the Role of Strategic Agility and Market Turbulence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-19, September.
    10. Chishti, Muhammad Zubair & Xia, Xiqiang & Dogan, Eyup, 2025. "Corrigendum to “Understanding the effects of artificial intelligence on energy transition: The moderating role of Paris Agreement” [Energy Economics Volume 131, March 2024, 107388]," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    11. Wang, Zongrun & Zhang, Taiyu & Ren, Xiaohang & Shi, Yukun, 2024. "AI adoption rate and corporate green innovation efficiency: Evidence from Chinese energy companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    12. Daron Acemoglu & Pascual Restrepo, 2020. "The wrong kind of AI? Artificial intelligence and the future of labour demand," Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 13(1), pages 25-35.
    13. Oren Mooneeapen & Subhash Abhayawansa & Naushad Mamode Khan, 2022. "The influence of the country governance environment on corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(4), pages 953-985, May.
    14. Babina, Tania & Fedyk, Anastassia & He, Alex & Hodson, James, 2024. "Artificial intelligence, firm growth, and product innovation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    15. Mingyue Chen & Shuting Wang & Xiaowen Wang, 2024. "How Does Artificial Intelligence Impact Green Development? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-23, February.
    16. Lin, Boqiang & Xu, Chongchong, 2024. "Enhancing energy-environmental performance through industrial intelligence: Insights from Chinese prefectural-level cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 365(C).
    17. Ricardo Vinuesa & Hossein Azizpour & Iolanda Leite & Madeline Balaam & Virginia Dignum & Sami Domisch & Anna Felländer & Simone Daniela Langhans & Max Tegmark & Francesco Fuso Nerini, 2020. "The role of artificial intelligence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    18. Bahoo, Salman & Cucculelli, Marco & Qamar, Dawood, 2023. "Artificial intelligence and corporate innovation: A review and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    19. Tao Zhang & Zhan-Zhong Shi & Yi-Rong Shi & Neng-Jun Chen, 2022. "Enterprise digital transformation and production efficiency: mechanism analysis and empirical research," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 2781-2792, December.
    20. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Yan, Jingyang, 2024. "Will artificial intelligence make energy cleaner? Evidence of nonlinearity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 363(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sun, Zhe & Liu, Lei & Zhao, Liang & Alofaysan, Hind & Gupta, Bhumika, 2026. "Generative AI and ESG opportunism in supply chains: A utilitarian perspective on unintended consequences for sustainability," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    2. Liu, Qilu & Du, Shanshan & Li, Min, 2025. "Green innovation perspective: Artificial intelligence and corporate green development," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    3. Mou, Saiya & Wang, Xinquan & Hu, Feng, 2025. "Does privatization hurt ESG? The role of state-owned imprinting," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    4. Yu, Yang & Chan, Hau-Ling & Cho, Erin, 2026. "Enhancing ESG performance through digital transformation: Recent development, cases and relationships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    5. Xiatian Chen & Kaihua Bao & Chen Gao & Ya Wen & Ting Zhang, 2025. "Towards Corporate Sustainability: Can the Cultural and Tourism Consumption Promotion Policy Enhance Corporate ESG Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-28, September.
    6. Augustino Mwogosi, 2025. "Leveraging AI to Enhance Healthcare Delivery in Tanzania: Innovations and Ethical Imperatives," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.
    7. Mu, Tian tian & Shan, Qiaojuan & Zhu, Guangyu & Xu, Yang & Agag, Gomaa & Alipour, Osman, 2026. "Beyond technology: The dual role of AI and narratives in driving ESG performance in China's retail industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giordino, Daniele & Ballesio, Elisa & Alshaghdali, Nourah & Galgotia, Dhruv, 2026. "The relationship between organizational focus on AI, financial growth and sustainable development: Evidence from Europe," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    2. Bai, Caiquan & Yao, Di & Xue, Qihang, 2025. "Does artificial intelligence suppress firms' greenwashing behavior? Evidence from robot adoption in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    3. Daniele Giordino & Elisa Ballesio & Nourah Alshaghdali & Dhruv Galgotia, 2026. "The relationship between organizational focus on AI, financial growth and sustainable development: Evidence from Europe," Post-Print hal-05433094, HAL.
    4. Flavio Spagnuolo & Raffaela Casciello & Ilaria Martino & Fiorenza Meucci, 2025. "Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on the pursuit of SDGs: Evidence from European state‐owned enterprises," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(2), pages 1987-2001, March.
    5. Zhang, Chen & Li, Rongrong & Wang, Qiang, 2026. "Artificial intelligence and sustainable development: A global nonlinear analysis of the moderating roles of human capital and renewable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    6. Li, Wen & Li, Jing-Ping & Wang, Yun-Feng & Stan, Sebastian-Emanuel, 2025. "Is artificial intelligence an impediment or an impetus to renewable energy investment? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    7. Wang, Liangcheng & Chen, Yizheng, 2025. "Artificial intelligence and corporate investment efficiency: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Chen, Lusi & Li, Shinan & She, Zhili, 2025. "A study on the impact of artificial intelligence applications on corporate green technological innovation: A mechanism analysis from multiple perspectives," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    9. Zu, Xu & Ni, Guangxian & Hu, Ruifeng, 2025. "AI technology innovation, knowledge management and corporate environmental sustainability: Evidence from Chinese patent data," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    10. Gao, Xiangming & Ji, Xinliang & Wang, Rong & Yu, Jian, 2025. "The effect of artificial intelligence on energy transition: Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    11. Liu, Qilu & Du, Shanshan & Li, Min, 2025. "Green innovation perspective: Artificial intelligence and corporate green development," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    12. Khan, Muhammad Kaleem & Hussain, Muhammad Jameel & Hussan, Muhammad Wasim & Qadeer, Afifa & Armstrong, Anona & Li, Shanshan, 2025. "AI integration for climate risk mitigation: The role of organizational context," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    13. Shao, Mingxing & Wen, Lei & Li, Sifei & Huang, Binyue, 2025. "Exploring the role of artificial intelligence as a catalyst for energy technology innovation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    14. Costa, Alessandra & Crupi, Antonio & Cesaroni, Fabrizio & Abbate, Tindara, 2025. "Exploring the role of artificial intelligence in addressing sustainable development. A semantic analysis of AI patents," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    15. Zhou, Xiaoyong & Li, Gaochao & Wang, Qunwei & Li, Yangganxuan & Zhou, Dequn, 2025. "Artificial intelligence, corporate information governance and ESG performance: Quasi-experimental evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Zhen-Er Jiang & Fu Huang & Qiang Wu, 2025. "The Impact of AI on Corporate Green Transformation: Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-20, August.
    17. Dong, Feng & Zhao, Xu & Mangla, Sachin Kumar & Song, Malin, 2025. "Enhanced supply chain resilience under geopolitical risks: The role of artificial intelligence," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    18. Feng, Lingbing & Qi, Jiajun & Zheng, Yuhao, 2025. "How can AI reduce carbon emissions? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment using generalized random forest," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    19. Song, Yinghao & Bian, Zhaian & Tu, Wei & He, Juan, 2025. "How environmental regulation policies affect corporate ESG ratings: Latecomer advantage in China's digital economy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    20. Qiang Wang & Tong Liu & Rongrong Li, 2026. "Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability: Investigating the AI‐EKC Nexus for SDG 7 and SDG 13," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 1141-1166, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:1:p:586-597. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.