IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v71y2025ics1544612324013916.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The relationship between ESG ratings and digital technological innovation in manufacturing: Insights via dual machine learning models

Author

Listed:
  • Yang, Bai
  • Huang, Jingfeng
  • Chen, Yinzhong

Abstract

In the era of the current scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, digital technology innovation serves as a critical driver for the high-quality development of manufacturing enterprises. The dual attributes of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) ratings, encompassing "internal governance" and "external support," play a pivotal role in propelling digital technology innovation within these enterprises. This study utilizes a dual machine learning approach to empirically investigate the influence of ESG ratings on the digital technology innovation of manufacturing enterprises and explores the underlying mechanisms. Findings indicate that ESG ratings significantly boost digital technology innovation by alleviating financial market constraints, enhancing customer stability in the product market, elevating human resource levels, and increasing innovation awareness and efficiency. These improvements occur through the mechanisms of "external support" and "internal governance." Moreover, the study reveals that ESG ratings substantially enhance digital technology innovation in state-owned and high-tech manufacturing enterprises, in contrast to their limited impact on non-state-owned and non-high-tech counterparts. Conclusively, the paper proposes policy recommendations focused on heightening enterprise and societal awareness of ESG importance, intensifying supervision and enforcement, and refining the ESG rating system.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Bai & Huang, Jingfeng & Chen, Yinzhong, 2025. "The relationship between ESG ratings and digital technological innovation in manufacturing: Insights via dual machine learning models," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:71:y:2025:i:c:s1544612324013916
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2024.106362
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612324013916
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2024.106362?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Victor Chernozhukov & Denis Chetverikov & Mert Demirer & Esther Duflo & Christian Hansen & Whitney Newey & James Robins, 2018. "Double/debiased machine learning for treatment and structural parameters," Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 21(1), pages 1-68, February.
    2. Robert G. Eccles & Mirtha D. Kastrapeli & Stephanie J. Potter, 2017. "How to Integrate ESG into Investment Decision†Making: Results of a Global Survey of Institutional Investors," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 29(4), pages 125-133, December.
    3. Syrine Sassi & Samir Saadi & Sabri Boubaker & Lamia Chourou, 2019. "External Governance And The Cost Of Equity Financing," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 42(4), pages 817-865, December.
    4. Lee, Michael T. & Raschke, Robyn L. & Krishen, Anjala S., 2022. "Signaling green! firm ESG signals in an interconnected environment that promote brand valuation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 1-11.
    5. Huang, Qiongyu & Xu, Chuhong & Xue, Xiaolong & Zhu, Hui, 2023. "Can digital innovation improve firm performance: Evidence from digital patents of Chinese listed firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    6. Li, Chao & Ba, Shusong & Ma, Kejia & Xu, Yueling & Huang, Wenli & Huang, Niyuan, 2023. "ESG Rating Events, Financial Investment Behavior and Corporate Innovation," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 372-387.
    7. Sujuan Xie & Yujiang Chen & Yunguo Liu, 2021. "Internal governance and innovation," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(S1), pages 2507-2538, April.
    8. Helmut Farbmacher & Martin Huber & Lukáš Lafférs & Henrika Langen & Martin Spindler, 2022. "Causal mediation analysis with double machine learning [Mediation analysis via potential outcomes models]," The Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 25(2), pages 277-300.
    9. Liang, Zhidong & Yang, Xiao, 2024. "The impact of green finance on the peer effect of corporate ESG information disclosure," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    10. Richard Samans & Jane Nelson, 2022. "Business Leadership Priorities for Implementing Stakeholder Capitalism," Springer Books, in: Sustainable Enterprise Value Creation, chapter 3, pages 63-100, Springer.
    11. Abbas, Jaffar & Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel & Amjid, Muhammad Asif & Al-Sulaiti, Khalid & Al-Sulaiti, Ibrahim & Aldereai, Osama, 2024. "Financial innovation and digitalization promote business growth: The interplay of green technology innovation, product market competition and firm performance," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 3(1).
    12. Li, Yanqiong & Li, Sihao, 2024. "ESG performance and innovation quality," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1361-1373.
    13. Shuhai Niu & Kexin Zhang & Juan Zhang & Yanchao Feng, 2024. "How Does Industrial Upgrading Affect Urban Ecological Efficiency? New Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 60(5), pages 899-920, April.
    14. Lu, Juan & Li, He, 2024. "Can digital technology innovation promote total factor energy efficiency? Firm-level evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    15. Abdullah & Naiping Zhu & Muhammad Arsalan Hashmi & Muhammad Hashim Shah, 2024. "CEO power, board features and ESG performance: An extensive novel moderation analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(6), pages 5627-5655, November.
    16. Zheng, Panpan & Li, Zhen & Zhuang, Ziyin, 2023. "The impact of judicial protection of intellectual property on digital innovation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PA).
    17. Matthias Kiefer & Edward A.E. Jones & Andrew T. Adams, 2017. "Shareholders and managers as principal-agent hierarchies and cooperative teams," Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 9(1), pages 48-71, February.
    18. Zhang, Xiaoke & Zhao, Xuankai & Qu, Linshan, 2021. "Do green policies catalyze green investment? Evidence from ESG investing developments in China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    19. Yuwen Dai, 2021. "Can ESG Investing Beat the Market and Improve Portfolio Diversification? Evidence from China," Chinese Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(4), pages 272-285, July.
    20. Nirino, Niccolò & Santoro, Gabriele & Miglietta, Nicola & Quaglia, Roberto, 2021. "Corporate controversies and company's financial performance: Exploring the moderating role of ESG practices," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    21. Shaikh, Ibrahim & Randhawa, Krithika, 2022. "Managing the risks and motivations of technology managers in open innovation: Bringing stakeholder-centric corporate governance into focus," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    22. Wang, Haijun & Jiao, Shuaipeng & Ge, Chen & Sun, Guanglin, 2024. "Corporate ESG rating divergence and excess stock returns," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    23. Brown, James R. & Martinsson, Gustav & Petersen, Bruce C., 2012. "Do financing constraints matter for R&D?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(8), pages 1512-1529.
    24. Emiel Duuren & Auke Plantinga & Bert Scholtens, 2016. "ESG Integration and the Investment Management Process: Fundamental Investing Reinvented," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(3), pages 525-533, October.
    25. Broadstock, David C. & Matousek, Roman & Meyer, Martin & Tzeremes, Nickolaos G., 2020. "Does corporate social responsibility impact firms' innovation capacity? The indirect link between environmental & social governance implementation and innovation performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 99-110.
    26. Nathan Nunn & Nancy Qian, 2014. "US Food Aid and Civil Conflict," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(6), pages 1630-1666, June.
    27. He, Guosheng & Liu, Yiting & Chen, Fu, 2023. "Research on the impact of environment, society, and governance (ESG) on firm risk: An explanation from a financing constraints perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PA).
    28. Hirshleifer, David & Hsu, Po-Hsuan & Li, Dongmei, 2013. "Innovative efficiency and stock returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 632-654.
    29. Guoyong Wu & Mengmin Sun & Yanchao Feng, 2024. "How does the new environmental protection law affect the environmental social responsibility of enterprises in Chinese heavily polluting industries?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    30. Bilyay-Erdogan, Seda & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Demir, Ender, 2024. "ESG performance and investment efficiency: The impact of information asymmetry," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    31. Edeh, Jude N. & Acedo, Francisco J., 2021. "External supports, innovation efforts and productivity: Estimation of a CDM model for small firms in developing countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    32. Haneda, Shoko & Ito, Keiko, 2018. "Organizational and human resource management and innovation: Which management practices are linked to product and/or process innovation?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 194-208.
    33. Tracy Dathe & René Dathe & Isabel Dathe & Marc Helmold, 2022. "Sustainability Management and Social Responsibility in the Value Chain," Management for Professionals, in: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability and Environmental Social Governance (ESG), chapter 2, pages 23-28, Springer.
    34. Mozaffar Khan, 2019. "Corporate Governance, ESG, and Stock Returns around the World," Financial Analysts Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 75(4), pages 103-123, October.
    35. André Hanelt & Sebastian Firk & Björn Hildebrandt & Lutz M. Kolbe, 2021. "Digital M&A, digital innovation, and firm performance: an empirical investigation," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 3-26, January.
    36. Qiong Shen & Rui Wu & Yuxi Pan & Yanchao Feng, 2024. "Explaining and modeling the impacts of inclusive finance on CO2 emissions in China integrated the intermediary role of energy poverty," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-19, December.
    37. Nicole Darnall & Hyunjung Ji & Kazuyuki Iwata & Toshi H. Arimura, 2022. "Do ESG reporting guidelines and verifications enhance firms' information disclosure?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1214-1230, September.
    38. Nicola Raimo & Alessandra Caragnano & Marianna Zito & Filippo Vitolla & Massimo Mariani, 2021. "Extending the benefits of ESG disclosure: The effect on the cost of debt financing," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(4), pages 1412-1421, July.
    39. Daniel Heinz & Fabian Hunke & Gregor Felix Breitschopf, 2021. "Organizing for Digital Innovation and Transformation: Bridging Between Organizational Resilience and Innovation Management," Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organization, in: Frederik Ahlemann & Reinhard Schütte & Stefan Stieglitz (ed.), Innovation Through Information Systems, pages 548-564, Springer.
    40. Di Vaio, Assunta & Palladino, Rosa & Pezzi, Alberto & Kalisz, David E., 2021. "The role of digital innovation in knowledge management systems: A systematic literature review," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 220-231.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Liu, Min & Guo, Tongji & Ping, Weiying & Luo, Liangqing, 2023. "Sustainability and stability: Will ESG investment reduce the return and volatility spillover effects across the Chinese financial market?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    2. Xue, Qinyuan & Jin, Yifei & Zhang, Cheng, 2024. "ESG rating results and corporate total factor productivity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PA).
    3. Costantiello, Alberto & Drago, Carlo & Arnone, Massimo & Leogrande, Angelo, 2024. "Regional Research Intensity and ESG Indicators in Italy: Insights from Panel Data Models and Machine Learning," MPRA Paper 124185, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Tan, Xiujie & Liu, Gufeng & Cheng, Si, 2024. "How does ESG performance affect green transformation of resource-based enterprises: Evidence from Chinese listed enterprises," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    5. Rodrigo Zeidan, 2022. "Why don't asset managers accelerate ESG investing? A sentiment analysis based on 13,000 messages from finance professionals," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3028-3039, November.
    6. Lin, Shao & Deng, Jie, 2024. "Does supplier concentration impede firms’ digital innovation? A resource dependence perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    7. Liu, Xiaoqian & Cifuentes-Faura, Javier & Zhao, Shikuan & Wang, Long, 2024. "The impact of government environmental attention on firms’ ESG performance: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    8. Ruiyu Hu & Zemenghong Bao & Zhisen Lin & Kun Lv, 2024. "The Innovative Construction of Provinces, Regional Artificial Intelligence Development, and the Resilience of Regional Innovation Ecosystems: Quasi-Natural Experiments Based on Spatial Difference-in-D," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-37, September.
    9. Lv, Xuejing & Zhao, Bosi & Cheng, Defang & Xia, Chenyang, 2024. "Patent strategies in the digital revolution: How businesses use digital technology patents to optimize resource allocation efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    10. Lan, Lan & Zhou, Zhifang, 2024. "Complementary or substitutive effects? The duality of digitalization and ESG on firm's innovation," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    11. Ling, Aifan & Li, Junxue & Wen, Limin & Zhang, Yi, 2023. "When trackers are aware of ESG: Do ESG ratings matter to tracking error portfolio performance?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    12. Benuzzi, Matteo & Klaser, Klaudijo & Bax, Karoline, 2024. "Which ESG+F dimension matters most to retail investors? An experimental study on financial decisions and future generations," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    13. Wang, Zhenzhen & Zhou, Feite & Zhong, Junhao, 2024. "Can China's low-carbon city pilot policy facilitate carbon neutrality? Evidence from a machine learning approach," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 756-773.
    14. Liang Li & Mingxu Wang & Xiaohao Zhou, 2023. "Creating value beyond commercial outcomes: The ESG practices of online marketplaces for sustainable development," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 33(1), pages 1-19, December.
    15. Francesco Martielli & Antonio Salvi & Emanuele Doronzo, 2024. "Corporate social responsibility practices and value creation through open innovation approach: Evidence from the STOXX Europe 600 Index," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4732-4745, September.
    16. Kirill Borusyak & Peter Hull & Xavier Jaravel, 2025. "Design-based identification with formula instruments: a review," The Econometrics Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 28(1), pages 83-108.
    17. Hadiqa Ahmad & Muhammad Yaqub & Seung Hwan Lee, 2024. "Environmental-, social-, and governance-related factors for business investment and sustainability: a scientometric review of global trends," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 2965-2987, February.
    18. Giau Bui, Dien & Chen, Yehning & Lin, Chih-Yung & Lin, Tse-Chun, 2021. "Risk-taking of bank CEOs and corporate innovation," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    19. Yuan Feng & Changfei Nie, 2024. "Digital technology innovation and corporate environmental, social, and governance performance: Evidence from a sample of listed firms in China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3836-3854, September.
    20. Maung, Min & Wilson, Craig & Yu, Weisu, 2020. "Does reputation risk matter? Evidence from cross-border mergers and acquisitions," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).

    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:eee:finlet:v:71:y:2025:i:c:s1544612324013916. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    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.