IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i20p9108-d1771193.html

Merging Economic Aspirations with Sustainability: ESG and the Evolution of the Corporate Development Paradigm in China

Author

Listed:
  • Changjiang Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China)

  • Sihan Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China)

  • Zhepeng Zhou

    (School of Economics and Management, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China)

  • Bing He

    (School of Business, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, China)

Abstract

Amid the push for sustainable and high-quality development, corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance has garnered increasing attention from stakeholders. This empirical study uses a 2009–2022 panel of 1264 A-share-listed companies to examine the impact of ESG performance on corporate sustainability paths and to identify the channels through which this impact operates. Ordinary least squares estimates show that stronger ESG performance is associated with significantly higher total factor productivity, and the effect is more pronounced in heavy-polluting industries. Mechanism tests indicate that ESG disclosure mediates this relationship, with its influence emerging over time and strengthening in subsequent years. The mediation also varies across ESG pillars, with social disclosure exerting the most decisive influence. These findings provide actionable insights—both motivating managers to strengthen their ESG engagement and informing policymakers as they seek to refine regulatory frameworks. By highlighting the value-creating role of ESG in aligning growth with sustainability, this study offers a novel perspective on corporate transformation within the context of a rapidly evolving economic landscape.

Suggested Citation

  • Changjiang Zhang & Sihan Zhang & Zhepeng Zhou & Bing He, 2025. "Merging Economic Aspirations with Sustainability: ESG and the Evolution of the Corporate Development Paradigm in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-23, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:20:p:9108-:d:1771193
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/20/9108/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/20/9108/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Da Gao & Yi Li & Linfang Tan, 2024. "Can environmental regulation break the political resource curse: evidence from heavy polluting private listed companies in China," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 67(13), pages 3190-3216, November.
    2. Fatemi, Ali & Glaum, Martin & Kaiser, Stefanie, 2018. "ESG performance and firm value: The moderating role of disclosure," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 45-64.
    3. Harjoto, Maretno A. & Hoepner, Andreas G.F. & Li, Qian, 2022. "A stakeholder resource-based view of corporate social irresponsibility: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 830-843.
    4. Luo, Kun & Lim, Edwin KiaYang & Qu, Wen & Zhang, Xuan, 2021. "Board cultural diversity, government intervention and corporate innovation effectiveness: Evidence from China," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(2).
    5. Bennett, Benjamin & Stulz, René & Wang, Zexi, 2020. "Does the stock market make firms more productive?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(2), pages 281-306.
    6. Rui Zhou & Jiajun Lou & Bing He, 2025. "Greening Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance Performance: The Impact of China’s Carbon Emissions Trading Pilot Policy on Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-21, January.
    7. He, Jie (Jack) & Huang, Jiekun & Zhao, Shan, 2019. "Internalizing governance externalities: The role of institutional cross-ownership," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(2), pages 400-418.
    8. repec:ecj:econjl:v:122:y:2012:i::p:376-399 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Bai, Chong-En & Liu, Qiao & Lu, Joe & Song, Frank M. & Zhang, Junxi, 2004. "Corporate governance and market valuation in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 599-616, December.
    10. Stulz, ReneM., 1990. "Managerial discretion and optimal financing policies," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 3-27, July.
    11. Stijn Claessens, 2006. "Corporate Governance and Development," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 21(1), pages 91-122.
    12. Chen, Chialin & Zhang, Jun & Delaurentis, Teresa, 2014. "Quality control in food supply chain management: An analytical model and case study of the adulterated milk incident in China," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 188-199.
    13. Aluchna, Maria & Roszkowska-Menkes, Maria & Kamiński, Bogumił & Bosek-Rak, Dominika, 2022. "Do institutional investors encourage firm to social disclosure? The stakeholder salience perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 674-682.
    14. Richard Harris & Mary Trainor, 2005. "Capital Subsidies and their Impact on Total Factor Productivity: Firm‐Level Evidence from Northern Ireland," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 49-74, February.
    15. Tommaso Ramus & Antonino Vaccaro, 2017. "Stakeholders Matter: How Social Enterprises Address Mission Drift," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(2), pages 307-322, June.
    16. Mengdie Hai & Ziwei Fang & Zhaohua Li, 2022. "Does Business Group’s Conscious of Social Responsibility Enhance its Investment Efficiency? Evidence from ESG Disclosure of China’s Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-18, April.
    17. Cull, Robert & Xu, Lixin Colin & Yang, Xi & Zhou, Li-An & Zhu, Tian, 2017. "Market facilitation by local government and firm efficiency: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 460-480.
    18. Yue Pan & Qiuping Chen & Pengdong Zhang, 2020. "Does policy uncertainty affect corporate environmental information disclosure: evidence from China," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 11(5), pages 903-931, June.
    19. Yu, Wei & Zheng, Ying, 2020. "Does CSR reporting matter to foreign institutional investors in China?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    20. Katircioglu, Setareh & Katircioglu, Salih, 2023. "The effects of environmental taxation on stock returns of renewable energy producers: Evidence from Turkey," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 311-323.
    21. Rui Albuquerque & Yrjö Koskinen & Chendi Zhang, 2019. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Risk: Theory and Empirical Evidence," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(10), pages 4451-4469, October.
    22. Dameng Hu & Yuanzhe Huang & Changbiao Zhong, 2021. "Does Environmental Information Disclosure Affect the Sustainable Development of Enterprises: The Role of Green Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, October.
    23. Chen, Xiaoqing & Liu, Xinwang & Zhu, Qingyuan, 2022. "Comparative analysis of total factor productivity in China's high-tech industries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    24. Yan Xue & Caidong Jiang & Yunxia Guo & Jianmin Liu & Haitao Wu & Yu Hao, 2022. "Corporate Social Responsibility and High-quality Development: Do Green Innovation, Environmental Investment and Corporate Governance Matter?," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(11), pages 3191-3214, September.
    25. Jay B. Barney, 2018. "Why resource‐based theory's model of profit appropriation must incorporate a stakeholder perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(13), pages 3305-3325, December.
    26. Ge Ge & Xiang Xiao & Zhenzhu Li & Qinghui Dai, 2022. "Does ESG Performance Promote High-Quality Development of Enterprises in China? The Mediating Role of Innovation Input," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-24, March.
    27. Kai Wu & E Bai & Hejie Zhu & Zhijiang Lu & Hongxin Zhu, 2023. "Can Green Credit Policy Promote the High-Quality Development of China’s Heavily-Polluting Enterprises?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-27, May.
    28. Feng, Jingwen & Goodell, John W. & Shen, Dehua, 2022. "ESG rating and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    29. Lyon, Thomas & Lu, Yao & Shi, Xinzheng & Yin, Qie, 2013. "How do investors respond to Green Company Awards in China?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 1-8.
    30. Dye, Ra, 1985. "Disclosure Of Nonproprietary Information," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(1), pages 123-145.
    31. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513570910999319 is not listed on IDEAS
    32. Glen, Jack & Lee, Kevin & Singh, Ajit, 2001. "Persistence of profitability and competition in emerging markets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 247-253, August.
    33. Yue Pan & Qiuping Chen & Pengdong Zhang, 2020. "Does policy uncertainty affect corporate environmental information disclosure: evidence from China," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 11(5), pages 903-931, June.
    34. Dima Jamali & Asem M. Safieddine & Myriam Rabbath, 2008. "Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Synergies and Interrelationships," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(5), pages 443-459, September.
    35. Pablo Archel & Javier Husillos & Carlos Larrinaga & Crawford Spence, 2009. "Social disclosure, legitimacy theory and the role of the state," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(8), pages 1284-1307, October.
    36. Goss, Allen & Roberts, Gordon S., 2011. "The impact of corporate social responsibility on the cost of bank loans," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1794-1810, July.
    37. Xiaojuan Wu & Patrycja Hąbek, 2021. "Trends in Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting. The Case of Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, August.
    38. Ferrell, Allen & Liang, Hao & Renneboog, Luc, 2016. "Socially responsible firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(3), pages 585-606.
    39. Fatemi, Ali M. & Fooladi, Iraj J., 2013. "Sustainable finance: A new paradigm," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 101-113.
    40. Cedric Dawkins & John Fraas, 2011. "Coming Clean: The Impact of Environmental Performance and Visibility on Corporate Climate Change Disclosure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(2), pages 303-322, May.
    41. Pablo Archel & Javier Husillos & Carlos Larrinaga & Crawford Spence, 2009. "Social disclosure, legitimacy theory and the role of the state," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(8), pages 1284-1307, October.
    42. Bing He & Cancan Ma, 2024. "Can the Inclusiveness of Foreign Capital Improve Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Performance? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-16, November.
    43. Bohyun Yoon & Jeong Hwan Lee & Ryan Byun, 2018. "Does ESG Performance Enhance Firm Value? Evidence from Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-18, October.
    44. Lei Cheng & Zhen Lei, 2015. "Does the expansion of Chinese state-owned enterprises affect the innovative behavior of private enterprises?," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 24-54, March.
    45. Michael L. Barnett & Robert M. Salomon, 2012. "Does it pay to be really good? addressing the shape of the relationship between social and financial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(11), pages 1304-1320, November.
    46. James Levinsohn & Amil Petrin, 2003. "Estimating Production Functions Using Inputs to Control for Unobservables," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(2), pages 317-341.
    47. Song, Malin & Fisher, Ron & Kwoh, Yusen, 2019. "Technological challenges of green innovation and sustainable resource management with large scale data," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 361-368.
    48. Abdel-Aziz Ahmad Sharabati, 2018. "Effect of corporate social responsibility on Jordan pharmaceutical industry’s business performance," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(3), pages 566-583, August.
    49. Black, Bernard S. & Kim, Woochan & Jang, Hasung & Park, Kyung-Suh, 2015. "How corporate governance affect firm value? Evidence on a self-dealing channel from a natural experiment in Korea," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 131-150.
    50. Taiyuan Wang & Pratima Bansal, 2012. "Social responsibility in new ventures: profiting from a long‐term orientation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(10), pages 1135-1153, October.
    51. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2008. "Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(4-5), pages 303-327.
    52. Chen, Yi-Chun & Hung, Mingyi & Wang, Yongxiang, 2018. "The effect of mandatory CSR disclosure on firm profitability and social externalities: Evidence from China," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 169-190.
    53. Eliwa, Yasser & Aboud, Ahmed & Saleh, Ahmed, 2021. "ESG practices and the cost of debt: Evidence from EU countries," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    54. Andries De Grip & Jan Sauermann, 2012. "The Effects of Training on Own and Co‐worker Productivity: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 122(560), pages 376-399, May.
    55. Qiao, Tongshuai & Han, Liyan & Liu, Yang, 2021. "Does targeted poverty alleviation disclosure improve stock performance?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    56. Tang, Chang & Xu, Yuanyuan & Hao, Yu & Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan, 2021. "What is the role of telecommunications infrastructure construction in green technology innovation? A firm-level analysis for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    57. Robert D. Klassen & Curtis P. McLaughlin, 1996. "The Impact of Environmental Management on Firm Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(8), pages 1199-1214, August.
    58. M. Sinan Goktan & Robert Kieschnick & Rabih Moussawi, 2018. "Corporate Governance and Firm Survival," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 53(2), pages 209-253, May.
    59. Abdulsamad Alazzani & Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin & Michael Jones & Ahmed Al-hadi, 2021. "ESG Reporting and Analysts’ Recommendations in GCC: The Moderation Role of Royal Family Directors," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-21, February.
    60. Feng, Xiaoli & Li, Wenjing & Peng, Yuanhuai & Tan, Youchao, 2021. "International trade friction and the cost of debt: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    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. Keke Bai & Farid Ullah & Muhammad Arif & Sahar Erfanian & Saima Urooge, 2023. "Stakeholder-Centered Corporate Governance and Corporate Sustainable Development: Evidence from CSR Practices in the Top Companies by Market Capitalization at Shanghai Stock Exchange of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, February.
    2. Changjiang Zhang & Sihan Zhang & Yue Zhang & Yuqi Yang & Kai Lan, 2024. "Does Green Finance Policy Contribute to ESG Disclosure of Listed Companies? A Quasi-Natural Experiment from China," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(1), pages 21582440241, March.
    3. Qian, Kun & Shi, Bingjie & Song, Yunling & Wu, Hao, 2023. "ESG performance and loan contracting in an emerging market," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    4. Lai, Xiaobing & Zhang, Fan, 2022. "Can ESG certification help company get out of over-indebtedness? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    5. Haozhe Song & Gunnar Rimmel, 2025. "Debtholders' reaction to sustainability reporting regulations: International evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 88-115, January.
    6. Garanina, Tatiana & Kim, Oksana, 2023. "The relationship between CSR disclosure and accounting conservatism: The role of state ownership," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    7. Francesco Gangi & Jérôme Méric & Rémi Jardat & Lucia Michela Daniele, 2019. "Business for society," Post-Print hal-02382307, HAL.
    8. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Tang, Manting & Lee, Chi-Chuan, 2023. "Reaping digital dividends: Digital inclusive finance and high-quality development of enterprises in China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(2).
    9. Huang, Kai & Chi, Jing & Liao, Jing & Yuen, Mui Kuen, 2025. "In the heat of the moment, secrets will out: Oil price uncertainty and firm green innovation disclosure," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    10. Anita, Mendiratta & Shveta, Singh & Yadav Surendra, S. & Arvind, Mahajan, 2023. "When do ESG controversies reduce firm value in India?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    11. Yanbing Wang & Michael S. Delgado & Jin Xu, 2023. "When and where does it pay to be green? – A look into socially responsible investing and the cost of equity capital," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-23, December.
    12. Imen Khanchel & Naima Lassoued, 2022. "ESG Disclosure and the Cost of Capital: Is There a Ratcheting Effect over Time?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    13. Xiuzhi Zheng & Qianqian Bu, 2024. "Enterprise ESG Performance, Digital Transformation, and Firm Performance: Evidence from China," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(4), pages 21582440241, October.
    14. Li, Tao & Wang, Yan & Li, Haomin, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility and insider trading profitability: Evidence from an emerging market," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    15. Haotian Wu & Qiqi Sun & Zhihong Zhang & Dongmei Wang, 2024. "Does Board Internationalization Affect Corporate ESG Performance? Evidence from Chinese A-Share-Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-32, December.
    16. 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).
    17. Qi Ban & Huiting Zhu, 2023. "Quality of Mandatory Social Responsibility Disclosure and Total Factor Productivity of Enterprises: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    18. Yuan, Mingqing, 2024. "Beyond green bonds: Stock market reactions to ESG bond announcements and issuances in Japan," MPRA Paper 120943, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Fonseka, Mohan & Rajapakse, Theja & Richardson, Grant, 2019. "The effect of environmental information disclosure and energy product type on the cost of debt: Evidence from energy firms in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 159-182.
    20. Wu, Dexiang & Cheng, Huihui & Luo, Cuicui & Han, Liyan, 2022. "Does government initiated corporate social responsibility lower the default risk? Evidence from the targeted poverty alleviation campaign in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:20:p:9108-:d:1771193. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.