How Data-Driven Synergy Between Digitalization and Greening Reshapes Industrial Structure: Evidence from China (2012–2022)

Digitalization and greening are two fundamental forces shaping the current technological revolution and industrial transformation, serving as key pathways for nations to achieve sustainable development goals. Drawing on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2012 to 2022, this study constructs indicators of digitalization and greening from the perspectives of data empowerment and technological efficiency improvement and examines how their synergistic development influences industrial structure optimization. The findings reveal the following: (1) although the overall synergy between digitalization and greening has steadily increased, regional disparities persist, displaying an “East strong–West weak” pattern, with inter-regional differences being the primary source of overall imbalance; (2) through the mediating role of environmental regulation, the coordinated advancement of digitalization and greening exerts a significant positive effect on industrial structure optimization; (3) heterogeneity analysis indicates a gradient empowerment effect, showing that the impact of digitalization–greening synergy on industrial structure optimization follows a “West > Central > East” pattern. These results provide both theoretical and empirical evidence for understanding how digitalization and greening jointly drive sustainable development. The study offers practical insights for guiding traditional industries to integrate into circular economy systems through “digitalization + greening” transformation and recommends that governments adopt differentiated strategies tailored to local conditions, enhance digital infrastructure, promote green initiatives, deepen reforms, and innovate regulatory frameworks to foster the synergistic advancement of digitalization and greening.