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Study on the Influence of ESG Performance on Carbon Emission Intensity in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

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  • Wei Du

    (College of Economics & Management, The North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China)

  • Shuhan Ning

    (College of Economics & Management, The North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China)

  • Zhipeng Yan

    (College of Economics & Management, The North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China)

Abstract

Embracing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles is essential for the automotive industry to align with the global low-carbon trend, and carbon emission intensity serves as the core metric for evaluating the sector’s emission reduction effectiveness. We construct a two-way fixed-effects model to assess the influence of ESG performance on carbon emission intensity in the automotive manufacturing sector of Chinese A-share-listed companies from 2009 to 2022 and arrive at the following conclusions: There is a significantly negative relationship between the ESG performance and carbon emission intensity of automotive manufacturing firms, and the finding remains valid according to a series of robustness and endogeneity tests. In addition, small-scale and non-state-owned enterprises appear to focus more on managing carbon emission intensity than their large-scale and state-owned firms do. We also find that ESG performance impacts the carbon emission intensity of automotive manufacturing companies through increased executive compensation incentives, while financing constraints have enhanced the influence of ESG performance on the sector’s carbon emission intensity.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei Du & Shuhan Ning & Zhipeng Yan, 2026. "Study on the Influence of ESG Performance on Carbon Emission Intensity in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:5:p:2590-:d:1881459
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