How a Low-Carbon Economy Affects Decision-Making and Profit Development in Large Corporations: Case Studies for Unilever and Maersk

In the context of global warming, the “low-carbon economy” based on low energy usance and low pollution has become a global debating issue. Developed countries from Europe and the United States boost the “low-carbon revolution” in a vigorous manner with high energy efficiency and low emission as the core, focus on the development of “low-carbon technology”, and make major adjustments to industry, energy and other policies, technology and trade. As the country vigorously promotes a low-carbon economy, it will inevitably affect the financial market where large companies and even multinational companies are located. The existing academic literature is still lacking in research in this area. We aim to show how a low-carbon economy will affect the development of financial markets and large companies, whether it is a good idea to develop a low-carbon economy from the perspective of large companies, and to provide concrete low-carbon solutions for large companies. Here we select two representative companies: Unilever and Maersk for descriptive analysis and case analysis. We found that a low-carbon economy is positively correlated with the profits of large companies, that is, a low-carbon economy can indeed bring sustainable growth in profits for large companies. Our research can inform other businesses seeking to implement a low-carbon economy, while also helping governments formulate effective energy policy.