This study investigates the impact of green technology innovation on energy consumption and corporate value in China's chemical industries, utilizing data from 133 A-share listed enterprises over the period of 2013-2022. Data on green technology innovation are sourced from the Chinese Research Data Services (CNRDS) Platform, while energy consumption data are obtained from listed companies' annual reports, social responsibility reports, and websites. Corporate ESG data is sourced from Huazheng ESG rating, and other data are obtained from China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database (CSMAR) and the National Statistics Bureau. Employing a two-way fixed effects model, this finds that green technology innovation mitigates energy consumption, and boosts corporate value of Chinese A-share listed enterprises of chemical industries. The study ensures the robustness of its findings through 2SLS analysis, using green patent applications as instrumental variables. The moderating effects of ESG disclosure are found significant to strengthen the influence of green technology innovation on energy consumption and corporate value. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in shaping strategies to promote sustainability and competitiveness in the chemical industry.

In the contemporary corporate world, environmental responsibility has elevated the importance of sustainability disclosures and their impact on the cost of debt. Conducting the first comprehensive review in this domain, this study analyzed 76 articles from 2008 to 2022 using the Biblioshiny package in the R program (for bibliometric visualization) and VOSviewer version (for bibliographic coupling), employing strict inclusion criteria based on the PRISMA protocol. The investigation was done to check the influence of sustainability disclosures on the cost of debt, including environmental and social dimensions. Additionally, it synthesized perspectives from lending institutions, corporate governance, earnings management, sustainable business practices, and GHG / Carbon emissions in this relationship. The study has also synthesized the literature with conclusion that high-quality environmental and social disclosures with sustainable practices and reduced carbon emission significantly reduce a firm's cost of debt by minimizing perceived risks, and enhancing reputation, credibility and demand from socially responsible investors. Active engagement in CSR, sustainable practices, proper governance, and stakeholder orientation further contribute to lower the cost of debt. Conversely, inadequate disclosure quality, high carbon emissions, poor environmental records and negative media attention may increase borrowing costs and environmental penalties. This study will help CFOs to develop tailored sustainability strategies in optimization of their cost of debt resulting in higher financial performance. Results of this study are also helpful for policymakers, regulators, financial analysts, auditors, and investors.

This study aims to investigate the impact of green transformation on the environmental and financial performance of 173 Chinese A-share listed chemical enterprises over the period 2012-2022. We employ fixed-effects model, and found the positive influence of green transformation on both environmental and financial performance. Furthermore, it explores the moderating role of corporate governance strength in enhancing the relationship between green transformation and financial and environmental performance metrics. Findings suggest that robust corporate governance further strengthens this positive nexus for both, but mainly moderates environmental performance. The study also delves into the heterogeneous effects of firm size and ownership, highlighting that larger and state-owned firms benefit more substantially from green transformation initiatives. These insights provide crucial implications for policymakers and managers aiming to optimize both financial and environmental outcomes through green transformation. The study recommends the adoption of green technologies and stronger corporate governance to facilitate a shift from a shareholder-centric to a stakeholder-inclusive perspective, ultimately fostering resource-efficient processes that contribute positively to environmental sustainability.

OECD countries gained exponential economic growth over last two decades, now contributing over 60% of global GDP, however, this growth came with significant environmental costs, depleting natural resources at an alarming rate – material consumptions in these countries surged by 70% since 2000 – and raising critical question about these nations’ role to achieve SDGs by 2030. To address the critical need of maintaining ecological sustainability and resource productivity, this study examines the interplay of circular economy (CE), green finance (GF), and ICT developments (ICT) across 27 OECD countries from 2000 to 2022. We utilize the CS-ARDL econometric approach to explain the short- and long-term effects of circular economy (CE), green finance (GF), and ICT developments (ICT) on resource productivity (RP) and ecological sustainability (ES). Findings reveal CE’s dual impact, with initial short-term challenges—arising from resource-intensive infrastructure development—transforming into long-term benefits by reducing waste and improving resource efficiency. GF emerges as a robust driver, aligning investments toward green technologies and resource-efficient practices, fostering sustainability at scale. ICT developments exhibit a complex relationship, initially straining resources but later significantly enhancing RP and ES through advanced analytics, automation, and resource monitoring. The analysis also validates the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, demonstrating that while economic growth initially exacerbates environmental degradation, advanced economies achieve ecological resilience through adaptive sustainability measures. This study underscores the critical role of CE, GF, and ICT in addressing pressing global sustainability challenges, offering actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders.