Industrial green technology innovation has become an important content in achieving high-quality economic growth and comprehensively practicing the new development concept in the new era. This paper measures the efficiency of industrial green technology innovation and regional differences based on Chinese provincial panel data from 2005 to 2018, using a combination of the super efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model for considering undesirable outputs and the Dagum Gini coefficient method, and discusses and analyses the factors influencing industrial green technology innovation efficiency by constructing a spatial econometric model. The results show that: firstly, industrial green technology innovation efficiency in China shows a relatively stable development trend, going through three stages: “stationary period”, “recession period” and “growth period”. However, the efficiency gap between different regions is obvious, specifically in the eastern > central > western regions of China, and the industrial green technology efficiency innovation in the central and western regions is lower than the national average. Secondly, regional differences in the efficiency of industrial green technology innovation in China are evident but tend to narrow overall, with the main reason for the overall difference being regional differences. In terms of intra-regional variation, variation within the eastern region is relatively stable, variation within the central region is relatively low and shows an inverted ‘U’ shaped trend, and variation within the western region is high and shows a fluctuating downward trend. Thirdly, the firm size, government support, openness to the outside world, environmental regulations and education levels contribute to the efficiency of industrial green technology innovation. In addition, the industrial structure hinders the efficiency of industrial green technology innovation, and each influencing factor has different degrees of spatial spillover effects.

Academia and business alike are paying increasing attention to innovation in green technology due to the potential environmental and financial performance benefits. However, a limited amount of research has been carried out on the effect of proactive green technology innovation on corporate financial performance. This study examines the effects of two dimensions of proactive green technology innovation, namely, proactive green process innovation and proactive green product innovation, on corporate financial performance. Moreover, the moderating role of absorptive capacity on these relationships is introduced. The proposed hypotheses were tested empirically using a dynamic panel dataset of 126 Chinese listed semiconductor concept stocks from 2010 to 2020 and a difference-GMM approach. It was found that proactive green process innovation has a significant positive effect on both short-term and long-term corporate financial performance. Moreover, proactive green product innovation has a significant positive effect on long-term corporate financial performance. However, it does not improve short-term corporate financial performance. In addition, absorptive capacity has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between proactive green process innovation and both short-term and long-term corporate financial performance, and shows a positive moderating effect on the relationship between proactive green product innovation and long-term financial performance. However, it has a significant negative moderating effect on short-term corporate financial performance. Thus, we suggest that firms adopt more supportive proactive green technology innovation practices in order to improve their financial performance.

Background: Africa comprises the bulk of struggling economies. However, Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing rapid industrialization and urbanization. Excessive resource use, pollution, and the absence of relevant environmental disclosure are factors that contribute to these human-made damages. Environmental pollution as a threat to sustainable development results from these damages. Although it has been established that Sub-Saharan Africa would benefit from resource-management development, sustainable environmental strategies, and a reduction in urbanization and persistent poverty, the information on these issues has not been made public. Objective: To provide a full account of the level of environmental-exposure disclosure in Sub-Saharan African countries, including the current level of progress, gaps, and prospects, we reviewed the literature on environmental exposure information research in African populations. Methodology: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed research articles, reviews, or books examining environmental exposure and information disclosure in human populations in Africa. Results: In total, 89 full-text articles were eligible for the inclusion criteria. A quality assessment of the retrieved articles using the PRISMA guidelines resulted in the exclusion of 40 articles; therefore, 49 studies were included in the final analysis. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the environmental exposure information on household injuries, the use of chemicals such as pesticides in farming, industry-linked vectors and diseases, laboratory chemical exposure, industrial exposure, and epigenetic factors are not well-disclosed to the population. Conclusion: Environmental information disclosure standards should be incorporated into central-government policy recommendations. Standards should identify polluting industries, and companies should refrain from the voluntary disclosure of environmental information to manage their reputation. Heavy-pollution industries should be made sufficiently transparent to lessen the company–media collusion on information disclosure.