The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation
Sustainable development comes from a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, with due consideration of long-term impacts on environment. Leveraging policy tools to promote green innovation is a critical strategy for achieving this objective. This paper examines the impact of hi...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1539990/full |
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| author | Zhiqiang Liang Yao Shen Kunyu Yang Jinsong Kuang |
| author_facet | Zhiqiang Liang Yao Shen Kunyu Yang Jinsong Kuang |
| author_sort | Zhiqiang Liang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sustainable development comes from a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, with due consideration of long-term impacts on environment. Leveraging policy tools to promote green innovation is a critical strategy for achieving this objective. This paper examines the impact of high-tech certification on corporate green innovation, distinguishing between substantive and strategic green innovation. It develops a theoretical framework to analyze how high-tech certification influences enterprise green innovation through mechanisms such as tax preferences, government subsidies, financing constraints, and leveraging capital market attention. The study employs a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model and utilizes data of A-share listed companies from 2006 to 2023 to systematically assess the impact of high-tech certification on enterprise green innovation strategies, underlying mechanisms, and their heterogeneity. The research discovers that in general, high-tech certification significantly promotes enterprise green innovation, having a more prominent facilitating effect on strategic green innovation, resulting in a certain degree of green patent false prosperity. From the perspective of underlying mechanisms, high-tech certification increases the resources actually obtained by enterprises through tax preferences and government subsidies and alleviates financing constraints, thereby guiding enterprises to undertake more substantive green innovation; while enhancing capital market attention increases the expected resources obtained by enterprises, prompting enterprises to be more inclined towards strategic green innovation. Further analysis reveals that the impact of high-tech certification on corporate green innovation varies significantly across different ownership structures, industries, and regions. Specifically, in state-owned enterprises, technology-intensive sectors, and enterprises located in the central regions, the positive effect on substantive green innovation is particularly pronounced. This study contributes to the literature on policy tools and corporate green innovation strategies by offering robust empirical evidence to optimizing policy design, mitigating policy arbitrage, and preventing patent bubbles. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a10e9d59c76c4f86a2ed1cd622678aae |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-a10e9d59c76c4f86a2ed1cd622678aae2025-08-20T02:58:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2025-03-011310.3389/fenvs.2025.15399901539990The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovationZhiqiang Liang0Yao Shen1Kunyu Yang2Jinsong Kuang3School of Economics, Shanghai University, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Economics, Shanghai University, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Economics and Trade, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha, ChinaSchool of Economics and Trade, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha, ChinaSustainable development comes from a balance between economic growth and environmental protection, with due consideration of long-term impacts on environment. Leveraging policy tools to promote green innovation is a critical strategy for achieving this objective. This paper examines the impact of high-tech certification on corporate green innovation, distinguishing between substantive and strategic green innovation. It develops a theoretical framework to analyze how high-tech certification influences enterprise green innovation through mechanisms such as tax preferences, government subsidies, financing constraints, and leveraging capital market attention. The study employs a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model and utilizes data of A-share listed companies from 2006 to 2023 to systematically assess the impact of high-tech certification on enterprise green innovation strategies, underlying mechanisms, and their heterogeneity. The research discovers that in general, high-tech certification significantly promotes enterprise green innovation, having a more prominent facilitating effect on strategic green innovation, resulting in a certain degree of green patent false prosperity. From the perspective of underlying mechanisms, high-tech certification increases the resources actually obtained by enterprises through tax preferences and government subsidies and alleviates financing constraints, thereby guiding enterprises to undertake more substantive green innovation; while enhancing capital market attention increases the expected resources obtained by enterprises, prompting enterprises to be more inclined towards strategic green innovation. Further analysis reveals that the impact of high-tech certification on corporate green innovation varies significantly across different ownership structures, industries, and regions. Specifically, in state-owned enterprises, technology-intensive sectors, and enterprises located in the central regions, the positive effect on substantive green innovation is particularly pronounced. This study contributes to the literature on policy tools and corporate green innovation strategies by offering robust empirical evidence to optimizing policy design, mitigating policy arbitrage, and preventing patent bubbles.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1539990/fullsubstantive green innovationstrategic green innovationhigh-tech certificationzero-inflated negative binomial regressiongreen patent bubble |
| spellingShingle | Zhiqiang Liang Yao Shen Kunyu Yang Jinsong Kuang The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation Frontiers in Environmental Science substantive green innovation strategic green innovation high-tech certification zero-inflated negative binomial regression green patent bubble |
| title | The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation |
| title_full | The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation |
| title_fullStr | The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation |
| title_short | The role of high-tech certification in enterprise green innovation: from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation |
| title_sort | role of high tech certification in enterprise green innovation from the perspectives of substantive innovation and strategic innovation |
| topic | substantive green innovation strategic green innovation high-tech certification zero-inflated negative binomial regression green patent bubble |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1539990/full |
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