Sustainability of enterprise export expansion from the perspective of environmental information disclosure

Abstract

Abstract The export of Chinese firms is facing problems of low added value and high energy consumption. Various environmental control methods have emerged to promote the sustainable development of exports. Environmental information disclosure has an important impact on the development of enterprises in recent years. Can it promote exports? Based on the Heckman model, this study uses matched data from the China Industry Business Performance Data and China Stock Market and Accounting Research Database to investigate whether environmental information disclosure can influence the export of enterprises. Findings show that environmental information disclosure can promote decision-making for exports. Nonlinear results show that environmental information disclosure and hard environmental information disclosure showed a U-shaped relationship to export scale, whereas EIDS displayed an inverted U-relationship with export scale. To further verify the impact paths, the cost effect of environmental information disclosure is unconducive to export, whereas innovation, financing, and subsidy effects can increase export scale. However, the social trust effect of environmental information disclosure remains unclear.