Using firm-customer matched data from 2005 to 2020 in China, we examined the spillover effects and mechanisms of green innovation (GI) among supply chain partners. Results show a positive association between customers' GI and their supply firms' GI, indicating spillover effects in the supply chain. Customers' GI increase from the 25th to the 75th percentile leads to a significant 19% increase in supply firms' GI. Certain conditions amplify the spillover effect, including customers with higher bargaining power, operating in less competitive industries, and supply firms making relationship-specific investments or experiencing greater customer stability. Geographic proximity and shared ownership further enhance the spillover effect. Information-based and competition-based channels drive the spillover effect, while customers with higher GI encourage genuine GI activities by supply firms. External environmental regulations, such as the Chinese Green Credit Policy and Environmental Protection Law, strengthen the spillover effect, supporting the Porter hypothesis. This research expands understanding of spillover effects in the supply chain and contributes to the literature on GI determinants.

We investigate the impacts of anticipated government environmental audits (GEAs) on firm productivity. We use a 2009 policy set forth by China’s National Audit Office that required GEAs of local governments as an exogenous event to examine the effect of the policy announcement on firms’ total factor productivity (TFP). Our difference-in-differences tests indicate that TFP in heavily polluting firms improved more than other firms’ TFP after the announcement of the policy. We also find that to raise TFP, firms engage in green invention patents or receive government environmental subsidies. In addition, our cross-sectional analysis suggests that firms in regions where governments have strong environmental enforcement or that are in the eastern regions of China increase TFP more.

The pilot carbon emission trading schemes (ETSs) of China were created to combat climate change in a cost-effective and economically efficient manner, and their potential impact on regulated firms has drawn increasing attention. This study is conducted to provide empirical evidence on the effect of China’s pilot ETSs on firm-level financial performance during the period from 2008 to 2017. The empirical results show that the ETS pilots have a positive impact on firms’ profitability and value, and a negative impact on operational costs. We also find that the ETS pilots improve total factor productivity (TFP) but that changes in technology have an indirect suppressing effect on the relation between the ETS and short-term financial performance, providing support for the weak version of the Porter Hypothesis. Further, we show that the carbon emission price has a negative impact on firms’accounting-based performance but increases firms’ market value. Finally, we find evidence that, in contrast to state-owned enterprises (SOEs), non-SOEs do not experience significant improvements in their financial performance, led by the ETS pilots. Our findings have policy implications for firms’sustainable development and the transition to a low-carbon economy.