{"title":"Green bonds and corporate Environmental social and governance performance: Innovative approaches to identifying greenwashing in green bond markets","authors":"Pengfei Ge, Yichao Liu, Chuxiong Tang, Rui Zhu","doi":"10.1002/csr.3005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study examines the impact of green bond issuance on companies' environmental social and governance (ESG) performances and greenwashing behavior of a sample of Chinese-listed firms. We find that the issuance of green bonds significantly bolsters corporate ESG performance through the financing and signaling mechanisms. The moderating effect of policy uncertainty proves to have a mutually reinforcing effect on the impact of green bonds on ESG performance. By signaling the commitment to green and low-carbon transformation, the issuance of green bonds offsets the negative effects of policy uncertainty on firm's ESG performance. Extended analysis on greenwashing discerns no notable differences among firms with different polluting conditions and politically connected levels. The issuance primarily improves environmental (E) and social (S) dimensions, with negligible influence on the governance (G) aspect of ESG. Our findings suggest that a potential propensity of greenwashing in China's green bond market.</p>","PeriodicalId":48334,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management","volume":"32 1","pages":"1060-1078"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/csr.3005","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study examines the impact of green bond issuance on companies' environmental social and governance (ESG) performances and greenwashing behavior of a sample of Chinese-listed firms. We find that the issuance of green bonds significantly bolsters corporate ESG performance through the financing and signaling mechanisms. The moderating effect of policy uncertainty proves to have a mutually reinforcing effect on the impact of green bonds on ESG performance. By signaling the commitment to green and low-carbon transformation, the issuance of green bonds offsets the negative effects of policy uncertainty on firm's ESG performance. Extended analysis on greenwashing discerns no notable differences among firms with different polluting conditions and politically connected levels. The issuance primarily improves environmental (E) and social (S) dimensions, with negligible influence on the governance (G) aspect of ESG. Our findings suggest that a potential propensity of greenwashing in China's green bond market.
期刊介绍:
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management is a journal that publishes both theoretical and practical contributions related to the social and environmental responsibilities of businesses in the context of sustainable development. It covers a wide range of topics, including tools and practices associated with these responsibilities, case studies, and cross-country surveys of best practices. The journal aims to help organizations improve their performance and accountability in these areas.
The main focus of the journal is on research and practical advice for the development and assessment of social responsibility and environmental tools. It also features practical case studies and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to sustainability. The journal encourages the discussion and debate of sustainability issues and closely monitors the demands of various stakeholder groups. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management is a refereed journal, meaning that all contributions undergo a rigorous review process. It seeks high-quality contributions that appeal to a diverse audience from various disciplines.