Peer effects in corporate environmental disclosure and the complexity of green innovation collaboration network

Amid intensifying climate change and resource constraints, green innovation cooperation networks attract increasing attention. Corporate environmental information disclosure and peer effects are important for green innovation collaboration. Using data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2022, we examine how lagged peer environmental information disclosure relates to difference in firm network structure entropy within green innovation collaboration networks. We constructed single annual networks comprising all firms participating in green innovation collaborations across industries and treated entropy as an annual network characteristic. We capture network complexity changes along the dimension of degree distribution by calculating differences in firm network structure entropy. The sample comprises 403 firms and 3,813 firm-year observations, representing all listed companies within the networks. The results show that the peer effect of corporate environmental information disclosure is positively associated with differences in firm network structural entropy. It operates by reducing information asymmetry through network centrality, expanding cross-boundary ties through linkage diversity, and improving resource allocation efficiency through R&D intensity. This effect is more significant in state-owned enterprises, companies receiving lower government subsidies, and those with strong information acquisition capabilities. This study enriches the green innovation collaboration network literature and informs form’s sustainable green collaboration.