The impact of peer effect of industrial robot application on enterprise carbon emission reduction

Abstract The application of intelligent technology, such as industrial robots, is related to the environmental governance effectiveness of enterprises and the realization of the goal of “carbon peak and carbon neutrality”. Due to their similar external environments, driven by economic rationality, peer enterprises will mimic the robotics applications of other enterprises, which in turn will affect the enterprises' carbon emissions. However, little literature has explored the impact of industrial robot application on enterprise carbon emissions from the perspective of peer effect. Based on the data of Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share manufacturing listed enterprises in China from 2011 to 2021, this paper explores the impact of industrial robot application on carbon emission reduction of manufacturing enterprises from the perspective of peer effect. It is found that the industry peer effect and regional peer effect brought by the application of industrial robots are conducive to promoting the carbon emission reduction of enterprises. Among them, the industry peer effect of industrial robot applications promotes carbon emission reduction by enhancing the green innovation ability of enterprises, while the regional peer effect promotes carbon emission reduction by improving the service level of enterprises. It is further found that the degree of industry competition and the level of environmental regulation have inverted U-shaped moderating effects on the industrial robot application industry peer effect, regional peer effect, and enterprises' carbon emission reduction, respectively. The results enrich the research on the impact of industrial robot application on carbon emission reduction of manufacturing enterprises and provide policy implications for improving the environmental performance of enterprises.