Servitization and Environmental Performance: Evidence from Chinese Export Firms

Developing economies generally face a tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability, a conflict particularly pronounced in export-oriented manufacturing. Servitization, as a significant trend in industrial upgrading, holds important theoretical and policy implications for green growth in developing countries due to its environmental impact. Based on heterogeneous firm theory, this paper constructs an analytical framework integrating servitization decisions, pollution emissions, and export characteristics, and proposes a firm-level measurement method for manufacturing input servitization. Utilizing a matched dataset comprising Chinese industrial enterprise pollution data, customs trade data, and input-output tables from 2000 to 2014, this study examines the impact of manufacturing input servitization on the pollution intensity of exporting firms, explores the underlying mechanisms, and investigates heterogeneous effects. The results indicate: First, manufacturing input servitization significantly reduces the pollution intensity of exporting firms, a finding robust to multiple tests. Second, mechanism analysis reveals that servitization primarily drives green transformation through promoting R&D innovation and import expansion. Third, the environmental effects exhibit heterogeneity: foreign service inputs significantly curb pollution, while domestic service inputs show no significant effect; the pollution reduction effect is more pronounced in firms with lower financing constraints. This research provides micro-level evidence and policy insights for developing countries to coordinate growth and environmental protection through servitization transformation.发展中经济体普遍面临经济增长与环境可持续性之间的两难困境，这一冲突在出口导向型制造业中尤为突出。服务化（Servitization）作为产业升级的重要趋势，因其对环境的影响，对发展中国家的绿色增长具有重要的理论与政策意义。本文基于异质性企业理论（heterogeneous firm theory），构建了整合服务化决策、污染排放与出口特征的分析框架，并提出了制造业投入服务化的企业层面测度方法。本研究依托2000至2014年匹配整合的中国工业企业污染数据、海关贸易数据与投入产出表数据集，考察了制造业投入服务化对出口企业污染强度的影响，探究了其内在作用机制，并分析了异质性效应。研究结果显示：第一，制造业投入服务化可显著降低出口企业的污染强度，该结论经多项稳健性检验后依然成立；第二，机制分析表明，服务化主要通过推动研发创新与进口规模扩张，助力企业实现绿色转型；第三，环境效应存在异质性：境外服务投入可显著抑制污染排放，而境内服务投入则未表现出显著影响，融资约束较低的企业其污染减排效应更为突出。本研究为发展中国家通过服务化转型协调经济增长与环境保护工作，提供了微观层面的经验证据与政策启示。