How E-Commerce Drives Low-Carbon Development: An Empirical Analysis from China

Xuanfang He, Danni Ma and Liwei Tang ()
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Xuanfang He: School of Economics and Management, Changsha Normal University, Changsha 410100, China
Danni Ma: School of Economics and Management, Changsha Normal University, Changsha 410100, China
Liwei Tang: School of Mathematics and Statistics, Key Laboratory of Computing and Stochastic Mathematics (Ministry of Education), Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-23

Abstract: Using 31 provinces (cities and districts) on the Chinese mainland (2013–2023) as the research object, this study analyzes the development level of e-commerce through the entropy weight method and uses panel data to empirically test the driving effect of e-commerce development level on low-carbon development. According to this study, the overall development of e-commerce has a positive driving effect on low-carbon development. E-commerce development lowers the intensity of carbon emissions by optimizing regional industrial structures, innovating green technologies, and establishing resource sharing. Moreover, the analysis of the effects of regional heterogeneity reveals that, although low-level areas still have great development potential, high-level economic development areas have the greatest effect on low-carbon development. In conclusion, we clarify how e-commerce contributes to low-carbon development and provide resources for enhancing the quality and efficiency of e-commerce to conserve energy and reduce emissions.

Keywords: e-commerce; digital economy; carbon emission intensity; fixed effects; mediating effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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