Exploring the effects of manufacturing servitization on enterprise energy conservation and emissions reduction moderated by digital transformation

Manufacturing servitization can reverse the low-end situation of China's manufacturing industry, which is “big but not strong,” and is an effective path to green transformation. Previous studies have neglected the impact of manufacturing servitization on enterprise energy conservation and emissions reduction (ECER). To fill this research gap, we manually compiled enterprises' servitization data combined with the microdata of listed manufacturing enterprises in China A-share from 2010 to 2019. Based on the digital transformation perspective, we explored the impact of manufacturing servitization on enterprise ECER. The conclusions are as follows: (1) manufacturing servitization promotes enterprise ECER. This finding remains robust even after the endogeneity problem is overcome using the difference-in-differences model and the instrumental variable method. (2) Manufacturing servitization's ECER performance is more significant in labor and capital-intensive and state-owned enterprises. (3) Manufacturing servitization achieves ECER by improving green technological innovation and optimizing the factor structure. (4) The moderating effect of digital transformation on manufacturing servitization and enterprise ECER is negative, implying that increased digital transformation can drive manufacturing servitization to better promote enterprise ECER. In addition, the moderating effect of digital transformation manifests only in regions with high-intensity intellectual property protections. This study highlights the direction of green transformation in China's manufacturing industry.