Solid Waste Governance Action and Corporate ESG Performance: Evidence from China’s “Zero-Waste City” Pilot Policy

Solid waste governance actions are important to achieve sustainable urban development. This study uses the “zero-waste city” pilot policy as a natural experiment to evaluate the impact of solid waste governance actions on corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. The research shows that solid waste governance actions improve corporate ESG performance by enhancing government environmental concerns, public environmental concerns, and corporate green innovation. The analysis of spillover effects indicates that solid waste governance exerts positive spatial spillover effects. Heterogeneity tests reveal that the positive effect of solid waste governance actions on corporate ESG performance is more pronounced in enterprises characterized by higher-quality information disclosure and stronger internal governance, industries with greater solid waste output and more advanced technology, regions with a closer government–market relationship, and in central–eastern regions. These findings contribute to understanding the micro-level effects of solid waste governance actions and the determinants of corporate ESG performance, providing valuable insights for other developing countries to govern solid waste and improve corporate ESG performance.