Integration and innovation of China’s manufacturing and logistics industries and carbon emissions

Integration and innovation of manufacturing and logistics industries (IIML) has become important on improving economic systems, with the concern of the carbon neutral targets. However, there is still a lack of studies on how IIML affects regional carbon emission (RCE). By applying jointly resource dependence theory and institutional theory, we construct an empirical model based on panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2014 to 2021. Our results show that: (1) the improvement of IIML level is slow and has an inverted U-shape impact on RCE; (2) the mediating effects of the industrial structure improvement (ISI) promotion is not supported, but the mediating effect of the technological innovation (TI) promotion is supported; (3) in some regions, external regulations (government regulation (GR) and social trust (ST)) make the inverted U-shaped relationship between IIML and RCE flatter; (4) the heterogeneity analysis reveals that economically developed provinces and provinces with diversified industrial structures are more effective in reducing RCE. This study points out theoretical guidance and policy insights for promoting IIML to realize the carbon-neutral plan.