Big data and Sustainability: Exploring the role of data element allocation in enhancing corporate performance

Amid various environmental and social crises, addressing how to guide enterprises toward sustainable development effectively is imperative. Using the establishment of the National Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zones (NBDC zones) as a quasi-natural experiment, this study explores the causal effect and mechanism of data element allocation (DEA) on corporate sustainability performance (SDP). Based on panel data from China’s listed manufacturing companies between 2010 and 2021 and employing difference-in-differences (DID) model, the findings reveal that data elements significantly enhance SDP, with notable heterogeneity across firms and regions. These conclusions remain robust after a series of robustness checks. Mechanism analysis indicates that data elements indirectly influence SDP by enhancing resource allocation capabilities and strengthening green innovation capacities. This research contributes to understanding how data elements improve SDP, providing policy insights for government agencies to leverage big data in advancing corporate sustainability.