Does ‘going green’ promote global value chain integration?

Abstract This study examines the impact of environmentally oriented investments on firms’ integration into global value chains (GVCs). We use firm-level data in 41 countries from the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey dataset and control for selection and endogeneity bias. Our findings reveal that the adoption of environmental protection actions boosts firms’ participation in GVCs. Measures reducing air pollution, followed by waste minimization techniques and energy management tools, yield the highest impact at both margins. Larger firms are more likely to experience a rise in their chances of participating in GVCs compared to their smaller counterparts. At the sectoral level, dirty sectors (such as plastics, construction and chemicals) are less likely to witness the positive impact of environment-friendly measures on GVC integration, given their production techniques that are CO 2 and energy intensive. Finally, at the regional level, the effect of such environmental measures is more pronounced for firms located in European Union countries.