From ESG Performance to Environmental Stewardship: Evidence From Corporate Pollution Governance in China

ABSTRACT Environmental sustainability has become an essential component of corporate strategic behavior, yet the mechanisms through which ESG performance influences firms' environmental pollution governance remain underexplored. Drawing on resource dependence theory and agency theory, this study examines whether and how ESG performance drives corporate environmental pollution governance using panel data from Chinese A‐share listed firms between 2009 and 2022. The results show that higher ESG performance significantly increases firms' investment in environmental pollution governance. Mechanism tests reveal two mediating pathways: Firms with stronger ESG performance exhibit higher equity concentration, which enhances shareholder oversight, and more effective board governance behavior, which improves environmental decision‐making. Furthermore, executives' overseas experience and equity incentives strengthen the positive association between ESG performance and environmental governance. Heterogeneity analyses indicate that the effects are more pronounced in non–state‐owned enterprises, firms with greater analyst attention, and those operating in economically developed regions. These findings enrich the understanding of how ESG performance translates into substantive environmental action in emerging markets and offer practical implications for firms seeking to enhance their environmental governance capabilities.