Environmental regulation, digital technology application and low-carbon supply chain resilience: Evidence from China

Enhancing supply chain resilience through market-based environmental policies is crucial for global sustainability amid the escalating climate crisis. This study uses panel data from 887 Chinese A-share listed enterprises between 2008 and 2020 to explore the impact of carbon emissions trading policy on low-carbon supply chain resilience and the moderating role of digital technology application. Grounded in Social Network Theory, low-carbon supply chain resilience is deconstructed into cohesive capacity, restorative capacity, and resistive capacity. The findings indicate that carbon emissions trading policy significantly enhances all three resilience factors. However, digital technology application asymmetrically moderates these effects; it strengthens restorative capacity but has no significant impact on cohesive or resistive capacity. Further analysis reveals that the breadth of digital technology application enhances restorative capacity while inhibiting resistive capacity, whereas the depth strengthens restorative capacity. Heterogeneity analyses show more policy effects in regions under advantaged business environments and among enterprises with stronger market influence, underscoring the interplay between institutional quality, organizational power, and regulatory efficacy. This study advances a theoretical framework integrating institutional, technological, and organizational perspectives, offering actionable insights for building climate-resilient supply chains.