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Operation of the Collaborative Composite Manufacturing CCM System
Published on: October 1, 2019
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Industrial robots reduce carbon emissions in manufacturing through global value chains
Yongliang Zhang1,2, Jianing Zhu1, Shali Wang3
1School of Management, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100080, China.
Scientific Reports
|July 30, 2025
Summary
Industrial robot application in manufacturing significantly reduces carbon emissions. This effect is driven by optimized labor, enhanced global value chain positioning, and technology spillovers, supporting green industrial growth.
Area of Science:
- Manufacturing Technology
- Environmental Science
- Economics
Background:
- Industrial robots are key to advanced manufacturing and green development.
- Understanding their impact on carbon emissions within global value chains is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically analyze the impact of industrial robot application on carbon emissions in global manufacturing.
- To investigate the mechanisms driving these emission reductions.
- To explore the heterogeneity and spatial characteristics of this effect.
Main Methods:
- Utilized world input-output tables and industrial robot application data.
- Conducted empirical analysis with instrumental variables and robustness tests.
- Performed mechanism and heterogeneity analyses, including supply-side technology spillovers.
Main Results:
- Industrial robot application significantly reduces carbon emissions in manufacturing.
- Mechanisms include labor optimization, improved global value chain status, and climbing effects.
- The effect is stronger in developed countries, capital-intensive, and digitalized industries.
Conclusions:
- Industrial robots offer a pathway to intelligent manufacturing and decarbonization.
- Policy implications support leveraging robots for sustainable global industrial development.
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