Research on Development Mechanism, Regional Disparities and Optimization Path of Green Logistics Under the Background of Digital Economy

Yilin Li; Yue Wu

doi:10.63313/EBM.2041

Authors

Yilin Li School of Economics and Management, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China Author
Yue Wu School of Economics and Management, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/EBM.2041

Keywords:

Digital Economy, Green Logistics, Logistics Industrial Agglomeration, Regional Disparity, Dual Carbon Goals

Abstract

Against the background of advancing the “Dual Carbon” goals and high-quality economic development, the green transformation of the logistics industry is essential to alleviate resource and environmental constraints. Traditional logistics is characterized by high energy consumption, excessive carbon emissions and low operational efficiency, while the digital economy represented by big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) provides new impetus for low-carbon logistics. Nevertheless, China’s green logistics is hampered by insufficient digital empowerment, unbalanced regional development, lagging green technological innovation and imperfect institutional guarantees. Based on maturity theory, spatial economics and institutional theory, this paper constructs an integrated analytical framework of “digital empowerment – industrial agglomeration – institutional guarantee – green development”. Taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin as core research regions, this study establishes a maturity evaluation index system covering four criterion layers: economic foundation, logistics supply capacity, environmental friendliness and technological innovation. This paper systematically identifies the influencing mechanisms of the digital economy, logistics industrial agglomeration, trade facilitation and environmental regulation on green logistics, and further reveals prominent spatial differentiation. Eastern China ranks first in green logistics maturity, Central China maintains rapid growth, while Western China is restricted by inadequate infrastructure and weak innovation capacity. The digital economy facilitates green logistics via three channels: technological innovation, market activation and spatial spillover. Logistics agglomeration generates threshold effects and cross-regional spillover effects. Trade facilitation plays a positive moderating role. Environmental regulation exerts dual effects of incentive and constraint. Finally, targeted optimization paths are proposed from five dimensions: digital technological innovation, high-quality logistics agglomeration, trade facilitation improvement, institutional system perfection and cross-regional coordinated development. The research conclusions can narrow regional development gaps and support the implementation of the national “Dual Carbon” strategy and coordinated regional development strategy.

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