{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T22:35:27Z","timestamp":1782426927793,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]],"date-time":"2025-12-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764806400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JTAER"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study examines if peers\u2019 digital transformation affects focal firms\u2019 greenwashing, addressing the literature gap of insufficient focus on industry interactions via institutional theory. Using a sample of Chinese listed companies, the paper conducts an empirical analysis and finds that the digital transformation of peer enterprises significantly inhibits the greenwashing behavior of focal enterprises. This inhibitory effect is realized through three key mechanisms: the competitive peer spillover effect of digital transformation, the suppression of peer spillover in greenwashing behavior, and the convergence effect of industry-wide information disclosure quality. Moreover, this inhibitory effect is particularly pronounced in industries characterized by low short-termism tendencies, high technology intensity, high pollution levels, and fierce competition. Further research confirms that the initial emergence of highly digitalized enterprises in an industry triggers a \u201ccatfish effect,\u201d and once the proportion of digitalized enterprises exceeds 50%, the inhibitory effect on greenwashing behavior becomes significantly stronger.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jtaer20040351","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]],"date-time":"2025-12-04T15:14:06Z","timestamp":1764861246000},"page":"351","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Digital Ripples in Industries: An Institutional Theory Perspective on How Peer Transformation Dismantles Greenwashing Behavior"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Jiajun","family":"Xu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Finance and Economics, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rui","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Finance and Economics, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zixuan","family":"Peng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Business Administration, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"70","article-title":"Measurement problem of enterprise digital transformation: New methods and findings based on large language models","volume":"20","author":"Jin","year":"2025","journal-title":"China Econ."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"641","DOI":"10.1002\/csr.2379","article-title":"Green innovation peer effects in common institutional ownership networks","volume":"30","author":"Wu","year":"2023","journal-title":"Corp. 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