ETIKONOMI
Vol. 25 No. 2 (2026)

Do Firms Benefit More from Eco-Innovation than ESG Disclosure?

Yuli Soesetio (Department of Management, Universitas Negeri Malang)
Linda Shine Sekar Ningrum (Department of Management, Universitas Negeri Malang)



Article Info

Publish Date
28 Sep 2026

Abstract

Research Originality: This study offers novelty by distinguishing the financial effects of substantive environmental actions (eco-innovation) from symbolic sustainability reporting (ESG disclosure) and examining the moderating role of firm size. Research Objectives: This study investigates the direct effects of eco-innovation and ESG disclosure on firm performance and examines whether firm size moderates these relationships. Research Method: The study used data on 236 high environmental-risk firms from 2018 to 2025, yielding 1,158 observations. We employed the High-Dimensional Fixed Effects (HDFE) estimator with industry and year fixed effects and firm-level clustered standard errors. Empirical Results: Eco-innovation significantly enhances firm performance, whereas ESG disclosure exhibits no significant effect. Furthermore, firm size negatively moderates the relationship between eco-innovation and firm performance. Implications: These findings imply that firms should prioritize eco-innovation over ESG disclosure alone, while policymakers should provide stronger financial incentives to support their sustainability transition, especially for smaller firms. JEL Classification: Q55, Q56, M14, L25

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Journal Info

Abbrev

etikonomi

Publisher

Subject

Economics, Econometrics & Finance

Description

Etikonomi is a peer-reviewed journal on Economics, Business and Management by Faculty of Economic and Business State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. FOCUS This journal focused on economics, business, and management studies and present developments through the publication of ...