From CSR Rhetoric to Economic Value: The Role of Green Procurement and ESG Integration in Enhancing Financial Competitiveness of Construction Firms

Abstract

Today, how construction enterprises transform Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) discourse into actual economic value has become a core issue of industrial sustainable transformation. Based on stakeholder theory and resource-based view as well as institutional logic, this research constructs a "discourse-mechanism-value" analytical framework to examine how green procurement and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration enhance financial competitiveness, where the research finds three complementary mechanisms: cost optimization achieved through supply chain coordination, signaling effect of improving financing conditions, and capability accumulation driven by organizational learning . Although in the short term, financial returns depend on procurement scale, ESG data systems, and market recognition, long-term competitive advantages are strengthened through institutional influence, supply chain lock-in, and accumulated organizational capabilities, thereby creating sustained value, which means construction enterprises should adopt differentiated strategies consistent with their resource endowments. This research provides theoretical explanations and practical insights for the green transformation of the construction industry.