Modeling the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Environmental Sustainability through Digital Technologies and Smart Energy Management in Iranian Oil and Petrochemical Companies

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Energy, Agriculture and Environment Economics, Faculty of Economics, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Energy, Agriculture and Environment Economics, Faculty of Economics, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, Department of Theoretical Economics ,Faculty of Economics, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
This study aims to model the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on environmental sustainability through the adoption of digital technologies and smart energy management in Iranian oil and petrochemical companies. In the complex and competitive environment of the energy industry, CSR is no longer viewed merely as an ethical or legal obligation; rather, it has become a strategic approach for developing digital infrastructure, improving production processes, and enhancing energy efficiency. The statistical population includes 30 Iranian oil and petrochemical companies during the period 2016–2024. To analyze the relationships among variables and examine heterogeneous effects across different levels of energy performance, a panel quantile regression model was employed. The findings show that CSR significantly contributes to reducing energy intensity and improving environmental sustainability through the development of digital technologies, smart monitoring systems, big data analytics, the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and intelligent energy management systems. Companies with higher investment in digital infrastructure and smart energy management demonstrate better performance in reducing pollutant emissions, optimizing resource consumption, and improving operational efficiency. The results also indicate that the effect of CSR is stronger in larger firms and organizations with higher levels of digital maturity. Furthermore, analysis of higher energy consumption quantiles (Q75 and Q95) reveals that the role of digital technologies and smart energy management becomes more pronounced in strengthening the environmental impacts of CSR. Overall, CSR is most effective in promoting environmental sustainability when combined with digital transformation strategies and integrated energy management systems in the oil and petrochemical industry.

Keywords

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 01 January 2026
  • Revise Date 20 January 2026
  • Accept Date 28 February 2026