Policy-Driven Green Transformation in Manufacturing: Regional Synergy and Governance in the Yangtze River Delta

Abstract

The Yangtze River Delta, as China's most advanced manufacturing hub, faces increasing environmental pressures amid rapid industrialization. Although green transformation policies have been widely implemented across the region, the effectiveness of cross-jurisdictional governance mechanisms remains underexplored. This study investigates how policy-driven regional synergy facilitates the transition to green manufacturing, addressing critical gaps in understanding multilevel environmental governance dynamics. Employing a mixed-methods approach that integrates policy document analysis, corporate ESG report evaluation, and stakeholder interviews, the research systematically examines 48 policy instruments deployed between 2018 and 2023 across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. The analysis identifies three distinct policy synergy models: technology leadership in Shanghai, industrial park restructuring in Jiangsu, and market mechanism activation in Zhejiang, with Anhui exhibiting a gradient adoption pattern. Key findings indicate that coercive environmental regulations combined with market incentive policies achieve 23% higher compliance rates than standalone measures. The establishment of the Yangtze River Delta Ecological Green Integration Demonstration Zone proves particularly effective, reducing cross-border industrial pollution disputes by 41%. These results demonstrate that vertically aligned policy frameworks, coupled with horizontal coordination mechanisms, significantly enhance regional green manufacturing performance. The study contributes to environmental governance theory by empirically validating the "policy toolbox" approach for industrial decarbonization and provides practical guidance for designing tiered governance systems in megacity clusters, offering a replicable model for other manufacturing-intensive regions pursuing ecological civilization objectives.