Construction enterprises’ adoption of green development behaviors: an agent-based modeling approach

Abstract

Many previous studies have used performance evaluation to explore the impact of environmental regulation on the green development of enterprises. However, there are few studies on the process by which enterprises adopt green development behavior. Here, we aim to simulate the whole process by which Chinese construction enterprises adopt green development. We also consider impact of environmental regulation and industry clusters in this process. Using agent-based modeling, we construct a computational experimental simulation model for the adoption of green development behavior by construction enterprises. The model considers the organizational behavior characteristics of construction enterprises and the evolutionary characteristics of the renewable construction materials market. Our results show that in terms of renewable building materials, construction enterprises that actively adopt green development behavior are more sustainable than those that do not. Moreover, with the implementation of sustainable environmental regulations, more enterprises are passively adopting green development behaviors. However, unsustainable environmental regulations do not have a positive effect. The formation of industrial clusters is also conducive to promoting companies’ adoption of green development behaviors. Therefore, construction enterprises should take the initiative to adopt green development behavior and migrate to industrial agglomerations. This practice is not only beneficial to the sustainable operation of the enterprise and the expansion of the enterprise scale, it will also have an optimization effect on the external environment. Here, we take construction enterprises as the breakthrough point and expand research on enterprise green development. We also provide a theoretical basis and insights for enterprises with environmental responsibility to engage in green development behavior.