Promoting Pro-Environmental Behaviors via Green HRM: The Roles of Green Empowerment and Leadership
Downloads
With growing environmental concerns, organizations worldwide are increasingly integrating green practices into their operational frameworks. The interplay between GHRM practices, green empowerment, and green leadership creates a conducive environment for promoting task-related and broader proactive pro-environmental performance among employees. Effective GHRM practices lay the foundation, while green empowerment acts as the driving force, and green leadership enhances the overall impact, ensuring a sustainable organizational culture. Therefore, this study explores the influence of GHRM practices on task-related proactive pro-environmental performance (T-PEP) and proactive pro-environmental performance (P-PEP) through green empowerment. This study examines the moderating role of green leadership in GHRM and green empowerment. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we analyze data collected from 312 Pakistan food industry employees. The results indicate that GHRM significantly influences the P-PEP and T-PEP through green empowerment of employees’ food industries of Pakistan. Additionally, green leadership is identified as a significant moderator in the relationship between GHRM and green empowerment. These findings underscore the importance of aligning HRM practices with leadership initiatives to cultivate an organizational culture supportive of environmental sustainability. Based on affective events theory principles, this study offers theoretical insights and practical guidance, presenting valuable recommendations for industry managers and academic researchers in the food manufacturing sector.
Downloads
[1] Kaplan, S. A., Aitken, J. A., Allan, B. A., Alliger, G. M., Ballard, T., & Zacher, H. (2025). Revisiting Keynes’ predictions about work and leisure: A discussion of fundamental questions about the nature of modern work. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 18(1), 1–22. doi:10.1017/iop.2024.58.
[2] Sancak, I. E. (2023). Change management in sustainability transformation: A model for business organizations. Journal of Environmental Management, 330, 117165. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117165.
[3] Shahzad, M. F., Asif, M., Xu, S., & Wang, C. (2025). Impact of digitalization on entrepreneurial ecosystems: a bibliometric exploration. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 40(3), 782–795. doi:10.1108/JBIM-07-2024-0524.
[4] Wells, V. K., Ciocirlan, C. E., Manika, D., & Gregory-Smith, D. (2024). Green, keen, and somewhere in between: An employee environmental segmentation study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 445, 141296. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141296.
[5] Rahman, M. H., Tanchangya, T., Rahman, J., Aktar, M. A., & Majumder, S. C. (2024). Corporate social responsibility and green financing behavior in Bangladesh: Towards sustainable tourism. Innovation and Green Development, 3(3), 100133. doi:10.1016/j.igd.2024.100133.
[6] Martins, J. M., Shahzad, M. F., & Javed, I. (2023). Assessing the Impact of Workplace Harassment on Turnover Intention: Evidence from the Banking Industry. Emerging Science Journal, 7(5), 1699–1722. doi:10.28991/esj-2023-07-05-016.
[7] Mendis, M. V. S., & Welmilla, I. (2021). Green consciousness of employees. Human Resource Management in Challenging Environments, 11, 88-106.
[8] Ehnert, F. (2023). Review of research into urban experimentation in the fields of sustainability transitions and environmental governance. European Planning Studies, 31(1), 76–102. doi:10.1080/09654313.2022.2070424.
[9] Zaid, A. A., Bon, A. T., & Jaaron, A. A. M. (2020). Green human resource management bundle practices and sustainable manufacturing performance: Understanding potential relationships. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, 10-12 March, 2020, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
[10] Budhwar, P., Wood, G., Chowdhury, S., Aguinis, H., Breslin, D., Collings, D. G., Cooke, F. L., Darabi, F., Eby, L. T., Martin, U. M., Morley, M. J., Morris, S., Ren, S., Saunders, M. N. K., & Suddaby, R. (2024). Articulating scholarship in human resource management: Guidance for researchers. Human Resource Management Journal, 34(3), 830–863. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12567.
[11] Ly, B. (2023). Green HRM and eco-friendly behavior in Cambodian public organizations: The mediation of organizational commitment. Environmental Challenges, 10, 100674. doi:10.1016/j.envc.2022.100674.
[12] Paillé, P., Mejia, J., Cisneros, L., Sanchez-Famoso, V., & Chouchane, R. (2024). Green human resource management in a family business setting: a fuzzy set approach. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 1–19. doi:10.1080/08985626.2024.2404037.
[13] Darvishmotevali, M., & Altinay, L. (2022). Toward pro-environmental performance in the hospitality industry: empirical evidence on the mediating and interaction analysis. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 31(4), 431–457. doi:10.1080/19368623.2022.2019650.
[14] Ribeiro, N., Gomes, D. R., Ortega, E., Gomes, G. P., & Semedo, A. S. (2022). The Impact of Green HRM on Employees’ Eco-Friendly Behavior: The Mediator Role of Organizational Identification. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(5), 1–13,. doi:10.3390/su14052897.
[15] Haniva, R., Butar Butar, S., & Ambarita, N. (2024). Waste management in schools as part of sustainable development. Journal of Sustainability, Society, and Eco-Welfare, 1(2), 126–148,. doi:10.61511/jssew.v1i2.2024.325.
[16] Anguelovski, I. (2013). New Directions in Urban Environmental Justice: Rebuilding Community, Addressing Trauma, and Remaking Place. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 33(2), 160–175. doi:10.1177/0739456X13478019.
[17] Mankgele, K. P., & Fatoki, O. (2025). Environmentally specific empowering leadership and organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment: The roles of green work engagement, psychological ownership, and environmental concern. Asian Management and Business Review, 143–159. doi:10.20885/ambr.vol5.iss1.art10.
[18] Singh, S. K., Giudice, M. Del, Chierici, R., & Graziano, D. (2020). Green innovation and environmental performance: The role of green transformational leadership and green human resource management. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 150, 119762. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119762.
[19] Adu Sarfo, P., Zhang, J., Nyantakyi, G., Lassey, F. A., Bruce, E., & Amankwah, O. (2024). Influence of Green Human Resource Management on firm’s environmental performance: Green Employee Empowerment as a mediating factor. PLOS ONE, 19(4), e0293957. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0293957.
[20] Qasim, A., Pandi, O. D., & Saleem, F. (2025). Linking Green Human Resources Management Practices and Pro-Environmental Performance: The Role of Green Creativity and Transformational Leadership of Private Companies in Saudi Arabia. Science, (2), 240-251.
[21] Darvishmotevali, M., & Altinay, L. (2022). Toward pro-environmental performance in the hospitality industry: empirical evidence on the mediating and interaction analysis. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 31(4), 431–457. doi:10.1080/19368623.2022.2019650.
[22] Wesselink, R., Blok, V., & Ringersma, J. (2017). Pro-environmental behaviour in the workplace and the role of managers and organisation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 168, 1679–1687. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.08.214.
[23] Rizal, A. S., Nuswantara, D. A., Hariyati, & Ali Alnajar, A. E. (2024). The role of Green Transformational Leadership and Green Product Innovation in Emerging Economies: Green Employee Behaviour and Green Human Resource Management as Intervening Variables. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business, 5(3), 263–288. doi:10.24123/jeb.v5i3.6867.
[24] Zhang, J., & Xu, H. (2021). Impact Analysis of Team Leader on Green Behaviors Based on Affective Events Theory in Cyber Physical Social Energy System. IEEE Access, 9, 45879–45890. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3056184.
[25] Guha, S., Rabby, S. K. M. A. H., Chowdhury, S. R., & Julee, S. A. (2025). Enhancing employee innovation capabilities through high-involvement HRM: mediating role of knowledge sharing and transformational leadership. Future Business Journal, 11(1), 1–15. doi:10.1186/s43093-025-00482-1.
[26] Ogbonnaya, C., Babalola, M. T., Ali, M., Ren, S., Usman, M., & Wang, Z. (2024). Being Aware of Death: How and when Mortality Cues Incite Leader Expediency Versus Servant Leadership Behaviour. Journal of Management Studies, 62(1), 315–349. doi:10.1111/joms.13051.
[27] Shahzad, M. F., & Xu, S. (2024). Antecedents of international entrepreneurship and emerging technologies help to achieve sustainable development goals: Moderating role of global mindset. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 209, 123831. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123831.
[28] Thabit, R. A. M., Shneikat, B., & Allozi, A. (2025). The impact of green HRM on green creativity and green empowerment: Evidence from the UAE. International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, 8(2), 4379–4394. doi:10.53894/ijirss.v8i2.6372.
[29] Sudin, S., & Saad, Z. M. (2018). Exploring the relationship of green HRM, EMS and corporate environmental citizenship behavior. 5th International Conference on Education and Social Science, 5-7, 2018, Istanbul, Turkey.
[30] Jerónimo, H. M., Henriques, P. L., Lacerda, T. C. de, da Silva, F. P., & Vieira, P. R. (2020). Going green and sustainable: The influence of green HR practices on the organizational rationale for sustainability. Journal of Business Research, 112, 413–421. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.036.
[31] Liu, R., Yue, Z., Ijaz, A., Lutfi, A., & Mao, J. (2023). Sustainable Business Performance: Examining the Role of Green HRM Practices, Green Innovation and Responsible Leadership through the Lens of Pro-Environmental Behavior. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(9). doi:10.3390/su15097317.
[32] Roscoe, S., Subramanian, N., Jabbour, C. J. C., & Chong, T. (2019). Green human resource management and the enablers of green organisational culture: Enhancing a firm’s environmental performance for sustainable development. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28(5), 737–749. doi:10.1002/bse.2277.
[33] Ahmad, S. (2015). Green Human Resource Management: Policies and practices. Cogent Business & Management, 2(1). doi:10.1080/23311975.2015.1030817.
[34] Ojo, A. O., Tan, C. N. L., & Alias, M. (2022). Linking green HRM practices to environmental performance through pro-environment behaviour in the information technology sector. Social Responsibility Journal, 18(1), 1–18. doi:10.1108/SRJ-12-2019-0403.
[35] Nimran, U., Musadieq, M. Al, & Afrianty, T. W. (2024). Empowerment effect on competence and organizational commitments: Organizational learning culture as moderating. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7(2). doi:10.31893/multirev.2024038.
[36] Rizvi, Y. S., & Garg, R. (2021). The simultaneous effect of green ability-motivation-opportunity and transformational leadership in environment management: the mediating role of green culture. Benchmarking, 28(3), 830–856. doi:10.1108/BIJ-08-2020-0400.
[37] Paraschiv, D. M., Nemoianu, E. L., Langă, C. A., & Szabó, T. (2012). Eco-innovation, responsible leadership and organizational change for corporate sustainability. Amfiteatru Economic Journal, 14(32), 404-419.
[38] Wu, D.-W., Batool, H., & Huang, S.-Z. (2024). The Relationships Between Tourists’ Perceptions of Cultural Authenticity and Authentic Happiness: Evidence from Ethnic Villages. Journal of Human, Earth, and Future, 5(2), 243–259. doi:10.28991/HEF-2024-05-02-07.
[39] Tiong, Y. Y., Sondoh, S. L. J., Igau, O. A. E., & Tanakinjal, G. H. (2017). Green Employee Empowerment and Green Physical Evidence: The Green Service Strategy to Enhance Firm Performance. Asian Journal of Business Research, 7(2), 94–112,. doi:10.14707/ajbr.170039.
[40] Dada, O., Perrigot, R., & Watson, A. (2024). Influential factors of pro-environmental behaviors among franchisees in the fast-food sector. Business Strategy and the Environment, 33(3), 2301–2313. doi:10.1002/bse.3599.
[41] Cao, Y., Gao, L., Fan, L., Zhang, Z., Liu, X., Jiao, M., Li, Y., & Zhang, S. (2023). Effects of verbal violence on job satisfaction, work engagement and the mediating role of emotional exhaustion among healthcare workers: A cross-sectional survey conducted in Chinese tertiary public hospitals. BMJ Open, 13(3), 1–12. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065918.
[42] Zaid, A. A., Jaaron, A. A. M., & Talib Bon, A. (2018). The impact of green human resource management and green supply chain management practices on sustainable performance: An empirical study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 204, 965–979. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.062.
[43] Ginsberg, J. M., & Bloom, P. N. (2004). Choosing the right green marketing strategy. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(1), 79-84.
[44] Rezaei-Moghaddam, K. (2016). Green management of human resources in organizations: An approach to the sustainable environmental management. Journal of Agricultural Technology, 12(3), 509–522.
[45] Doghan, M. A. A., Soomro, F. A., Bano, S., & Abdelmegeed Abdelwahed, N. A. (2024). Green competence and environmental performance: Do green empowerment and green passion matter? Sustainable Environment, 10(1), 2425187. doi:10.1080/27658511.2024.2425187.
[46] Hund, A. K., Churchill, A. C., Faist, A. M., Havrilla, C. A., Love Stowell, S. M., McCreery, H. F., Ng, J., Pinzone, C. A., & Scordato, E. S. C. (2018). Transforming mentorship in STEM by training scientists to be better leaders. Ecology and Evolution, 8(20), 9962–9974. doi:10.1002/ece3.4527.
[47] Aboramadan, M., Crawford, J., Türkmenoğlu, M. A., & Farao, C. (2022). Green inclusive leadership and employee green behaviors in the hotel industry: Does perceived green organizational support matter? International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, 103330. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103330.
[48] Mishra, P. (2017). Green human resource management: A framework for sustainable organizational development in an emerging economy. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 25(5), 762–788. doi:10.1108/IJOA-11-2016-1079.
[49] Pratomo, D. S., Ningsih, D. N. C., Fahadayna, A. C., Arisetyawan, K., Al Ayyubi, M. S., Natalia, C., … Prastiwi, L. F. (2024). Analyzing the Factors Influencing Green Job Participation and Income Effects Using National Labor Force Data. Journal of Human, Earth, and Future, 5(3), 513–527. doi:10.28991/HEF-2024-05-03-014.
[50] Ren, S., Tang, G., & Jackson, S. E. (2021). Effects of Green HRM and CEO ethical leadership on organizations’ environmental performance. International Journal of Manpower, 42(6), 961–983. doi:10.1108/IJM-09-2019-0414.
[51] Sajuyigbe, A. S., Ayeni, A. W., Inegbedion, H. E., Ighomereho, O. S., & Peter, A. (2024). Green Human Resource Management Practices and Environmental Performance: The Mediating Effect of Organizational Culture. Interdisciplinary Journal of Management Studies, 17(4), 1155–1172. doi:10.22059/ijms.2024.343182.675108.
[52] Jabeen, R., Mehmood, S., Ahmed, M., Ghani, T., Javaid, Z. K., & Popp, J. (2024). The Role of Green HRM on Environmental Performance: Mediating Role of Green Ambidexterity and Green Behavior and Moderating Role of Responsible Leadership. Journal of Chinese Human Resources Management, 15(2), 70–90. doi:10.47297/wspchrmWSP2040-800504.20241502.
[53] Gotsis, G., & Grimani, A. (2024). Humanistic Leadership: A Global Roadmap Toward Inclusion. Encyclopedia of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Spirituality. Springer, Cham, Switzerland. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-32257-0_14-1.
[54] Nayak, T., Sahoo, C. K., & Mohanty, P. K. (2018). Workplace empowerment, quality of work life and employee commitment: a study on Indian healthcare sector. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 12(2), 117–136. doi:10.1108/JABS-03-2016-0045.
[55] Schermuly, C. C., Creon, L., Gerlach, P., Graßmann, C., & Koch, J. (2022). Leadership Styles and Psychological Empowerment: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 29(1), 73–95. doi:10.1177/15480518211067751.
[56] He, Z., Kuai, L., & Wang, J. (2023). Driving mechanism model of enterprise green strategy evolution under digital technology empowerment: A case study based on Zhejiang Enterprises. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(1), 408–429. doi:10.1002/bse.3138.
[57] Begum, S., Ashfaq, M., Xia, E., & Awan, U. (2022). Does green transformational leadership lead to green innovation? The role of green thinking and creative process engagement. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(1), 580–597. doi:10.1002/bse.2911.
[58] Farrukh Shahzad, M., Liu, H., & Zahid, H. (2025). Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainable performance: do green supply chain collaboration, circular economy practices, technological readiness and environmental dynamism matter? Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 36(1), 1–22. doi:10.1108/JMTM-05-2024-0236.
[59] Shen, J., & Benson, J. (2016). When CSR Is a Social Norm: How Socially Responsible Human Resource Management Affects Employee Work Behavior. Journal of Management, 42(6), 1723–1746. doi:10.1177/0149206314522300.
[60] Kaur, H. (2011). Impact of Human Resource Factors on Perceived Environmental Performance: An Empirical Analysis of a Sample of ISO 14001 EMS Companies in Malaysia. Journal of Sustainable Development, 4(1), 211–224. doi:10.5539/jsd.v4n1p211.
[61] Bissing-Olson, M. J., Fielding, K. S., & Iyer, A. (2016). Experiences of pride, not guilt, predict pro-environmental behavior when pro-environmental descriptive norms are more positive. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45, 145–153. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.01.001.
[62] Mittal, S., & Dhar, R. L. (2016). Effect of green transformational leadership on green creativity: A study of tourist hotels. Tourism Management, 57, 118–127. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2016.05.007.
[63] Shahzad, M. F., Xu, S., An, X., Asif, M., & Haider Jafri, M. A. (2024). Effect of stakeholder pressure on environmental performance: Do virtual CSR, green credit, environmental and social reputation matter? Journal of Environmental Management, 368, 122223. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122223.
[64] Vuong, B. N., & Khanh Giao, H. N. (2020). The Impact of Perceived Brand Globalness on Consumers’ Purchase Intention and the Moderating Role of Consumer Ethnocentrism: An Evidence from Vietnam. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 32(1), 47–68. doi:10.1080/08961530.2019.1619115.
[65] Haque, M. G. (2021). Hasil Turnitin: The Role of Brand Image, Food Safety, Awarrness, Certification on Halal Food Purchase Intention: An Empirical Study on Indonesian Consumers. Journal of Industrial Engineering & Management Research, 2(3), 42-52.
[66] Shahzad, M. F., Xu, S., An, X., Zahid, H., & Asif, M. (2024). Learning and Teaching in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies: An In-Depth Exploration Using Multi-Analytical SEM-ANN Approach. European Journal of Education, 60(1). doi:10.1111/ejed.70050.
[67] Shahzad, M. F., Xu, S., Liu, H., & Zahid, H. (2025). Generative Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT-4) and Social Media Impact on Academic Performance and Psychological Well-Being in China’s Higher Education. European Journal of Education, 60(1), 12835. doi:10.1111/ejed.12835.
[68] Rönkkö, M., & Cho, E. (2020). An Updated Guideline for Assessing Discriminant Validity. Organizational Research Methods, 25(1), 6–14. doi:10.1177/1094428120968614.
[69] Kock, N. (2018). Should bootstrapping be used in PLS-SEM? Toward stable p-value calculation methods. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling, 2(1), 1–12. doi:10.47263/JASEM.2(1)02.
[70] Sibian, A. R., & Ispas, A. (2021). An approach to applying the ability-motivation-opportunity theory to identify the driving factors of green employee behavior in the hotel industry. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(9). doi:10.3390/su13094659.
[71] Odhiambo, G. M., Waiganjo, E., & Simiyu, A. N. (2023). Incentivizing Employee Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Harnessing the Potential of Green Rewards. African Journal of Empirical Research, 4(2), 601–611. doi:10.51867/ajernet.4.2.60.
[72] Zaraket, W., Garios, R., & Malek, L. A. (2018). The Impact of Employee Empowerment on the Organizational Commitment. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 8(3), 284. doi:10.5296/ijhrs.v8i3.13528.
[73] Shaukat, H. S., Ong, T. S., Cheok, M. Y., Bashir, S., & Zafar, H. (2023). The Impact of Green Human Resource Management on Employee Empowerment and Pro-Environmental Behaviour in Pakistan’s Manufacturing Industry. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 25(3), 1–27. doi:10.1142/S1464333223500151.
[74] Olya, H., Ahmad, M. S., Abdulaziz, T. A., Khairy, H. A., Fayyad, S., & Lee, C. K. (2024). Catalyzing green change: The impact of tech-savvy leaders on innovative behaviors. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(6), 5543–5556. doi:10.1002/csr.2871.
[75] Huynh Thi Thu, S., & Pham, M. (2024). How Do Transformational Leadership and Affective Trust Enhance Creativity?. Emerging Science Journal, 8(5), 1847–1859. doi:10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-05-011
[76] Darvishmotevali, M., & Altinay, L. (2022). Green HRM, environmental awareness and green behaviors: The moderating role of servant leadership. Tourism Management, 88, 1–33. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104401.
[77] Awewomom, J., Dzeble, F., Takyi, Y. D., Ashie, W. B., Ettey, E. N. Y. O., Afua, P. E., Sackey, L. N. A., Opoku, F., & Akoto, O. (2024). Addressing global environmental pollution using environmental control techniques: a focus on environmental policy and preventive environmental management. Discover Environment, 2(1), 8. doi:10.1007/s44274-024-00033-5.
- This work (including HTML and PDF Files) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
