Green human resource management and environmental performance in Chinese manufacturing firms: the mediating role of green innovation and the moderating role of corporate social responsibility

Abstract

This study examines how green human resource management (GHRM) relates to firms’ environmental performance (EP), considering green innovation (GI) as a mediator and corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a moderator. The proposed model was empirically tested using 387 valid survey responses collected from Chinese manufacturing firms. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the data and evaluate the hypothesized relationships. GHRM was positively associated with EP both directly and indirectly through GI. GI mediated the relationship between GHRM and EP. Furthermore, CSR positively moderated the relationships between GHRM and GI, between GHRM and EP, and between GI and EP. These findings suggest that manufacturing firms can improve environmental performance by integrating innovation-oriented environmental initiatives with green human resource practices and a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility.