Eco-Driven Leadership in Pharmaceutical Industry: The Impact of Knowledge Sharing, Innovation, and Shared Vision on Environmental Performance

Corporate environmental sustainability has become a critical concern, particularly in resource-intensive industries such as pharmaceuticals, where regulatory pressures and stakeholder expectations continue to rise. Despite increasing attention to green leadership, limited research has explored how environmentally responsible leadership (ERL) influences corporate environmental performance (CEP) through employee-driven sustainability behaviors. This study addresses this gap by examining the mediating roles of green knowledge-sharing behavior (GKSB), green innovative behavior (GIB), and voluntary green behavior (VGB), as well as the moderating role of green shared vision (GSV) in the ERL-CEP relationship. The study is grounded in Resource-Based View (RBV), Knowledge-Based View (KBV), Environmental-Based View (EBV), and Triple Bottom Line (TBL) theories, which collectively explain how leadership-driven sustainability efforts create long-term competitive advantages, drive environmental responsibility, and balance economic, social, and environmental sustainability. A quantitative research design was employed, using survey data from 384 employees in Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical sector. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in Smart-PLS 4.0 to assess direct, indirect, and moderating effects. The results confirm that ERL has a significant positive impact on CEP, with GKSB, GIB, and VGB acting as mediators, while GSV strengthens the ERL-CEP relationship. This study provides novel empirical evidence on the mechanisms linking green leadership to corporate sustainability, extending the application of RBV, KBV, EBV, and TBL to leadership-driven environmental management. The findings emphasize the importance of leadership training programs, sustainability-focused organizational cultures, and shared environmental visions. Policymakers should consider incentives for companies adopting ERL practices, ensuring that sustainability becomes a strategic, rather than compliance-driven, priority. This study contributes to leadership and sustainability literature by offering a comprehensive framework for integrating ERL into corporate governance and environmental strategies.