Corporate Environmental Awareness as a Prerequisite for Sustainable Practices in Large Manufacturing Firms: A Phenomenological Study in a Developing Economy

This study investigates corporate environmental awareness efforts towards sustainability in large manufacturing firms. Qualitative data were collected from 22 environmental managers in 22 large manufacturing firms. The findings highlight significant insights on CEA grouped within internal and external environmental awareness. Insights indicate that sustainability practices are shaped by internal environmental awareness practices, including Employee sensitisation, Environmental SOPs, Internal environmental policy, and CEO awareness support. External environmental awareness practices include Customer sensitisation, Awareness for transparency, Collaborative awareness, and Supplier sensitisation. However, external environmental awareness is limited by finances. Findings contribute to stakeholder theory by indicating how firms can conform to these practices in creating awareness among different stakeholders. CEA internal and external practices feed into the affective, cognitive, conative, and active dimensions of environmental awareness at the firm/organisational level