Green Human Resource Management and ISO 14001: Toward Environmental Sustainability in Organizations

ABSTRACT The current climate change scenario imposes urgent challenges to different economic sectors around the world, requiring companies to adopt new strategies to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) while enhancing environmental awareness. In this sense, green human resource management (GHRM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 can lead to a reduction in the environmental impact caused by business activities. The growing need for decision‐makers to ensure a company's competitive position in the market invites managers to integrate people management as an active component of corporate sustainability efforts. By demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, companies can contribute to economic growth, individual well‐being, and environmental preservation. The purpose of this study is to analyze current knowledge on GHRM and ISO 14001 and their intersection, providing directions for future research. The literature review was conducted using the PRISMA methodology and bibliometric analysis (performance analysis and scientific mapping) with data from Web of Science and Scopus. The final dataset comprised 520 articles on GHRM and 12 about GHRM and ISO 14001. The results show the growth of the topics in the academic community, especially in countries located in East, South, and Southeast Asia and in Brazil. The most studied economic sectors are tourism, hospitality, and manufacturing. Future research trends indicate a greater inclusion of people in the corporate ecological objectives of different economic activities. The integration of GHRM and ISO 14001 seems to help mitigate climate change and promote sustainable development. The conclusions highlight the importance of implementing GHRM, especially in ISO 14001 organizations, to obtain the active participation of employees in environmental preservation. These ecological practices seem to strengthen the company's image, making it more attractive and helping them to retain talent. This study provides insights for academics, professionals, and policymakers and is a pioneering study in investigating two themes simultaneously.

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Publication Details

Journal
Human Resource Development Quarterly
Published
2025-09-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.70004
Primary Topic
Environmental Sustainability in Business
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Green Human Resource Management and ISO 14001: Toward Environmental Sustainability in Organizations

Neuza Ribeiro, Arnaldo Coelho, Eduardo Ortega
Human Resource Development Quarterly
Environmental Sustainability in Business
article

Green Human Resource Management and ISO 14001: Toward Environmental Sustainability in Organizations

Neuza Ribeiro, Arnaldo Coelho, Eduardo Ortega
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT The current climate change scenario imposes urgent challenges to different economic sectors around the world, requiring companies to adopt new strategies to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) while enhancing environmental awareness. In this sense, green human resource management (GHRM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 can lead to a reduction in the environmental impact caused by business activities. The growing need for decision‐makers to ensure a company's competitive position in the market invites managers to integrate people management as an active component of corporate sustainability efforts. By demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, companies can contribute to economic growth, individual well‐being, and environmental preservation. The purpose of this study is to analyze current knowledge on GHRM and ISO 14001 and their intersection, providing directions for future research. The literature review was conducted using the PRISMA methodology and bibliometric analysis (performance analysis and scientific mapping) with data from Web of Science and Scopus. The final dataset comprised 520 articles on GHRM and 12 about GHRM and ISO 14001. The results show the growth of the topics in the academic community, especially in countries located in East, South, and Southeast Asia and in Brazil. The most studied economic sectors are tourism, hospitality, and manufacturing. Future research trends indicate a greater inclusion of people in the corporate ecological objectives of different economic activities. The integration of GHRM and ISO 14001 seems to help mitigate climate change and promote sustainable development. The conclusions highlight the importance of implementing GHRM, especially in ISO 14001 organizations, to obtain the active participation of employees in environmental preservation. These ecological practices seem to strengthen the company's image, making it more attractive and helping them to retain talent. This study provides insights for academics, professionals, and policymakers and is a pioneering study in investigating two themes simultaneously.

Human Resource Development Quarterly
Instituto Politécnico de Leiria (PT), University of Coimbra (PT)
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Environmental Sustainability in Business
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