How Indian Knowledge Systems are reshaping HR for sustainability

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) has emerged as a critical organizational mechanism for advancing sustainability objectives. However, existing GHRM scholarship remains largely grounded in Western, instrumental frameworks that prioritize performance outcomes and regulatory compliance, often overlooking the ethical and cultural foundations that shape sustainability practices in non-Western contexts. Addressing this gap, the present study develops a conceptual framework that situates Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) as an ethical–institutional lens for interpreting and contextualizing GHRM practices. The study adopts a systematic qualitative content analysis of scholarly literature, national policy documents, corporate sustainability disclosures, and interpretive IKS texts. Rather than pursuing empirical hypothesis testing, the analysis synthesizes dominant discursive patterns to identify how ethical principles such as Dharma (ethical duty), Ahimsa (non-harm), Seva (selfless service), and Lokasamgraha (collective welfare) inform the framing of green recruitment, training, performance management, and employee engagement. The analysis reveals that sustainability-oriented HR practices are frequently articulated through moral responsibility, intentionality, and collective well-being rather than purely instrumental outcomes. Building on these insights, the study proposes a conceptual framework that reconceptualizes GHRM as an ethically embedded organizational practice shaped by culturally grounded value systems. The paper contributes to sustainability and HRM scholarship by extending GHRM theorization beyond universalized models, highlighting the importance of indigenous knowledge systems in shaping context-sensitive sustainability frameworks, and offering a foundation for future empirical research in emerging economies.