Unlocking sustainable performance through green servant leadership, green innovation, and corporate environmental ethics: Evidence from an emerging market using SEM-NCA approach

This study investigates the relationship between green servant leadership (GSL) and sustainable performance (SP), utilizing the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Ethical Theory of Organising (ETO). It also explores the mediating effect of green innovation (GI) and the moderating influence of corporate environmental ethics (CEE) within this relationship. Data were gathered from 395 employees and managers in the Bangladeshi readymade garments industry through purposive sampling. The proposed model was tested using PLS-SEM and NCA. Results show that GSL positively correlates with SP. The findings further reveal a significant positive link between GSL and GI, as well as between GI and SP. Additionally, GI mediates the relationship between GSL and SP, implying that environmentally focused leadership may enhance SP via GI. The study also finds that CEE moderates the connection between GSL and SP. By integrating RBV and ETO perspectives, this research contributes to the limited literature on SP in a developing economy. The results provide practical insights for policymakers, owners, and managers aiming to foster GI, GSL, and CEE to support SP and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).