The role of employee green behaviors in corporate green transformation: a multi-theory perspective

Purpose According to the Action Plan for Green and Low-Carbon Development of the Manufacturing Industry released by the State Council in 2025, the green transformation of enterprises is Methodologically of great significance. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms through which employee green behaviors influence corporate green transformation. Specifically, it examines how required employee green behaviors impact green advocacy, considering the mediating role of pro-environmental self-identity and the moderation role of moral identity, all within an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used. Data were collected from 315 employees of three manufacturing companies in Tianjin, China, using a purposive sampling strategy. The proposed model was tested using regression analysis and bootstrapping techniques to assess direct, mediating and moderating effects. Findings The results show that the required employee green behavior can directly positively influence green advocacy. Moreover, under the moderation of moral identity, these behaviors can positively influence green advocacy through pro-environmental self-identity. Originality/value This study makes three key contributions. First, it extends the traditional linear cognition→behavior paradigm of TPB by validating a reversed behavior-to-cognition pathway, demonstrating that sustained required green behavior can shape pro-environmental self-identity through self-perception processes. Second, by positioning moral identity explicitly as a moderator rather than a mediator, it advances the theoretical integration of TPB, social identity theory and moral foundations theory into a sequential causal chain explaining how mandated behaviors evolve into voluntary advocacy. Third, it offers a conceptual bridge to service research and quality management. Although data are drawn from manufacturing, the behavioral mechanisms examined are theoretically transferable to service contexts where employee discretionary behaviors shape service delivery and process innovation, providing a foundation for embedding sustainability into service quality routines.