Green human resource practices and sustainable advantage: evidence from the Chilean mining sector

This study investigates how green human resource practices (GHRP) influence green competitive advantage (GCA) in the Chilean mining sector, examining the mediating role of green intellectual capital (GIC) through its human (GHC), structural (GSC), and relational (GRC) components. Grounded in the Natural Resource-Based View and the AMO framework, the conceptual model tests direct and indirect pathways from GHRP to GCA. Using survey data from 300 managerial level participants at EXPONOR 2024, the results of the PLS-SEM show that while GHRP positively affects all three GIC dimensions, only GRC significantly predicts GCA. Mediation analysis showed that GRC partially mediated the GHRP–GCA relationship, whereas GHC and GSC did not exhibit significant indirect effects. These findings clarify that GCA emerges not from isolated green practices but from the development of specific intangible capabilities, particularly stakeholder-oriented relational capital where the organizational reputation and sustainable collaboration among strategic partners play a key role. For mining firms, aligning green HRM with stakeholder oriented relational capital is pivotal to move from compliance to sustained legitimacy and environmental leadership.