The moderating role of green human resource management practices on the relationship between green capital and sustainable manufacturing

Abstract This study examines the moderating role of green human resource management practices (GHRMP) in the relationship between green intellectual capital (GIC) and sustainable manufacturing. Green intellectual capital is operationalized through three dimensions: green human capital, green structural capital, and green social capital. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from 234 respondents employed in a manufacturing firm whose operational context aligns with the study objectives. The research framework was tested using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The analytical strategy comprised one main structural model assessing the direct effect of overall GIC on sustainable manufacturing and three sub-models examining the individual effects of the GIC dimensions, including the moderating role of GHRMP. In total, nine hypotheses were formulated and empirically tested. The findings reveal a significant positive effect of overall green intellectual capital on sustainable manufacturing, with GHRMP exerting a strengthening moderating effect. At the dimensional level, green human capital and green social capital demonstrated significant positive relationships with sustainable manufacturing, both directly and under moderation. In contrast, green structural capital exhibited a negative and non-significant moderating effect, indicating that insufficient institutionalized environmental knowledge and weak regulatory awareness may hinder sustainability outcomes. Overall, seven out of nine hypotheses were supported. The findings suggest that manufacturing firms should strategically strengthen green HRM practices-particularly green training, performance management, and employee engagement-to effectively leverage green human and social capital for sustainable manufacturing outcomes, while improving environmental governance structures to address weaknesses in green structural capital.