Green HRM Practices and Sustainable development in Selected IT Companies in Maharashtra

Sustainable development has moved from being a corporate “add-on” to a strategic requirement, particularly in knowledge-intensive industries such as Information Technology (IT). In India’s leading IT clusters especially Pune, Mumbai, and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra companies face rising stakeholder expectations related to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance, responsible resource use, employee wellbeing, and ethical growth. In this context, Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) has emerged as a practical pathway to embed sustainability values into the workforce by aligning HR policies and systems with environmental objectives. Green HRM integrates environmental management into recruitment, training, performance management, rewards, and employee involvement, thereby shaping pro-environmental behaviour and supporting organizational sustainability goals. This paper examines Green HRM practices and their contribution to sustainable development in selected IT companies operating in Maharashtra. Based on a structured review of literature and a proposed empirical framework suitable for field research in Maharashtra’s IT firms, the paper discusses important Green HRM practices, their linkages with sustainability outcomes (environmental, social, and economic), and implementation challenges. The study concludes that Green HRM when supported by leadership commitment, measurable HR metrics, and an environmental management system can strengthen sustainability performance, employer branding, employee engagement, and operational efficiency.