Currently, many businesses are implementing a proactive, strategic tool known as an environmental management system (EMS) to gain a competitive advantage. Companies can no longer simply use compliance plans to deal with environmental concerns; consumer demands for greener products and services, and operational efficiencies require long term strategic and sustainable approaches for environmental management. An EMS includes documentation of: commitment and policy; planning; implementation; measurement and evaluation; and review and improvement. Establishment and maintenance of an EMS can be costly and time consuming, therefore implementation should be carefully structured to assure success. This paper identifies human resource (HR) factors such as top management support, environmental training, employee empowerment, teamwork, and rewards systems as key elements of the implementation process of an EMS. Furthermore, the interaction of these factors is examined in terms of the five categories of an EMS mentioned above. Finally, a conceptual model of the EMS‐HR factors is proposed to assist in proper facilitation of the environmental management program.

This article extends the literature of organizational citizenship behavior in the context of environmental efforts. The authors provide support for the development of the construct, organizational citizenship behavior directed toward the environment (OCBE). They define OCBE as environmental efforts that are discretionary acts, within the organizational setting, not rewarded or required from the organization. This study also identifies key determinants of OCBE, including environmental concern, organizational commitment, perceived supervisory support for environmental efforts, and perceived corporate social performance. Directions for further research and implications for managers are provided.

This paper presents a theoretical framework for environmental performance by looking at the crucial employer and employee factors affecting environmental performance. The model focuses on the integration between top management commitment, employee empowerment, rewards, feedback and review, and environmental performance. Suggestions for managers on implementing core concepts from the model, in addition to the challenges they may encounter are discussed throughout the article.

Purpose -The purpose of this study to propose a model that links the following human resource (HR) factors: employee environmental empowerment, employee environmental training, employee environmental teamwork, managerial environmental empowerment and managerial environmental training, to environmental performance as perceived by managers. Design/methodology/approach -A survey was administered to 220 manufacturing organizations in Mexico. The survey instrument was self-report format with attitudinal variables. Items were adopted from previously published scales. A hypothesized model of the variable relationships with structural equation modelling analysis was tested. Findings -The results suggest that managers perceive that both environmental training and environmental empowerment are important to themselves and employees. In this study, overall environmental training had a stronger relationship with the dependent variables than environmental empowerment. In the case of the employee level, the effects were mediated through environmental teamwork.Originality/value -This study contributes to both theory and praxis. First, it extends the literature related to environmental management and HR management. Second, it examines managerial perceptions of the HR role within the firm for both manager/supervisors and hourly/direct workers. Third, the study is one of the first to investigate the relationships between HR factors and environmental issues in Mexican manufacturing firms. Finally, the study has important implications for practitioners in the manufacturing sector.

Little management theory or empirical results exist to guide managers in maximizing employee efforts to successfully implement Environmental Management Systems (EMS