Green human resource management (HRM) practices can help organizations align their business strategies with the environment. Anchored in the resource‐based view of the firm, this study examines the influence of green HRM practices on sustainability using cross‐sectional data obtained from 112 large manufacturing firms in Malaysia. The results show that green recruitment and green training have positive effects on sustainability. However, green analysis and job description, green selection, green performance assessment, and green reward were not found to have any significant influence on sustainability. The model presented in this paper offers useful insights into the positive role of green HRM in the sustainability of manufacturing firms, and as previous studies exploring the link between green HRM and sustainability using empirical data from Malaysian manufacturing firms are scarce, this research is of significant importance for scholars and practitioners. The scope of this study focuses on emerging economies with a limited number of variables that are contextual and specific to the Malaysian economy. Future research could explore the relationship between green HRM and other variables that may contribute to the present framework in other contexts. Future studies may also consider each dimension of green HRM, or indeed other elements of green HRM, in relation to the different aspects of sustainability.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate overlaps, complementarities and divergences between the literature on circular economy (CE) models and related literature in non-linear production models and frameworks, including CE, reverse logistics, closed-loop, industrial symbiosis and industrial ecology. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted focussing on the benefits of non-linear modes adoption. Findings The results show a high degree of convergence in findings, gaps and weaknesses of these literatures. Negative environmental, economic and operational impacts are understudied. There is a scarcity of studies identifying practices resulting in empirically tested benefits. The business and society case for non-linear production is still largely built upon conceptual studies, modelling and a few case studies. Despite a normative focus, there is very little use of theory, in particular, management theories. Research limitations/implications First, the authors use only one, albeit highly recognized database, Scopus. This database may have omitted some relevant research, journals such as the Journal of Cleaner Production and Resources Conservation & Recycling that are more likely to publish such research and also have a more interdisciplinary approach. This is an important gap and interesting result to claim for more interdisciplinary research. Second, the filtering process used and the focus on Association of Business Schools top journals may have also omitted some relevant research, such as a large stream of literature in specialist journals such as Resources Conservation and Recycling and the Journal of Cleaner Production. Practical implications There are contradictions, tensions and epistemological ambiguity that needs to be critically addressed. Such tensions may be associated with the knowledge field that gave rise to these different non-linear production approaches. Many of them appeared at the same time, but from different sciences and disciplines with their own perspectives. Then in doing so, they create confusion in the definitions of CE, assumptions underlying modelling and business choices arising from this complexity. This can be minimized through the critical interpretation of knowledge to elucidate epistemological quandaries to improve the understanding of the economic, social and environmental impacts of practices. Social implications In some way, this result makes sense, as the authors have limited the search to management, business and accounts journals, especially talking about Operations Management journals. This is an important gap and interesting result to claim for more interdisciplinary research. Originality/value In addition to gaps previously described, the authors identified areas of tensions where the literature offers inconclusive – often contradictory – findings requiring further exploration. A better understanding of these tensions is required to understand the impacts of non-linear production and develop policy guidelines for industry and policymakers to scale-up CE.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze circular business models of Brazilian companies. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed 105 business models of adopting companies from the perspective of the circularity of resources. These were classified as analytical sector category, business model design aligned with sustainability, sustainable practices adopted, level of maturity of business models and determinants of the circularity of resources. Findings The results show that companies belonging to the service sector predominate, which, above all, offer the virtualization of processes, sharing, ecological products, socially responsible and emphasis on recycling. Of these, 92.38 percent were already aligned with the sustainability assumptions, which contribute decisively to the operationalization in a circular perspective. Therefore, the materialization of the circular economy (CE) in Brazil is occurring, although there is potential for a stronger engagement with the determinants of the CE, especially in the perspective of the biological cycle and in the short cycles of technical levels. Originality/value In addition, the authors promote advances in the maturity levels of business models to optimize the optimal level, where processes are predictable, critically analyzed and continuously improved.

Este trabalho teve o objetivo de descrever a evolução da publicação mundial de relatórios de sustentabilidade organizacionais, com base nos indicadores da Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), no período de 1999 a 2010. Identificou-se a evolução de adesão aos indicadores GRI pelas organizações, mediante análises quantitativas das publicações por: i) regiões (continentes); ii) países; iii) setores de atuação; iv) níveis de aplicação das diretrizes GRI; e v) nível de aderência às diretrizes GRI. Trata-se de uma análise documental, com enfoque quantitativo, de natureza descritiva, que fez uso de estatística descritiva por meio do software Statistica e de planilha eletrônica Excel para proceder à análise dos dados. Conforme dados de GRI (GLOBAL..., 2011), constatou-se que as regiões com maior adesão à publicação de relatórios no modelo GRI foram a Europa, que obteve maior representatividade com 47,60% do total, seguida pela Ásia com 17,02% e América do Norte com 13,92%. Os países com maior volume de publicações foram em ordem: Espanha, Estados Unidos, Japão e Brasil, que somaram 33,54% do total. Dentre os setores com maior adesão aos indicadores para elaboração de relatórios de sustentabilidade, destacam-se os de Serviços Financeiros, Energia, Serviços de Energia e Outros, que somados alcançaram 35,30% de participação relativa. Observou-se que 74,80% dos relatórios foram publicados no nível de aplicação G3, além de que existe forte movimento de publicação nos níveis mais elevados de aderência ao padrão GRI (A e A+) e com verificação externa, sobretudo a partir de 2006 e 2010. Mediante uso de análise de correspondência entre os 13 principais setores de atuação e os 14 principais países de origem das empresas que publicaram relatórios pela GRI, percebe-se a ligação entre os Setores de Energia, Serviços de Energia e Construção com o Brasil. A Europa ganha destaque em relatórios do setor de Produtos Alimentícios e Bebidas, Telecomunicações, Serviços Financeiros, Logística e Construção. Os menores indicadores de correspondência são referentes à África do Sul, bem como ao setor de Mineração. Concluiu-se que as diretrizes GRI vêm ganhando a adesão gradativa de organizações localizadas nos mais diversos países e regiões, pelas preocupações que tais indicadores possuem com os multistakeholders, além de conferir credibilidade e transparência à gestão das organizações.

Studies of circular economy and innovation have received increasing attention in academic literature in the last quadrennium. They fill a managerial gap on how to operationalise the transition from the linear model to the circular. They show practices, tools and mechanisms that allow creation of business models based on circularity premises. In this article, we seek to identify the intellectual contours of this emerging field, conducting a review of the basic conceptual framework, with an analysis of articles published on the topic of circular economy and innovation. In summary, a systematic literature review was developed, whose final bibliographic portfolio consisted of 94 analysed papers. The results of the study show that eco-innovation and innovation in business models are highlighted in this field. They are operationalised, mainly, by activating dynamic, relational and absorptive capabilities. The most important innovation practices in this context are waste management, eco-design business models, product leasing and collaborative commerce. The main contribution of this study is to pave the way for new conceptual developments in organisational capabilities to make transition sustainable and serve as a support arsenal for the maturation of circular economy studies supported by the theory of innovation and also to link management practices to operational processes in the business and production environment favouring the transition to a circular business model. It generates insights for the scientific progression of studies and shows propositions that can be validated in future quantitative studies.

Purpose The demand for resources for development also increased corporate pressures for sustainability. Consequently, it is necessary for organizations to adopt measures addressing the need to implement a new business model, which allows a management team concerned about the economy and the optimization of resources to make sustainable business models a strategic interest of the organization. The purpose of this paper is to analyze sustainable business models and the applied practices to operationalize them. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted through a systematic review of the literature to identify the sustainable business models addressed in the literature, and what practices are applied to operationalize these models. Findings The data show that sustainable business models have an approach centered on the direct participation of stakeholders, especially the user, in the process of creating sustainable value. Overall, they offer a high level of technology-based business models that prioritize the use of clean energy, material maximization and energy efficiency, with an emphasis on repair and maintenance rather than on disposal and scheduled obsolescence, as well as an emphasis on natural and renewable processes, the reuse of waste, environmental stewardship, product transformation into technological artefacts for users, and products for services and results. Research limitations/implications The study’s contributions provide a more detailed understanding of sustainable business models and what practices can be adopted by companies to make the business truly sustainable. This paper contributed to the discussion of the research on sustainable business models and their operational practices. Originality/value The analysis promotes insights into new opportunities for companies to integrate their traditional business models with sustainability, contributing to the application of sustainable practices within the managerial scope. Companies that operate sustainable business models need to be aware that collaborative, sharing and networking models can deliver positive results for sustainable business models.