Green HRM: A New Trend in Human Resource Management Toward Sustainable Development

Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) integrates environmental sustainability into HR policies and practices, aligning corporate strategy with ecological imperatives. This paper examines the concept and key components of GHRM, its drivers and challenges in implementation, and its link to sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. We conduct a systematic review of academic literature and draw on illustrative case studies. The findings show that GHRM practices – such as green recruitment, training, performance management, compensation, and employee involvement – can enhance organizational sustainability by reducing waste, improving efficiency, and fostering pro-environmental behaviors among employees. Major drivers of GHRM include regulatory pressures, stakeholder and consumer expectations, competitive advantage, and growing environmental awareness. However, implementation barriers remain significant, including limited resources, low management competence, lack of incentives, and entrenched economic-centric culture. Empirical evidence (e.g. in the Spanish wine industry) indicates positive correlations between GHRM and triple-bottom-line performance, while cases (e.g. Philippine Airlines) highlight the need for comprehensive integration of HR systems with sustainability goals. The paper discusses how GHRM contributes to sustainable development by improving environmental performance (through resource efficiency and pollution reduction), economic performance (through innovation and cost savings), and social performance (through employee engagement and well-being). Practical implications suggest that organizations should embed green criteria across all HR functions and cultivate a supporting culture, while policymakers and researchers should address the identified gaps.