Increasing environmental issues and the level of stakeholder awareness have necessitated companies to incorporate sustainability within their internal operations and as a standpoint in the external market. In this respect, Green Human Resource Management (Green HRM) has become a key tool of introducing environmental values into the corporate culture, whereas sustainable branding has gained the necessity of conveying the message about eco-friendly promises to the consumers. The paper discusses strategic fit between green HRM practices and green branding initiatives, including the significance of people-based environmental initiatives in strengthening the eco-marketing initiatives and developing brand credibility.

The paper is conceptual and analytical in nature, based on the available literature pertaining to Green HRM, sustainable branding and corporate sustainability. The main practices of Green HRM, including green recruitment and selection, environmental training and development, performance appraisal based on sustainability objectives, and green reward schemes are discussed in terms of their contribution to the emergence of pro-environmental employee behaviour. The research paper also examines the role of such internal practices in achieving true sustainable branding through consistency in organizational practices and marketing boasting.

Results of the literature indicate that organisations that successfully combine Green HRM with sustainable branding are in a better position to create trust amongst the environmentally aware consumers, minimise the perceived greenwashing, and attain competitive advantage in the long term. The employees become critical brand ambassadors whose actions and interactions towards the environment are environmentally responsible, which enhances the sustainability narrative of the organization. Further, the correspondence of the human resource practice to eco-marketing strategies improves organizational reputation, relations with stakeholders, and the sustainability performance in general.

This paper makes a contribution to the research in the field of sustainability and human resource management because it shows the significance of internal-external alignment in the sustainability programs. It provides a realistic information to managers who are interested in exploiting Green HRM as a strategic instrument to endorse believable sustainable branding and emphasizes on the importance of a comprehensive perspective in the realization of environmental and business goals...