The role of individual and organizational factors in promoting firm environmental practices

Purpose – This study seeks to explore the roles of organizational support and environmental manager commitment on organizational environmental management practices. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of environmental managers was conducted to examine the role of organizational support and individual environmental commitment on key informant perceptions of environmental organizational practices including participation in extra‐organizational voluntary environmental programs, adoption of a company‐specific environmental management system (EMS), and involvement in ISO 14000 certification. Findings – Study findings demonstrate that high perceptions of organizational support for the environment affect the likelihood of an organization's implementation of environmental practices. Similarly, study findings indicate that higher levels of environmental commitment of the individual responsible for environmental management practices affects the likelihood of an organization's implementation of environmental practices. Lastly, the statistical results provide evidence that high organizational support and high personal commitment by an environmental champion interact to enhance the implementation of environmental practices. Originality/value – This study represents the first development and empirical testing of a model of how organizational support for environmental practices and environmental managers' commitment to such endeavors affect the adoption of environmental practices by organizations. Additionally, the research illustrates how theoretical perspectives from the organizational behavior literature can be fruitfully adopted to explain behavior in the field of supply chain management.