From motivation to implementation: A firm-level model of customer-oriented green actions

The integration of sustainability into business operations increasingly requires firms to align environmental strategies with customer value. This study examines how external and internal motivations influence the implementation of customer-oriented green actions through four core firm-specific practices: environmental management systems (EMS), sustainable supplier selection, product eco-design, and green human resource management (HRM). We propose a moderated mediation model to explore how different types of motivation influence green action enactment, both directly and indirectly through internal capabilities. The model is empirically tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) on a large cross-sectoral sample of 879 Italian firms. Results show that external motivations have a more substantial impact on eco-design and HRM, whereas internal motivations have a more significant influence on EMS and supplier selection. All four practices significantly enhance customer-oriented green actions, with supplier selection being the most impactful. The moderating role of firm size reveals that eco-design is more relevant for smaller firms, while HRM plays a stronger role in larger organizations. This study contributes to the environmental management literature by providing an integrated view of how motivational drivers and firm-level practices interact to promote sustainability-oriented customer engagement. The findings offer actionable insights for managers, particularly in aligning sustainability practices with customer-facing value creation, and for policymakers aiming to design targeted incentives that support sustainable transformation across various firm types and sizes.