Organizational Environmental Policies and Pro-Environmental Behaviors: The Sequential Mediating Role of Organizational and Co-Worker Green Climates

This study investigates the relationship between employees’ perceptions of organizational environmental policies (EPs) and two dimensions of organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment (OCBEs), namely eco-civic engagement (ECE) and eco-initiatives (EIs). In addition, this study examines whether these relationships are sequentially mediated by the organizational and co-worker dimensions of the green work climate (GWC) scale. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from 323 employees working in three different plants of an Italian agri-food company. The results indicate that organizational GWC was related to co-worker GWC, and both dimensions sequentially mediated the relationship between EP and OCBE. Co-worker GWC emerged as a crucial factor that increased employees’ ECE and proposal of Eis. The findings highlight the relevant role of environmental policies in fostering a sustainable organizational climate. By enabling employees to engage in green behaviors and propose green initiatives, organizations can align organizational sustainability goals with employee-driven initiatives. Finally, this study provides new insights into the interplay between organizational and team climate factors and contributes to the literature on green work behaviors. Practical implications for enhancing sustainability in workplace contexts are presented.