Knowledge-Based and Social Determinants of Environmental Performance Among Young Adults in Klang Valley: The Mediating Role of Green Innovation Practice
Abstract
Environmental sustainability has become a major global concern, particularly among young adults who play an important role in shaping future environmental outcomes. This study examines the influence of knowledge-based and social determinants on environmental performance among young adults in Klang Valley, Malaysia, with Green Innovation Practice as a mediating variable. Specifically, this study investigates the effects of Green Knowledge, Environmental Knowledge Learning, Peer Pressure, and Social Media Influence on Environmental Performance. This study is grounded in the Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) Theory. A quantitative research approach was employed using a structured questionnaire distributed to 160 young adults aged 18 to 35. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that while Green Knowledge and Social Media Influence directly enhance Environmental Performance, Environmental Knowledge Learning and Peer Pressure do not have a direct effect. Furthermore, Green Innovation Practice serves as a critical behavioral mechanism that fully mediates the impact of Environmental Knowledge Learning and Peer Pressure, and partially mediates the effect of Social Media Influence on Environmental Performance. It does not, however, mediate the relationship for Green Knowledge. Finally, these findings extend the AMO Theory within the environmental context, providing policymakers and educators with clear, evidence-based strategies to drive actual environmental performance
Downloads
References
Afsar, B., Maqsoom, A., Shahjehan, A., Afridi, S. A., Nawaz, A., & Fazliani, H. (2020). Responsible leadership and employees’ pro-environmental behavior: The role of organizational commitment, green shared vision, and internal environmental locus of control. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(1), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1806
Alharethi, T., Alansari, M. T., Abdelhamied, H. H. S., Zaitouni, M. A. M., & Salem, O. M. A. (2026). Unpacking the pathways from green knowledge management to innovation: The mediating role of green motivation and entrepreneurial orientation in tourism and hospitality businesses. Management & Sustainability: An Arab Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/MSAR-10-2025-0412
Anwar, N., Nik Mahmood, N. H., Yusliza, M. Y., Ramayah, T., Noor Faezah, J., & Khalid, W. (2020). Green Human Resource Management for organisational citizenship behaviour towards the environment and environmental performance on a university campus. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, 120401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120401
Asmar, M. E., & Azar, E. (2022). Analysing market trends of green building contractors: Growth and forecast. Sustainability, 14(14), 8808. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148808
Bai, X., & Lyu, C. (2023). Executive’s environmental protection background and corporate green innovation: Evidence from China. Sustainability, 15(5), 4154. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054154
Bos-Nehles, A. C., Riemsdijk, M. J. Van, & Looise, J. K. (2013). Employee Perceptions of Line Management Performance: Applying the AMO Theory to Explain the Effectiveness of Line Managers’ HRM Implementation. Human Resource Management, 52(6), 861–877. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Huang, J. & Wang, Z. (2026). Peer effect in corporate green innovation and its impact on sustainability performance: evidence from China. Management Research Review, 49(7), 821–845, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-04-2025-0266
Demir, B., Akdemir, M., U?urlu Kara, A., Sa?ba?, M., ?ahin, Y., & Topçuo?lu, E. (2025). The mediating role of green innovation and environmental performance in the effect of green transformational leadership on sustainable competitive advantage. Sustainability, 17, 1407. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041407
Farrukh, M., Ansari, N., Raza, A., Wu, Y., & Wang, H. (2022). Fostering employees’ pro-environmental behavior through green transformational leadership, green human resource management and environmental knowledge. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 179, 121643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121643
Gilal, F. G., Ashraf, Z., Gilal, N. G., Gilal, R. G., & Channa, N. A. (2019). Promoting environmental performance through green human resource management practices in higher education institutions: A moderated mediation model. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(6), 1579–1590. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1835
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Hair Jr., J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2021). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) Using R: A Workbook. Structural Equation Modelling: A Multidisciplinary Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705511.2022.2108813
Hejazi, M., Santos da Silva, S. R., Miralles?Wilhelm, F., & Kim, S. H. (2023). Impacts of water scarcity on agricultural production and electricity generation in the Middle East and North Africa. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1082930
Jabbour, C. J. C. (2011). How green are HRM practices, organizational culture, learning and teamwork? A Brazilian study. Industrial and Commercial Training, 43(2), 98–105. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197851111108926
Jackson, S. E., Renwick, D. W. S., & Jabbour, C. J. C. (2011). State-of-the-Art and Future Directions for Green Human Resource Management: Introduction to the Special Issue Forschungsstand und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten für umweltorientiertes Personalmanagement: Einführung in das Schwerpunktheft. 25(2), 99–116. https://doi.org/10.1688/1862-0000
Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S., & Jiang, K. (2014). An Aspirational Framework for Strategic Human Resource Management. Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 1–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/19416520.2014.872335
Javed, H., Goncalves, M., & Salotra, G. (2026). Linking green strategy and innovation to environmental performance: The mediating role of green innovation and the moderating role of environmental strategy in Chinese manufacturing SMEs. Cogent Business & Management, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2597716
Luo, L., Qiao, D., Zhang, R., Luo, C., Fu, X., & Liu, Y. (2022). Research on the influence of education of farmers’ cooperatives on the adoption of green prevention and control technologies by members: Evidence from rural China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10), Article 6255. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106255
Masri, H. A., & Jaaron, A. A. M. (2017). Assessing green human resources management practices in Palestinian manufacturing context: An empirical study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 474–489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.087
Mehrajunnisa, M., Jabeen, F., Faisal, M. N., & Mehmood, K. (2022). Prioritizing Green HRM practices from policymaker’s perspective. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(3), 652–678. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-12-2019-1976
Meng, Zhang, Zhang, R., Li, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2024). Knowing green, buying green: University students' green knowledge and green purchase behavior. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03243-7
Muisyo, P. K., Qin, S., Ho, T. H., Julius, M. M., & Barisoava Andriamandresy, T. (2022). Implications of GHRM on organisational citizenship behaviour: the mediating role of enablers of green culture. International Journal of Manpower, 43(3), 719–741. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-05-2020-0245
Okoye, O., & Eze, S. (2023). The role of peer dynamics in promoting sustainability. Journal of Social Influence Studies.
Paillé, P., Valéau, P., & Renwick, D. W. (2020). Leveraging green human resource practices to achieve environmental sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121137
Pham, N. T., Tu?ková, Z., & Phan, Q. P. T. (2019). Greening human resource management and employee commitment towards the environment: An interaction model. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 20(3), 446–465. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2019.9659
Rahnama Haratbar, H., Saeedikiya, M., & Seif, M. H. (2023). The psychology of green behavior: When growth mindset, peer influence and warm glow meet the individual self. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 35(3), 485–505. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq-09-2022-0268
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2020). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Sheikh, A. A., Shan, A., Hassan, N. M., Khan, S. N., & AbdAlatti, A. (2024). Impact of green human resource management practices on hotels' environmental performance: A mediation and moderation analysis. Sustainable Futures, 8, 100409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100409
Singh, S. K., Giudice, M. Del, Chierici, R., & Graziano, D. (2020). Green innovation and environmental performance: The role of green transformational leadership and green human resource management. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 150, 119762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119762
Su, L., Swanson, S. R., & Chen, X. (2020). The impact of destination social responsibility on tourist environmentally responsible behavior: The mediating role of environmental commitment. Tourism Management, 76, 103953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.103953
Sun, Y., & Xing, J. (2022). The impact of social media information sharing on the green purchase intention among Generation Z. Sustainability, 14(11), 6879. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116879
Wang, C. H. (2019). How organizational green culture influences green performance and competitive advantage: The mediating role of green innovation. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 30(4), 666–683. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-09-2018-0314
Wang, H., Khan, M. A. S., Anwar, F., Shahzad, F., Adu, D., & Murad, M. (2021). Green innovation practices and their impacts on environmental and organizational performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.553625
Yong, J. Y., Yusliza, M. Y., Ramayah, T., Chiappetta Jabbour, C. J., Sehnem, S., & Mani, V. (2020). Pathways towards sustainability in manufacturing organizations: Empirical evidence on the role of green human resource management. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(1), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2359
Zhang, J., Yu, Q., & Chen, Q. (2024). A study of the driving factors of the intention and behavioral deviations of rural residents in waste classification. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 12, Article 1432614. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1432614
Copyright (c) 2026 Dellorinna Icha Anak Tang, Ramita Abdul Rahim, Siti Fazilah Hamid, Nur Fatin Izzati Jeffri

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.