Exploring the impact of CEO environmental orientation on organisational citizenship behaviour for the environment: application from stewardship theory

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of CEO environmentally responsible leadership (CERL) on organisational citizenship behaviour for the environment (OCBE). The proposed model includes environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) as a mediator and organisational identification (ORID) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Time-lagged data have been collected from the large-scale manufacturing sector of Pakistan through surveys from a sample of 442 dyads. The analysis has been performed by employing partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings The results revealed that CERL plays a significant role in driving OCBE among the employees of the manufacturing sector. Secondly, ECSR has been tested as a positive mediator that provides an underlying mechanism to explain the impact of CERL on OCBE. Thirdly, ORID is an important mediator that strengthens the positive impact of ECSR on OCBE. Practical implications The findings offer an actionable insight to organisational managers, highlighting the importance of CERL, ECSR and ORID for fostering OCBE to address compliance issues of environmental regulators and enhance sustainability performance through OCBE. Originality/value The originality of this study is rooted in establishing the link between CERL and OCBE, testing ECSR as a mediator between CERL and OCBE, and confirming the moderating role of ORID between ECSR and OCBE.