Francis Kamewor Tetteh, Kwame Owusu Kwateng, Dorcas Nuetey, John Mensah
The logistics sector forms an integral part of industrial activities in any country and is under intense pressure to integrate sustainable practices into operations. While previous scholars have argued varied implications of sustainable logistics practices (SLPs) on sustainable outcomes, substantial gaps remain in understanding which specific SLPs most effectively improve environmental performance (EP) and through what mechanisms. To provide clarity, this study examines how different SLPs relate to environmental performance through green competitive advantage (GCA), under varying conditions of green human resource management (GHRM) and energy efficiency (EE). Drawing on Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) as the primary theoretical foundation and Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory to explain the moderating mechanisms, we analyzed survey data from 208 logistics firms in Ghana using covariance-based structural equation modeling. Results demonstrate that four SLPs (green transportation, sustainable waste management, green distribution and packaging, and green logistics information sharing) significantly and directly drive EP, and indirectly through GCA. Green warehousing influences EP only through GCA. Additionally, the effect of green transportation and green logistics information sharing on EP is amplified at high levels of GHRM, and this moderating effect is itself conditioned by energy efficiency levels. The paper presents crucial discipline-bridging insights into logistics, strategic management, and sustainable supply chain literature by examining the complex interplay between SLPs, GCA, EE, GHRM, and their collective influence on EP.