Human resources as a green business partner? The who, what, when and where HR (or business partners) enact the green UN SDGs

Renwick, DWS

NTU > IRep

IRep

Human resources as a green business partner? The who, what, when and where HR (or business partners) enact the green UN SDGs

Tools

Renwick, DWS ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-5746, 2026. Human resources as a green business partner? The who, what, when and where HR (or business partners) enact the green UN SDGs. German Journal of Human Resource Management: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung. ISSN 2397-0022

Preview

Text
2617427_Renwick.pdf - Published version
Download (175kB) | Preview

Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/23970022261430566

Abstract

In this Perspective article, I look to go beyond the arguably legitimate pessimism of Brewster and Brookes critique of human resources (HR) not enacting the UN SDGs in HRM. Using publicly available secondary data, I cautiously offer a different and arguably more optimistic perspective. Drawing on Legge’s Deviant Innovator (power relations) and Ulrich’s HR Champions (HR roles) classic texts, I argue that HR might perhaps occupy a new role, in becoming a green business partner. In doing so, I theoretically advocate adopting systems thinking and research co-creation between HRM academics (rigour) and HR practitioners (relevance). I reflect on the context which sets the regulatory framework for workplace HR (in)action regarding the UN SDGs, and discuss what such context means for everyday HRM greening. Lastly, I offer future research ideas and implications for HRM theory and practice before concluding.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	German Journal of Human Resource Management: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung
Creators:	Renwick, D.W.S.
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Date:	26 March 2026
ISSN:	2397-0022
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1177/23970022261430566 DOI 2617427 Other
Rights:	© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Melissa Cornwell
Date Added:	20 Apr 2026 08:48
Last Modified:	20 Apr 2026 08:48
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55565