*2.2. Green Intellectual Capital and Its Components*

Green intellectual capital (GIC) is defined as a "total of knowledge about the use of the process of environmental management in order to gain competitive advantage" [25]. This knowledge is demonstrated in various ways. It includes knowledge present in employees, databases, internal relations, external relations, processes, or systems. GIC comprises three components [7,26,27]:


The three GIC components interrelate and interact with eachanother [28].

Green human capital (GHC) is made up of employees who demonstrate knowledge, qualifications, and experience in the field of environmental protection, and who present environmentally-friendly attitudes [7]. GHC is a green workforce that understands, appreciates, and undertakes green initiatives. It is the staff who aim to develop eco-friendly working environments and who arecommitted to ecological principles, not only at work but also in their private lives [29]. These individuals represent extensive involvement and pride in green initiatives. They form a distinct group known as "green-collar workers", i.e., workers who are committed towardlimiting the negative natural environmental impacts of organizations [30,31]. These may be lower-, middle-, or higherlevelsof physical or intellectual employees. Green jobs include, among others, ecological auditors, ecological campaign management specialists, or energy efficiency advisors [32].

GHC are workers who [33]:


Green organizational capital (GOC), also known as structural capital, captures intangible and legal assets, databases, and invisible assets, such as green organizational culture, philosophy, systems of management of environmental knowledge, and processes, methods, and structures pertaining to environment protection and supporting green initiatives [7,8,24,34]. It provides the necessary support to GHC to achieve corporate environmental goals [9,35]. Unlike human capital, organizational capital is the property of the company and it may be traded, reproduced, or shared within the company [36].

Green organizational culture is a critical component of GIC. GOC is based on the regulations shaping the pro-ecological behaviors of employees [37]. Such culture fosters green practices among employees and that is why it plays a major role in the formation of sustainable companies [38,39]. As a result, green culture development is viewed as anunderlying condition for continuing the growth of the environmental effectiveness of an organization [40,41].

Another vital element of GOC isenvironmental management. It is oriented at product greening and implementing environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes. It is shaped by management boards and should encompass the following [42]:


Pursuing any environment management strategy is associated with the need to conduct an environmental review, design action schemes, plan the execution of adopted tasks, and provide suitable staff.

The final component of GIC is green relational capital (GRC). GRC is defined as knowledge based on relationships with stakeholders. It is composed of relations with customers, suppliers, strategic partners, institutions, and other members of networks related to environment management and green innovations, which lead to sustainable operations [7,8,24]. These relationships are based on trust built up between partners through past interactions [43]. GRC is of major importance tothe formation of human and structural capital [44]. Both the organization and its stakeholders can benefit from relational capital development [45]. It enhances communication, augments willingness to cooperate, and spurs engagement in the joint creation of an added value [46–48]. According to Woo et al. [49], one effect of GRC is improved cooperation between the purchaser and the supplier in terms of environment protection. This is because GRC helps supply chain members share knowledge about ecological production. It facilitates cooperation in environmental protection, green innovation, and in developing business processes committed to reducing adverse environmental impacts [50,51].

One component of GRC is green reputation, also known as green corporate image or corporate environmental reputation [52,53]. Studies have demonstrated that green corporate image reinforces its industry position and simplifies competitive advantage development [54]. Other studies confirm the presence of positive correlations between corporate reputation and customer satisfaction and their loyalty [55]. Green reputation attracts customers who seek products that have positive impacts on the natural environment, strengthening customer relations. Moreover, it stimulates cooperation with stakeholders who feature environmentally-friendly attitudes. All of the above contributed to GRC improvement.

Another constituent of green image development is green reporting connected with green bookkeeping [56]. According to Dilling [57], environmental accounting proves the environmental and social responsibility of companies, whereas green reporting is an element of construing relations with the stakeholders [58]. The portrayal of how (and to what extent) a given company contributes to sustainable development [59] is the foundation of communicating an organization's green actions to its internal and external stakeholders [60]. It serves as evidence of a company's commitment to environmental issues, whichspurs green corporate image development [61].

Another crucial factor in GRC formation is green marketing, which is a type of social marketing. It ensures that the links in the production chain perform their tasks in socially and environmentally responsible manners [62]. Vilkaite-Vaitone et al. [63] defined green marketing as strategic, tactical, and operational marketing activities that support the creation and delivery of green products. It encompasses, among other things, the promotion of packaging, and products that are safe for the environment [64]. Green marketing not only favorsa green corporate image, it also plays a crucial role in increasing the environmental awareness of partners in a network of relations.

Overall, green intellectual capital comprises a series of intangible assets thataffect each other within an organization. It includes diverse types of knowledge about environment protection collected both in the heads of the staff and in databases, procedures, systems, and relationships with stakeholders. Given the complex structure of GIC, an important research issue is to identify the GIC components thatmay have the greatest impacts on the sustainable development of organizations.
