Green marketing in B2B organisations: an empirical analysis from the natural‐resource‐based view of the firm

Purpose – Following the natural resource based view of the firm, this paper seeks to analyse the influence of a green marketing strategy on the performance of business‐to‐business organisations. Also, it aims to explore the role of organisational resources as drivers of proactive environmental management. Design/methodology/approach – A model based on structural equations with partial least squares analysis is used to test the hypotheses. This model was tested on a sample of 181 industrial organisations. Findings – The findings confirm that managers indirectly play a key role in the design and development of green marketing strategies through the integration of environmental values into the organisational culture. They also reveal that, while market‐oriented practices directly determine economic performance, internally oriented activities indirectly influence financial results through the improvement of the firm's environmental performance. Research limitations/implications – This research partially integrates organisational resources as drivers of environmental behaviour, and does not explore the role of capabilities. The article proposes different implications considering the competitive consequences of a green marketing strategy. Practical implications – The article includes different practical implications about the effect of different environmental practices on different dimensions of organisational performance. It sheds light on the controversial link between environmental proactivity and performance. Originality/value – This research tests empirically some of the theoretical underpinnings of the natural resource based view of the company in an under‐researched context like the business‐to‐business context.