Enablers of green business process management in the oil and gas sector Bader K. AlNuaimi, Mohammed Al Mazrouei and Fauzia Jabeen College of Business, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Abstract Purpose – The integration of green business process management (GBPM) to the existing processes of the oil and gas companies (O&G) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries can lower environmental damage in the O&G sector (OGS), which causes more environmental hazards than other sectors. Studies suggest that sustainability remains a challenge for GCC O&G companies. In this context, this study assesses the following enablers and subenablers related to GBPM integration in these companies: strategy, management, people and culture, information technology, methods and governance. Design/methodology/approach – Using data from a survey of 12 strategy experts from four GCC O&G companies and the analytical hierarchy process, this study prioritized the key enablers and subenablers driving GBPM. Findings – Strategy was the highest-ranked enabler, followed by management; governance was the lowest- ranked enabler. Measuring green metrics was the highest-priority strategy enabler, and revising responsibilities and management involvement in strategy development were the highest-priority sub-enablers. Practical implications – This study recommends O&G companies to invest in optimizing the existing BPM to enhance process-based decision-making, before GBPM integration. The formation of sustainability groups can bring enablers together to improve sustainability performance. Management and governments must reevaluate their commitment to sustainability while developing policies for the GCC OGS. Originality/value – This study investigated which enablers and subenablers significantly affect GBPM integration in the sector; the results can support researchers and practitioners with the necessary knowledge for future developments. Keywords Oil and gas sector, Gulf cooperation council, Green business process management, Sustainable development, Analytical hierarchy process Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Sustainability is a broad concept and can be applied to various fields, depending on its environmental, economic and social implications. In the business context, organizations should be aware of the importance of sustainability. In fact, an increased focus on the environmental impact and responsibility of organizations has driven them to attach importance to sustainability (Couckuyt and Van Looy, 2019). Therefore, it is imperative for organizations to incorporate the varied aspects of sustainability into their business processes, and thereby integrate them with the green business process management (GBPM) solution (Hern andez Gonz alez et al., 2019). This study focuses on environmental sustainability in the oil and gas sector (OGS) as this sector is viewed as one of the major contributors to industrial pollution across the world (Pichtel, 2016). While OGS is considered one of the key drivers of the global economy, this sector has been highly criticized for damaging the overall environment and adversely affecting the lives of humans and animals. The OGS organizations are responsible for high greenhouse gas emissions, and the OGS causes Green business process management The authors would like to thank the Guest editor, Dr Manish Gupta, and the anonymous two reviewers for their constructive quality feedback which helped the authors in improving this manuscript. Declaration: All authors have contributed equally. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1741-0401.htm Received 10 November 2019 Revised 28 May 2020 Accepted 1 July 2020 International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management © Emerald Publishing Limited 1741-0401 DOI 10.1108/IJPPM-11-2019-0524