It Takes Two to Tango: How Ability and Morality Shape Consumers’ Willingness to Refill and Reuse

The waste problem in the U.S. has only intensified in recent years, first due to China’s National Sword Policy and then to the COVID-19 pandemic. One solution to this problem is to encourage people to adopt pro-environmental behaviors such as opting for reusables and products with plastic-free alter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental management (New York) 2024-02, Vol.73 (2), p.311-322
Main Authors: Shah, Prerna, Yang, Janet Z.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic Pollution
Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution
Climate change
Consumers
COVID-19
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental behavior
Environmental Management
Forestry Management
Morality
Nature Conservation
Packaging
Pandemics
Recycling
Theory of planned behavior
Waste recycling
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
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Summary:The waste problem in the U.S. has only intensified in recent years, first due to China’s National Sword Policy and then to the COVID-19 pandemic. One solution to this problem is to encourage people to adopt pro-environmental behaviors such as opting for reusables and products with plastic-free alternate packaging. In this study, we employ the value-belief-norm theory to examine whether its proposed causal chain predicts consumers’ willingness to use reusables and products with plastic-free alternate packaging. We also explore the moderating role of perceived behavior control, one of the strongest predictors of environmental behaviors. Our research provides support to the value-belief-norm theory in predicting behavioral willingness. The moderating role of perceived behavior control provides additional insight into the theoretical model and furnishes practical implications for strategic communication designed to encourage the adoption of reusables and alternative packaging.
ISSN:0364-152X
1432-1009
DOI:10.1007/s00267-023-01828-7