Investigating Employees' Intentions to Extend the Lifespan of Portable Electronics: Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Intentions to Act Pro-Environmentally in a Public Organization

Abstract

The pressure on organizations to become sustainable is increasing as the matter of sustainability grows in urgency. While there has been focus on how organizations can make the transition to more sustainable business models, there has not been as much focus on how an organization can influence its employees' intention to contribute to a more sustainable workplace. In addition, E-waste is the fastest growing source of waste in the world. Therefore, this study had the aim to unravel which factors influence employees' intentions to contribute to extending the lifespan of portable electronics in a public organization, and by that also research pro-environmental behavior (PEB). This was achieved by applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as well as adding a construct labeled exemplary environmental leadership (EEL). Thus, the factors researched in this study to evaluate the intentions of employees were attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC) and EEL. A survey was conducted at Göteborgs Stad where the mentioned factors and intentions were measured, which yielded 524 answers (i.e., a response rate of 26.7%). Furthermore, a multiple regression model was used to identify which of these factors and to what degree they had a significant impact on the intentions to contribute to extending the lifespan of portable electronics. The regression analysis indicated that attitudes and subjective norms had significant impact on intentions, while PBC and EEL had not. Attitudes was concluded to have the strongest effect, followed by subjective norms. Based on this, implications for improving intentions regarding extending the lifespan of portable electronics at workplaces were presented.