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The purpose of this study is to examine the differences in sustainability knowledge, behaviors and attitudes among college students and to estimate the influence of knowledge of sustainability on students’ sustainable behaviors.

A cross-sectional online survey was used to collect quantitative data on sustainability knowledge, behaviors and attitudes among 291 undergraduate college students at a mid-size Midwestern US university. This study used a structural equation model to answer the research questions.

In all, 291 students completed a sustainability attitudes and behaviors survey. The results of this study show sustainability knowledge is poor (average score 5.3/10). Statistical modeling indicates positive influence of economic attitudes on sustainable behaviors; however, ecology and social attitudes were not associated with sustainable behaviors. Furthermore, those with greater sustainable knowledge engaged in fewer sustainable behaviors.

Sustainability and/or wellness initiatives can provide education targeting actionable behaviors college students can make to reduce their carbon footprint, including washing clothes in cold water, limiting red meat consumption, recycling, reducing food waste and taking shorter showers. Sustainability initiatives such as organizing a recycling competition and coordinating volunteers for local clean-up days and events such as Earth Day celebrations offer opportunities for collaboration between campus departments and engagement and socialization among students, staff and faculty. The inclusion of sustainability in college curricula may increase students’ knowledge, develop critical thinking skills and self-efficacy related to sustainability and promote climate action.

First, this study adds to the literature in terms of the use of structural equation modeling. Second, this study’s results indicate a dissociation between positive sustainable attitudes as they relate to sustainable behaviors. Why is it that students think the environment is important yet do not place importance on sustainable behaviors? These issues are highly relevant and present opportunities for future research and interventions aimed at increasing sustainable behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of higher education institution as a sustainability communication channel. The theory of planned behavior was used to examine the degree to which a student’s tenure at a large university with active and visible sustainability initiatives is associated with changes in views about sustainability and changes in reported sustainability behaviors.

This study involved a campus-wide online survey on undergraduate students at a large mid-western university. A direct measurement approach to the theory of planned behavior was used to measure changes in attitudes, normative beliefs, perceived behavioral controls and self-reported behaviors on five different environmental sustainability behaviors.

Overall findings support the notion that higher education institutions can be effective communication channels for sustainability issues, as students who have been in college for a longer period of time reported somewhat more positive attitudes, normative and efficacy beliefs and more sustainable behaviors.

By measuring specific components of the theory of planned behavior, this study provides insights on specific areas in which campaigns targeting college students in different college years could become more effective.

Few studies have assessed college as an effective sustainability communication channel despite the fact that it is potentially a powerful channel to reach a large population at their critical age. This study also measures specific components to sustainability behaviors by using the theory of planned behavior as a guiding framework.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of sustainability knowledge to pro-environmental behaviour. A common misperception is that unsustainable behaviours are largely driven by a lack of knowledge of the underlying societal costs and the contributing factors leading to environmental degradation. Such a perception assumes if individuals “only knew better” they would engage in more sustainable behaviours. The “knowledge deficit model” has been critiqued for not including social psychological research about how knowledge is incorporated into decision-making and its subsequent effect on human behaviour. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) model has been used extensively to examine intention to engage in a variety of behaviours, therefore this model is applied to examine the effect knowledge has in predicting behaviour.

To better understand these relationships, the authors examined the relationships between sustainability behaviours through an online survey of over 500 students at a large university in the USA.

Results indicate that knowledge had a significant, albeit weak, bivariate correlation with behaviour (r = 0.113, p < 0.001). However, when controlling for TPB variables (attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control), knowledge was not a significant predictor of behaviour.

The authors conclude with several implications to guide university sustainability programmes.

This study places sustainable knowledge in the context of other social psychological factors which also influence behaviour. The results show that as the students are educated about sustainability, fostering behaviour change will require education not only about how actions affect sustainability but also about social norms, attitudes towards sustainable behaviours and the level of self-efficacy in doing those behaviours.

To introduce macro-behavioral perspective for understanding pro-sustainability actions from the perspective of various stakeholders.

Recent research on sustainability, behavior change, and environmentalism is reviewed to conceptualize a comprehensive macromarketing framework to spawn and diffuse pro-sustainability behaviors.

Provides a comprehensive macromarketing framework that not only explains the behavioral factors from firm’s perspective but also explains these factors from the perspective of various stakeholders who are part of the entire value chain.

The paper adds to the literature on pro-sustainability behaviors by providing a research framework from macro-marketing point of view.

As practical insight, the paper provides some important guidance in terms of better understanding on firm-specific and individual-specific actions which may help in progressing toward sustainability.

The paper integrates past observations on behavioral aspect of sustainability and develops an important framework to understand pro-sustainability actions.

The purpose of this study is to explore Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviors at a university campus by examining various antecedent and moderating influencers of their sustainable consumption behaviors.

A quantitative research methodology is used in this study. A structured questionnaire was administered (n = 279) to young college students (Gen Z consumers in the context of this study) enrolled at a large state university in the USA. The structural equation model was used to test the hypothesized relationships in the conceptualized model.

Study findings show that social responsibility (feelings, engagement and expectations) and external incentives (material and social) positively influence Gen Z consumers’ sustainability interests, which in turn influences their sustainable consumption behaviors (actions). Collectivist cultural values did not appear to have any statistically significant effect on Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption interests. Moreover, learned helplessness, perceived barriers and the awareness of the consequences of sustainability consumption actions did not have any significant moderating effect on Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption behavior.

The questionnaire was only sent to students majoring in business degrees, which may limit the generalizability of this study to broader Gen Z consumer populations. Expanding this study to include non-business students may be valuable as a next step. Replicating this study in different cultural environments of international countries could enhance the relationships identified in this study.

Consumer social responsibility education along with material and social incentives will encourage Gen Z consumers’ participation in sustainable behaviors at college campuses.

This research provides valuable insights into understanding the importance of consumer social responsibility and external incentives in influencing Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption intentions and behaviors. Accordingly, consumer social responsibility education and incentive programs need to be developed to encourage the participation of Gen Z consumers in sustainable consumption.

The purpose of this study is to find out what is the relationship between sustainability toward consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is the method of choosing, buying and using goods and services with an attachment to needs and wants. Now consumers are aware about sustainability, they make purchase decisions according to environmental safety, benefit to the society and increase economic growth.

This study validates the result through experts in textile industry by using the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory approach. This method has many benefits which provide decision makers and experts to understand the interdependence and influential relation between the criteria by hierarchical approach.

According to the results, green culture (F8) and green brand (F3) are the most influential (causal) factors and exert a substantial amount of influence over other factors for achieving organizational performance and sustainability. On the other hand, past experience (F14) and time pressure (F12) are the most influenced (effect) factors that are highly influenced by other factors.

The study conducted in Pakistan underscores the significance of maintaining a healthy and pristine environment for future generations. Both consumers and organizations play a vital role in this endeavor. It is imperative that they actively promote and support goods and services that advocate for sustainability.

Mangers should use long-term strategies that meet the high product value to enhance the organization’s reputation, so it will have positive consumer perception. If managers make policies to implement natural resources in their raw material, so this policy avoids conflicts and maintains a balance in our society.

This research delves into the complexities and subtleties associated with the identification and examination of the interconnections between the success factors of sustainability and consumer behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of a sustainability course that was designed to evoke measurable transformational changes in students’ preferences and in their roles as consumers, employees and citizens, via consciously addressing sustainability issues and involving a community partner.

The research was undertaken using mixed methods. Q-methodology helped create student groups with similar preferences for sustainable attitudes and behaviours before and after the course; the most important features of attitude changes and identify the phases of transformation were explored. In-depth interviews with each participant contributed to understanding and explaining the motivation for changing preferences and generated individual-level reflections about the perceived process of transformation.

Q-method highlighted how stakeholder roles were transformed from the three pre-factors to the three post-factors and for the whole group. Seven phases of transformational change are identified based on the reflective in-depth interviews from “no transformation” to “change agent behavior”.

Findings provide new perspectives for evaluating and embracing the transformational potential of sustainability courses.

Assessing the impacts of sustainability courses on students’ transformation via measuring their mindsets and behaviour preferences prior to and after a course is still an under-researched area, especially in relation to the Q-method. A further unique feature is how the influence of engaged community partner on students’ preferences is captured. The explored scope of individual responsibility goes beyond environmental awareness and addresses participants in various stakeholder roles simultaneously, by examining their priorities as consumers, employees and citizens.

Although supply chain managers serve a central role when implementing corporate environmental sustainability objectives, existing literature does not demonstrate high levels of supply manager support for such initiatives. This paper aims to investigate the potential of individual behavioral influences to explain supply manager orientation toward environmental responsibility.

This paper constructs a research model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore how personal environmental motivations influence supply manager environmental behavior in the workplace. This paper also incorporates hyperbolic discounting as a cognitive bias moderator in the model. The research hypotheses were tested with regression of survey data of practicing supply managers in the USA.

Support was found for the direct TPB hypotheses, revealing the importance of an individual’s personal attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control on interpreting and applying the organization’s environmental sustainability objectives. Although the interactive effect of hyperbolic discounting as a cognitive bias was not supported, a direct effect was found.

The findings can help organizations improve supply manager support for sustainability initiatives.

Prior supply chain sustainability research has examined drivers and barriers at political, legal, economical and overall firm levels. This study expands this research base by investigating individual-level barriers and drivers related to personal responsibility for environmental sustainability. As a second contribution, integration of cognitive biases in the TPB has been understudied in existing literature.

Sustainability literature has cited the influential role of both awareness and engagement in facilitating increases in pro-environmental behaviors. The purpose of this study is to compare these links across behaviors and explore their interactive influence.

Two research questions were examined: 1) Is awareness about campus efforts regarding waste-prevention and sustainable travel/transportation options associated with increases in student waste-prevention and sustainable travel/transportation behaviors? 2) Is the link between sustainability awareness and changes in behavior conditioned by student engagement (i.e. participation) in campus sustainability activities and events? Research questions were examined using data from the University of Michigan Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program. A sample of freshmen completed a Web-based survey in 2012, and again as seniors in 2015.

Greater awareness of campus waste-prevention efforts in 2015 was associated with significant increases in student waste-prevention behaviors from 2012 to 2015. Also, among students who were engaged (i.e. reported participating in a campus sustainability activity/event), greater travel/transportation awareness in 2015 was associated with a significant decline in sustainable travel/transportation behavior. Consistent with previous studies this study found a link between sustainability awareness and increases in sustainable behavior. However, this study also indicates that this link is not present for all behaviors (i.e. use of sustainable travel/transportation). This study also found that engagement does not amplify the awareness–behavior link.

Understanding key drivers of changes in sustainable behavior for specific behaviors can inform the allocation of resources and help university campuses reach their sustainability goals.

Sustainability-oriented projects are prevalent on crowdfunding platforms nowadays. The relationship between crowdfunding and sustainability has attracted the attention of many scholars. This study aims to examine the effects of perceived sustainability orientation on value-co-creation behavior from the perspective of backers and explore the mediation effects of three psychological factors: perceived affective reaction, perceived self-effectiveness and perceived risk.

The study recruits 455 backers to evaluate 100 projects on a crowdfunding platform. Structural equation modeling based on partial least squares is used to analyze data and test the hypotheses.

The results show that perceived sustainability orientation influences value-co-creation behavior through perceived affective reaction and self-effectiveness. Furthermore, perceived sustainability orientation impacts participation behavior through perceived risk.

Our study mainly focuses on sustainability-oriented and reward-based crowdfunding projects. Future research can examine other types of projects and other crowdfunding platforms.

These findings can provide implications for project creators to improve the values co-created with backers in future sustainability-oriented projects. Furthermore, the findings can provide implications for backers and help them evaluate crowdfunding projects.

The existing studies are mostly concerned with project creators’ perspectives. This paper is one of the few to investigate how a project’s sustainability orientation influences backers’ psychological factors and value-co-creation behavior.