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1 – 10 of 753Daniel Ofori and Abigail Opoku Mensah
The study analyses the factors that promote pro-environmental intentions and sustainable electronic waste management among households in a developing country context.
Abstract
Purpose
The study analyses the factors that promote pro-environmental intentions and sustainable electronic waste management among households in a developing country context.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a quantitative survey, a cross-sectional study of households was conducted. Data from 652 respondents were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
Among the findings, environmental values was the major influencer of pro-environmental intentions, accounting for 54.8% of its variance. Whilst pro-environmental intention was hypothesised as a key predictor of sustainable waste management behaviours, results showed that sustainable e-waste management is mainly influenced by perceived behavioural control (β = 0.546, p = 0.000), followed by pro-environmental intentions (β = 0.302, p = 0.000). Perceived behavioural control, on the other hand, was influenced by perceived producer responsibility (β = 0.340, p = 0.000) and facilitating conditions (β = 0.141, p = 0.0.034).
Research limitations/implications
First, the study used a quantitative approach. The use of a mixed-methods approach could provide deeper insights into the determinants of sustainable e-waste management practices in a specific cultural context. Also due to the quantitative nature of the study, sustainable e-waste management was based on self-reports. Future studies may adopt longitudinal studies to validate self-reported behaviours with observation. Finally, the study does not include all constructs proposed by planned behaviour and norm activation theory. This is because the main aim of the study was to examine perceived behavioural control as an extrinsic motivator and environmental values as an intrinsic motivator to engage in sustainable waste management practices.
Practical implications
Waste is best managed at source, so the study recommends that producers of electronic equipment must reconsider their role in sustainable waste management, by taking physical and economic responsibility for the environmental costs of their products. Pro-environmental intentions must be encouraged; however, it is not sufficient to cause sustainable waste management behaviours. Consequently, governments must promote and encourage sustainable e-waste management among households by providing enabling policy conditions such as convenient e-waste collection points and positively reinforcing waste reduction, reuse and recycling behaviours. Also, a culture of environmental conservation should be encouraged among households.
Originality/value
The study explores the role of environmental values and perceived behavioural control as a source of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to engage in sustainable e-waste management. The inclusion of facilitating conditions and perceived producer responsibility is justified, based on the call for a collective approach towards electronic waste management. The results of the study throw more light on the tri-party approach, specifically, consumers, business and government role in developing and maintaining a sustainable approach towards the management of electronic waste in Ghana. Also, the study integrates planned behaviour and norm activation based on the strong sustainability argument.
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Nanjangud Vishwanath Vighnesh, Balachandra Patil and Deepak Chandrashekar
There is widespread consensus that unchecked growth of e-waste is a major challenge to global sustainability transition. Current research has failed to connect e-waste with…
Abstract
Purpose
There is widespread consensus that unchecked growth of e-waste is a major challenge to global sustainability transition. Current research has failed to connect e-waste with principles of circularity and sustainability from the consumption perspective. This paper aims to answer the following questions: What kind of environmental behaviors (EBs) exist among consumers in relation to e-waste?; In what ways are these consumers different from and similar to each other based on their EBs in relation to e-waste?; How do consumers and their EBs contribute to sustainable waste management?
Design/methodology/approach
Based on primary data from an Indian sample of information and communication technology consumers, EBs relevant to e-waste management are identified. In the next stage, a behavior-based segmentation and profiling of consumers is performed.
Findings
The first phase of analysis produced eight distinct EBs which were then used in the next phase to obtain a consumer typology of three segments. The three consumer segments differed significantly with each other on general environmental behavior and awareness about e-waste.
Research limitations/implications
The paper develops a comprehensive conceptual framework for studying the demand-side circularity transition for sustainable e-waste management.
Practical implications
For business stakeholders, findings of the study and the proposed framework can inform behavior change interventions to customize offerings for different right consumer segments.
Originality/value
The paper adds new knowledge to the intersectional area of e-waste, consumer behavior and sustainability through the development of consumer typology and a conceptual framework.
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Tejendra Singh Gaur, Vinod Yadav, Sameer Mittal and Milind Kumar Sharma
Waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment, collectively known as E-waste, remains a persistent environmental, economic and social problem. Sustainable E-waste…
Abstract
Purpose
Waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment, collectively known as E-waste, remains a persistent environmental, economic and social problem. Sustainable E-waste management (EWM) has numerous benefits, such as preventing electronic waste from entering landfills, reducing the need for virgin materials by recovering valuable materials from recycling and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Circular economy (CE) practices are considered the initial steps toward sustainable EWM, but some hurdles have been reported in the adoption of these practices. Therefore, the current study aims to identify the common CE practices, sustainability of the EWM process and the challenges in EWM, and to develop a conceptual framework for effective EWM.
Design/methodology/approach
Very few studies have proposed frameworks that acknowledge the challenges and CE practices of EWM. To fill this gap, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, and 169 research articles were explored.
Findings
A total of seven challenges in the adoption of effective EWM were identified: rules and policy, infrastructure, consumer behaviour, informal sectors, community culture, technology and economy. Eight common CE practices were also found for effective EWM: reuse, recycle, remanufacturing, refurbishment, repair, reduce, recover and repurpose.
Originality/value
A conceptual framework guiding sustainable EWM was proposed, which includes solutions for the identified challenges, and CE practices with sustainable benefits.
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Kalyan Bhaskar and Bipul Kumar
The purpose of this study is, first, to understand if the firms are displaying integrated approach toward electronic waste management and sustainability and, second, is there a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is, first, to understand if the firms are displaying integrated approach toward electronic waste management and sustainability and, second, is there a business case for linking e-waste management with sustainable development goals (SDGs) pronounced by the United Nations.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts an extensive literature review to gather perspective from multiple disciplines and also carries out content analysis of annual reports/sustainability reports of the firms.
Findings
Bulk consumers have sustainability policies and/or strategies but many of these firms have not linked their e-waste management with their sustainability strategies practices. Also, based on the elaboration of different perspectives, this study provides an integrative framework that suggests focus of a particular perspective on a given SDG and commensurate business approach by the firms to find a synergy between the two.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides a wider perspective on the subject of electronic waste management and its linkage with SDGs to create business case, thus opening up many theoretical avenues.
Practical implications
The policy like extended producers’ responsibility has a clear practical implication in terms of creating reputational capital for the firms by linking electronic waste management and SDGs.
Social implications
The SDG, detailing clean water and sanitation by asking firms not to pollute water bodies by dumping the waste, has clear social implications.
Originality/value
This study is first of its kind to explore the linkage between electronic waste and SDGs to understand the business case. It also throws good insights on whether the firms use integrated approach toward electronic waste management and sustainability.
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Pratistha Chandra, Chung-Hsing Yeh and Pankaj Dutta
This study identifies barriers faced by online e-waste collection platforms in India and proposes a novel approach to manage strategies that contribute towards making such online…
Abstract
Purpose
This study identifies barriers faced by online e-waste collection platforms in India and proposes a novel approach to manage strategies that contribute towards making such online platforms economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable by mitigating their interacting barriers.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach consists of a barrier assessment process and a strategy evaluation and planning process. The barrier assessment process uses multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) based method to evaluate the interactive effects of the barriers to derive their direct and indirect impacts on sustainability. The strategy evaluation and planning process evaluates the overall contribution value of strategies for mitigating interacting barriers and then categorizes them into planning zones based on their contribution and feasibility.
Findings
The interaction among the barriers is a significant component of the overall impact of the barriers on sustainability. The most impactful barriers are the lack of dissemination of information, lack of government support, insufficient infrastructure, and awareness and attitude of consumers. Lack of government support is the most influential causal barrier. Lack of information dissemination is a significant causal barrier with the highest overall impact on sustainability. Priority strategies that must be implemented to ensure sustainability include government support, offering higher prices or discounts for giving up e-waste, and increasing information dissemination.
Originality/value
Different from existing approaches for evaluating sustainability strategies, the strategies in this study are identified and evaluated based on their overall contribution towards mitigating interacting barriers to sustainability. The approach is applied in the Indian context to reveal the most influential barriers to the sustainability of online e-waste collection platforms and the most effective strategies for mitigating these barriers. The outcomes of this study contribute to strategy planning for sustainable online e-waste collection platforms in India.
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Yigit Kazancoglu, Melisa Ozbiltekin, Yesim Deniz Ozkan Ozen and Muhittin Sagnak
This study aims to propose an electronic waste collection and classification system to enhance social, environmental and economic sustainability by integrating data-driven…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose an electronic waste collection and classification system to enhance social, environmental and economic sustainability by integrating data-driven technologies in emerging economies.
Design/methodology/approach
GM (1, 1) model under grey prediction is used in this study in order to estimate the trend of the amount of collected electronic waste in emerging economies.
Findings
It is revealed that the amount of collected electronic waste is increasing day by day, and within the framework of sustainability in the process of collecting and classification of electronic waste, digital technologies were found to be lacking. It has been determined that this deficiency, together with the increasing amount of electronic waste, has caused environmental, social and economic damage to emerging economies.
Originality/value
The main originality of this study is integrating electronic waste collection and classification processes with data-driven technologies and sustainability, which is a relatively new subject.
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Georgina Davis and Malcolm Wolski
This paper seeks to provide details of Griffith University's (GU) approach for sustainably dealing with electronic waste (e‐waste) and the benefits of using the e‐waste programme…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to provide details of Griffith University's (GU) approach for sustainably dealing with electronic waste (e‐waste) and the benefits of using the e‐waste programme as a valuable educational case study for ESD.
Design/methodology/approach
The e‐waste programme is explained with reference to key resources and literature, so as to provide a practical approach for any organisation looking to sustainably manage its e‐waste stream. The rationale and structure for the e‐waste educational case study is also presented so that other academics may use it as a template or study aid within their own teaching.
Findings
The paper provides references to web resources and GU internal resources so that readers can access valuable information, and to show how those resources can be applied to their own organisation. The paper also identifies and discusses the factors which may hinder the implementation of a sustainable e‐waste programme.
Research limitations/implications
The paper has been written to be as succinct and as accessible to readers as possible and, as such, has not presented each of the aspects of the sustainable e‐waste programme in depth. This information, for those requiring more detail, is accessible through the resources presented.
Practical implications
The paper is a useful source on how e‐wastes can be sustainably managed by Universities and presents a modelled approach.
Originality/value
This paper highlights an individual response to an increasingly complex and potentially polluting and unsustainable waste stream. It provides a practical institution‐wide approach for dealing with e‐wastes; and in particular, raises the awareness of the issues associated with e‐waste to those institutions who may not be aware.
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Sonal Thukral, Deep Shree and Shakshi Singhal
With the rapid increase in the consumption of electrical and electronic innovations, responsible management and recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) or waste electrical and…
Abstract
Purpose
With the rapid increase in the consumption of electrical and electronic innovations, responsible management and recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been a significant concern for the governments, stakeholders, researchers and industry practitioners around the world. Consumer awareness, disposal behaviour and perception are chief facets of designing sustainable management strategies. Although researchers have widely studied e-waste over many years, the research focusing on consumer awareness about e-waste recycling has gained momentum recently. This paper aims to systematise the existing literature and explore future research prospects on household e-waste sorting behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
Web of science (WoS) core collection was searched using selected keywords to identify relevant articles published from 2001 to 2021. The search resulted in 1,156 research articles published from 2001 to 2021. After a detailed study, 85 articles were shortlisted for in-depth review. The review was conducted based on global trends, top journals, most prolific authors, most active e-waste research countries, and institutions centring on consumer participation in e-waste disposal and recycling behaviour. The present research has also identified around eleven factors that seem to have a bearing on consumer behaviour towards storage, disposal and recycling of e-waste.
Findings
E-waste research has gained increased attention in the last five years. The majority of the studies has focused on motivational factors and ignore the risks associated with handling e-waste. The present study reports the pertinent issue of lack of awareness among the masses about e-waste handling and disposal. Thus, bringing to the fore the lack of awareness programmes and initiatives. The analysis presents the gaps in the literature and future research agendas.
Originality/value
The review article will help in providing an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour towards storage, disposal and recycling of e-waste and delineates the future direction of research that may be undertaken in this field of study.
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Sidra Ramzan, ChenGuang Liu, Yan Xu, Hina Munir and Bhumika Gupta
The study aims to explore how young consumers perceive and adopt the online e-waste collection platform, by developing a conceptual framework that integrates the theory of planned…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to explore how young consumers perceive and adopt the online e-waste collection platform, by developing a conceptual framework that integrates the theory of planned behavior, the technology acceptance model and the perceived risk. Based on conceptual framework, the study further identifies factors that positively or negatively influence the Chinese millennials' decision on the use of online collection platform.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducts a questionnaire survey from 807 Chinese millennials living in urban and rural areas. Based on the collected data, the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed to conduct PLS path modeling and multi-group analysis.
Findings
The study results support the proposed conceptual framework and confirm its robustness in investigating Chinese millennials' intentions to adopt online e-waste collection platform. The findings suggest that the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control have positive impact, while perceived risk has negative impact on the behavioral intentions of millennials on the adoption of the platform.
Originality/value
With the emergence of Internet technology, online e-waste collection platform has arisen as an innovative and alternative solution to improve environmental sustainability by encouraging e-waste collection through formal recycling channels in China. In order to divert the consumers from informal recycling channels to online e-waste collection platform, it is necessary to understand what factors impact the adoption of this platform among consumers. The study provides theoretical contribution and practical implications relevant to regulators and practitioners to encourage the adoption of online e-waste collection platform.
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Md. Mahiuddin Sabbir, Tahsin Tabish Khan, Amit Das, Sharmin Akter and Md. Alamgir Hossain
End-of-life electronic products exchange (EEPE) program could be an effective approach to e-waste recycling that requires consumers' participation. Thus, it is highly recommended…
Abstract
Purpose
End-of-life electronic products exchange (EEPE) program could be an effective approach to e-waste recycling that requires consumers' participation. Thus, it is highly recommended to study factors stirring consumer behavior with regard to EEPE programs, which is largely under-explored in the existing literature. Hence, grounding on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Attitude-Behavior-Context (A-B-C) model, this study attempts to understand the determinants of consumers' EEPE intention by adding contextual and non-cognitive factors to the proposed research model.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing a purposive sampling technique, respondents were drawn from university students and general consumers of electronic products in a developing country. Factor analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM) and SPSS PROCESS were used to analyze the collected data.
Findings
Empirical results confirm that subjective norm has the strongest positive impact on EEPE intention. Following this, attitude toward EEPE and perceived behavioral control play positive mediating roles in determining EEPE intention. Moreover, government initiatives moderate the unsolicited “attitude–intention gap”.
Practical implications
Drawing on this study's outcomes, the study urges to form comprehensive awareness-building campaigns, rules and regulations regarding proper e-waste management, promote “exchange offer” programs and educational programs to encourage EEPE.
Originality/value
This study makes two fresh contributions to the extant literature. First, by coupling the TPB and A-B-C theory, this study showed that both attitude (i.e. attitude toward EEPE) and context (i.e. government initiatives) are essential in eliciting individual-level post-consumption pro-environmental behavior (PEB) (i.e. EEPE). Second, government initiatives elucidate the attitude–intention gap in the reverse logistics context, especially in developing countries.
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