Empowering sustainability practice via sustainability literacy: a mediated model

Purpose Combating unsustainable activities is a crucial barrier to sustainable development, since they have drastically escalated the climate change which needs an immediate attention by the Z generation. The study aims to examine the role of sustainability literacy, institutional initiatives and individual factors in impacting university students’ sustainable practices by giving due consideration to teacher support and student engagement. Design/methodology/approach With the descriptive design, a survey questionnaire was used to gather data for this investigation, collecting responses from 419 university students from the region of Karnataka, India, with an impressive response rate of 96%. Following the data collection, statistical techniques, such as regression analysis, one sample t-test and structural equation modelling, were applied to evaluate the direct and indirect impacts of numerous sustainability factors on student’s sustainable practices. Findings Firstly, we found that students need to have strong sustainable literacy, institutional initiatives and individual factors to amplify their sustainable practices. Moreover, mediating influence of teacher support and student engagement were also observed in the current research. Interestingly, student’s sociocultural environment and government initiatives played a moderating role in uplifting their sustainable practices. Research limitations/implications The results illuminate the involvement of all the stakeholders in contributing to sustainable future through sustainable practices. However, this study limits its scope to educational setting and gives no importance towards parental upbringing and influence which can be addressed in the future research. Originality/value We provided a broader range of influencing factors to promote sustainable future for the future generation.