Exploring the key drivers of pro-environmental goal formation through the lens of Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit to tackle plastic pollution

The worldwide plastic waste generation reached over 400 million metric tons annually and is seriously threatening human health and the global environment in general. Several previous research recognizes the role of pro-environmental goal and explored how it impacts plastic waste management behavior to tackle plastic pollution. However, research on the factors influencing them is still very limited. This paper provides a theoretical model that includes factors affecting the formation of pro-environmental goals (PEG) and its subsequent impact on the intention of pro-environmental behavior in the context of plastic consumption behavior among young people. The fundamental concept of the model was adopted from the theoretical contracts of the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit (TRGP) to explore young consumers’ intention towards responsible plastic management behavior (RPMB), which includes reduction of plastic consumption and proper disposal of plastic waste. Data was collected from 340 respondents from a developing country-Bangladesh and analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique and Smart PLS software. It was found that PEG significantly affects the intention of RPMB. Results also showed that factors, like moral norm, sense of responsibility, and guilt feeling significantly impact forming PEG, while the impact of attitude and eco-awareness on it was found insignificant. This research theoretically contributes by offering deeper insight into how PEG is formed that can drive individuals towards developing the intention of pro-environmental behavior. Furthermore, research findings also suggest that in the case of pro-environmental goal formation, non-cognitive and normative drivers such as moral norm, sense of responsibility, and feeling of guilt play a more crucial role than cognitive factors such as attitude and eco-awareness. Therefore, practitioners could use the research findings, particularly in developing countries, to implement proper measures promoting responsible consumer behavior to fight against plastic pollution.