Exploring the Factors Affecting People’s Compliance with the German Green Law

Abstract: Introduction: This study extends the theory of planned behavior to explore the factors influencing people to follow the Green Packaging Law in Germany. In addition to the factors in the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model, such as attitudinal factors, normative factors, and perceived behavioral control, this study adds another factor – moral obligation – thus extending the theory of planned behavior model. Methods: We used convenience sampling, resulting in 712 effective samples, 54.6% of whom were men and 45.4% women. We used AMOS 21 to perform structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses. Results: The result shows a good fit (incremental fit index = 0.93; Tucker–Lewis index = 0.92; comparative fit index = 0.93; root mean square error of approximation = 0.07; chi-square/degree of freedom = 2.32; goodness of fit index: 0.93). Discussion: The findings suggest that the TPB model is suitable for the study of behavioral intention toward the related issue. This research broadens the application field for the TPB model. Second, in this study, we add moral obligation to form an extended TPB model. The study enhanced its validity by examining the extended TPB model, which includes the moral obligation to understand one’s intention to follow environmentally-related law in Germany.