From Propensities to Propellers: Understanding System-Level Influences on Entrepreneurs’ Environmental Sustainability Practice in Non-WEIRD Societies

Research on environmental sustainability practice (ESP) remains dominated by evidence from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies, leaving limited understanding of how entrepreneurs in non-WEIRD African contexts engage with sustainability. This study examines how intrinsic factors (propensities) and extrinsic factors (propellers) interact with a sustainability mindset to shape the environmentally responsible behavior of traditional entrepreneurs. Drawing on survey data from 1,128 Nigerian microentrepreneurs and employing structural equation modeling, the results show that environmental governance (EG)—a key macromarketing force—significantly predicts ESP, whereas intrinsic factors exert no meaningful effect. The findings further reveal that a sustainability mindset alone has little influence unless reinforced by strong governance mechanisms. These insights highlight that macromarketing-level drivers are more effective than micromarketing-level propensities in fostering sustainability among traditional entrepreneurs. The study advances macromarketing theory by introducing the Five Stages Model of Sustainability Mindset Transformation (SMTM), which explains how governance can progressively cultivate sustainability-oriented mindsets in non-WEIRD societies. The paper concludes with policy recommendations and directions for future research to strengthen environmental governance and entrepreneurship for sustainable development.