Behavioral and governance dimensions of circular economy willingness and commitment: An integrated TPB-norm activation model approach

The circular economy transition is a strategic imperative for developing economies like Vietnam, yet the mechanisms translating intentions into genuine commitment remain insufficiently understood. An extended version of the theory of planned behavior was used to examine how environmental concern, attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms shape behavioral intention, perceived circular economy role, and ultimately circular economy willingness and commitment (CEWC), while testing the moderating role of institutional and governance quality. Survey data from 752 Vietnamese businesses were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (Hair et al., 2018). Results show environmental concern as the strongest predictor of behavioral intention, which completely mediates the effect of perceived circular economy role on CEWC. Unexpectedly, institutional and governance quality weakens the intention-commitment link, offering critical insight for accelerating the transition in emerging markets.