The influence of situational factors and self-efficacy on consumers' activewear donation

Abstract

The planetary boundary for climate change has likely been exceeded as humankind is consuming more natural resources than nature can replenish. Research especially focuses on the effects that climate change and the exhaustion of various natural resources have on human health and the vulnerability of the environment. The textile and apparel industry contributes to climate change and environmental damage through production, distribution and consumption, as it is known as one of the most polluting industries across the globe. Currently, retailers are moving their focus away from mere economic goals towards addressing larger social and environmental concerns, since there are many fears regarding the harmful impact that the textile and apparel industry has on the environment. It is also critical to recognise the environmental impact of the textile and apparel industry in South Africa, as it has experienced an accelerated growth in the last decade, which is partly attributed to the growth of fast fashion and activewear. One of the ways that consumers can start progressing towards sustainable living is to start adopting more sustainable and pro-environmental disposal behaviour. Various apparel disposal options are available to the consumer, namely discarding, donating, reselling, reusing and recycling, although donation was found to be the preferred method of disposal of apparel. Yet, various external and internal factors may inhibit pro-environmental behaviour, thus linking intention and action. The intention of this study was to supply empirical evidence that could address various factors that may have an influence on pro-environmental intent and the act of donation of activewear of a broad range of consumers in the South African context. This study was focused on activewear because it is a growing sector within the apparel industry, where consumers tend to show growing support for sustainable and pro-environmental concerns. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) draws attention towards behavioural intent and actual behaviour in bringing together the intention and the actual act or performance of the intention. A factor of TPB, namely Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC), which is the focus of this study, may shed light on whether certain constraints are inhibiting consumers in behaving in a pro-environmental manner. PBC is manifest through two dimensions, namely self-efficacy and controllability. Self-efficacy refers to believing in one’s own capabilities to perform a specific task, such as the eco-friendly disposal of apparel, whereas controllability refers to how much external control one has over the actual execution of the task. For the purpose of this study, controllability was conceptualised as situational factors, such as time, cost and convenience, which do not fall under the individual’s direct, perceived influence. For this study, a quantitative cross-sectional research approach was employed for explanatory purposes. A non-probability, purposive sampling method was used in recruiting consumers that pursue an active lifestyle in order to address the hypotheses of this study. The sample consisted of 600 males and females between the ages of 18 and 65 from across South Africa. Resulting data were captured and analysed by use of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, of which the latter included Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). EFA was performed in order to differentiate the relevant underlying factors, whereby results suggested a four-factor solution. The four factors were labelled as follows: inhibiting situational factors, intention to donate, donation and self-efficacy. The results indicated that respondents had strong intentions to donate activewear, indicating high levels of self-efficacy in terms of donation. Yet, respondents did not show a high level of agreement with statements that implied the inhibiting role of situational factors on donation, showing their strong intent to donate as well as their confidence in their ability to engage in donation. For CFA, the decision was made to futher retain a distinction between respondents’ underlying altruistic and pro-environmental reasons for their intent and behaviour in order to establish an acceptable model. In CFA a measurement model was established as basis for SEM. The last step of data analysis for this study included SEM, which is described as statistical methods used in the testing of a theoretical or conceptual model. Self-efficacy was found to have a strong influence on the respondents’ intention to donate activewear, both from an altruistic and pro-environmental point of view. Inhibiting situational factors, on the other hand, did not influence consumers’ intent, but seemed to have a stronger effect on actual behaviour. This supports the notion that self-efficacy is a strong predictor of intention and that it forms part of an internal locus of control, whereas controllability or situational factors are seen to be strong predictors of behaviour and to form part of an external locus of control. This may shed some light on the gap between intention and action that is extensively reported, especially when it comes to pro-environmental behaviour. A strong negative association between inhibiting situational factors and actual behaviour suggests that both altruistic and pro-environmental behaviours are highly influenced by inhibiting situational factors such as time, finances or inconvenience. Once these external constraints are lifted, the gap between consumers’ intent and their actual behaviour may be narrowed.