A systematic literature review of voluntary behaviour change approaches in single use plastic reduction

Mathew, Alieena; Isbanner, Sebastian; Yao, Xi; Rundle‐Thiele, Sharyn; David, Patricia; Li, Gabriel; Lee, Daisy

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117582

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…Therefore, messaging and education from within the hunting community was deemed to be a vital step in ensuring the hunting community took ownership of this issue and the behavioural change required. Autonomy, or ownership of the responsibility to change has been highlighted across a number of studies as a major driver of success (Black, 2001;Cromie et al, 2014;Mathew et al, 2023). However, polarisation and stakeholder con ict can be destructive to the process of change (Cromie et al, 2014).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of self-regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

McNicol¹,

Ellis²,

Warrender³

2023

Preprint

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The self-regulation of hunting activity in the United Kingdom is a vital part of improving the sustainability of wild bird harvest. In recent years, there have been calls to voluntarily delay the open season for shooting woodcock to reduce any potential impact on resident breeding birds. This call for voluntary behaviour change offers an opportunity to assess bag data, in the form of wings of shot birds submitted, and understand if hunters are adhering to these self-imposed regulations. Of the woodcock wings submitted 87% adhered to the voluntary delay to the season, suggesting that this initiative has secured broad voluntary compliance. This demonstrates that that with suitable messaging, and a collective effort to conserve wild quarry, that legislative changes may not be necessary to achieve sustainable harvest rates.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of self-regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

McNicol¹,

Ellis²,

Warrender³

2023

Preprint

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“…In the case of wildlife management and hunting, policy‐makers must take into account the traditional and social aspects of actions, as well as motivations surrounding wildlife management and how this may influence behaviour change and compliance (Wallen & Daut, 2018 ). The value of behaviour change has been highlighted across a range of campaigns, from reducing single‐use plastics (Mathew et al., 2023 ), improving water conservation (Liyanage & Vishwanathan, 2020 ) and reduction in the illegal trade of wildlife (Wallen & Daut, 2018 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of self‐regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

McNicol,

Ellis,

Madden

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Behaviour change through voluntary action can be an important approach to reducing human impacts on biodiversity. One example is self‐regulation in hunting, potentially a vital contributory factor in improving the sustainability of wild bird harvest. There has been a growing realisation among woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunters, reinforced by advice from sector organisations, that components of the UK woodcock populations are declining and that some aspects of woodcock hunting, specifically timing of harvest, may contribute to these. This study utilised five qualitative and quantitative data sets, collected for different purposes, to assess the behaviour and attitudes of woodcock hunters, both currently and over the past century. In the UK, relatively few woodcock are harvested and few hunters or species‐specific shoots target them. An estimated 26%–29% of lowland shoots advertise or harvest woodcock, with fewer than 5% of shoots or hunters participating in ‘woodcock specific’ shoot days. The number of birds harvested has fallen in recent years and is estimated to be between 62,000 and 140,000. Qualitative data suggests that over 90% of hunters now report shooting woodcock only after the recommended date of 1st December, or not at all. This is reflected in bag data which shows that, since 2018, fewer than 3%–13% of woodcock shot were harvested prior to 1st December. Around a third of hunters have reported stopping shooting woodcock and it is likely the harvest will decline in coming years due to voluntary restraint. This work demonstrates both through self‐report data and independent harvest data that behaviour change among hunters can be effected. This provides a working example where self‐regulation in response to a collective sector‐led effort has the potential to conserve wild quarry.

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“…Most voluntary SUP reduction interventions are set in community or educational settings, with workplaces being largely ignored (Mathew et al, 2023). An employee spends about onethird of their time in an office setting, making workplaces an ideal context through which pro-environmental behaviours can be encouraged (Blok et al, 2015).…”

Section: The Study Context: Plastic Oceans Australasiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intrinsically motivated behaviours are also more likely to be initiated, and they are more likely to persist over time (Geiger et al , 2021) following implementation of voluntary approaches. While the benefits of voluntary behaviour change programmes are obvious, there is limited research on, and evaluation of, these types of interventions (Mathew et al , 2023). A recent review identified 30 peer-review studies between 2000 and 2022 reporting outcomes for voluntary behaviour change interventions aimed at reducing SUP consumption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing plastic waste in the workplace: a program evaluation

Mathew,

Isbanner,

Rundle-Thiele

2024

JSOCM

Self Cite

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Purpose This study aims to develop a research agenda for the advancement of theory application in practical contexts by presenting a case study of the Engagement in Plastic-free Innovation for Change (EPIC) programme delivered by Plastic Oceans Australasia (POA). Design/methodology/approach EPIC is a behaviour change programme by POA that aims to reduce single-use plastic (SUP) consumption in workplaces. The study evaluates the programme’s impact on employee perceptions and actual behaviour through pre- and post-programme data collection in two Australian workplaces. Data was gathered via online surveys and waste audits and analysed using SPSS statistics and Excel. Findings The case study highlights the need for theory application in programme evaluation instruments. Theory was not used in the programme evaluation tool, and theory could not be mapped onto the tool retroactively. The data from the present study showed mixed results. Data from Workplaces 1 and 2 indicated that EPIC successfully improved three out of seven employee perceptions of SUP reduction efforts. However, individual workplace data showed that EPIC only improved one out of seven perceptions in Workplace 1 and three out of seven perceptions in Workplace 2. Surprisingly, Workplace 1 observed a decrease in plastic waste after the programme, while Workplace 2 saw an increase. Without the clear integration of theory, it is difficult to pinpoint areas for improvement. It is, however, posited that COVID-19 restrictions on people attending their workplaces and low survey response rates may have contributed to these unexpected results. Practical implications The present study highlights key improvements that can be made to evaluations of voluntary behaviour change programmes. Careful evaluation of behaviour change programmes is key to improving programme effectiveness. Practitioners will find the suggested improvements from this study helpful in developing and refining voluntary behaviour change programme evaluations. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to evaluate the impacts of a voluntary behaviour change programme aimed at reducing SUPs in the workplace. It also adds to the limited literature on voluntary behaviour change interventions overall and adds to the movement towards better application of theory in behaviour change interventions.

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A systematic literature review of voluntary behaviour change approaches in single use plastic reduction

Cited by 9 publications

References 86 publications

Evaluation of self-regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

Evaluation of self-regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

Evaluation of self‐regulation by the hunting community: A case study on the voluntary restraint of woodcock hunting in the UK

Reducing plastic waste in the workplace: a program evaluation

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