Abstract
Repeated actions and behaviours are characteristic of people’s daily lives. However, there is a dilemma when this repeated action is associated with mobile phone recycling since convincing mobile users to recycle sustainably is challenging. This study analysed the four factors (i.e., actual knowledge, salience, environmental constraints, and habits) adopted from the Integrated Behavioural Model (IBM) theory and examined their impact on behavioural sustainability. A partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to evaluate 601 responses from a self-administered online survey collected from mobile user participants based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The survey findings indicated that habit has the strongest and statistically significant positive influence on behaviour; followed by knowledge and skills. Additionally, the salience of behaviour has a considerably negative influence on behaviour sustainability unaffected by environmental constraints. This study serves as a springboard for future research examining the IBM model to understand recycling behaviour in general and smartphone recycling sustainability in particular. Additionally, this research can assist smartphone manufacturers in understanding the factors that will maintain the recycling behaviour continuity, increasing the number of returned devices.
Highlights
Numerous businesses and organisations are currently implementing various strategies for collecting end-of-life (EOL) and end-of-use (EOU) smartphone or mobile phone devices to generate extra profit by selling excellent condition devices in a second market, reusing some parts for new manufacturing, or claiming to be environmentally friendly
This study aims to address this gap by conducting an empirical survey to measure the four factors that are proposed by the Integrated Behavioural Model (IBM) theory and to determine whether those factors will have a role to enhance behaviour sustainability
The findings indicate that consumer awareness of the importance of e-waste recycling was high among the respondents; The difficulty, was how this awareness might be turned into recycling behaviour
Summary
Numerous businesses and organisations are currently implementing various strategies for collecting end-of-life (EOL) and end-of-use (EOU) smartphone or mobile phone devices to generate extra profit by selling excellent condition devices in a second market, reusing some parts for new manufacturing, or claiming to be environmentally friendly. A massive amount of electronic waste (e-waste) is generated from discarded smartphone devices. Around 50 million tonnes of electronic and electrical garbage (e-waste) are generated each year, the equivalent of all the commercial airplanes ever constructed, and barely 20% of this waste gets recycled properly [2]. E-waste poses a massive potential material value of $US 62.5 billion, three times the yearly production of the world’s silver mines and more than the gross domestic product of most nations. Recycling one million mobile phones generates and conserves 24 kg of gold, 9000 kg of copper, 250 kg of silver, and 9 kg of palladium [4]. Collecting minerals from discarded devices generates far less carbon dioxide than mining in the earth’s crust [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
