Factors of motivation to use refill bottles among employees: A case study in office with cafe

Abstract

The wide use of single-use cups or plastic bottles have become standard due its practicality and convenience, leading to the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment where proper waste management is absent. Although plastic recycling has vastly improved, reducing waste at source or reusing material is priority. To overcome this, behavioural change from dependency to single-use plastic bottles or cups to refill bottles is required. A shared socio-environmental space, such as office, is a potential medium for interventions to nudge behavioural change. This research aims to address factors influencing the employees’ motivation to use refill bottles. This research conducted open survey to 200 employees of SATO Corporation in Tokyo, which were participating in a refill bottle use project with Zojirushi Corporation. Data was explored using thematic analysis following the guideline in a codebook created in advance. This study discovered 10 factors associated with motivation to use refill bottles according to the COM-B and TDF frameworks. The main findings include specific contexts identified in beliefs about capabilities, beliefs about consequences, goals, reinforcements, and habits regarding refill bottles use. The findings are expected to aid decision of intervention to capability or opportunity aspects adjusted to these motivational factors.