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.

中文翻译：

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减少工作场所的塑料废物：计划评估

目的

本研究旨在通过澳大利亚塑料海洋组织 (POA) 实施的参与无塑料创新促进变革 (EPIC) 计划的案例研究，制定一项研究议程，以促进理论在实际环境中的应用。

设计/方法论/途径

EPIC 是 POA 的一项行为改变计划，旨在减少工作场所的一次性塑料 (SUP) 消耗。该研究通过在两个澳大利亚工作场所收集计划前和计划后的数据来评估该计划对员工看法和实际行为的影响。通过在线调查和废物审计收集数据，并使用 SPSS 统计数据和 Excel 进行分析。

发现

该案例研究强调了项目评估工具中理论应用的必要性。项目评估工具中未使用理论，并且理论无法追溯地映射到该工具上。本研究的数据显示出好坏参半的结果。来自工作场所 1 和 2 的数据表明，EPIC 成功改善了七分之三的员工对 SUP 减少工作的看法。然而，各个工作场所数据显示，EPIC 仅改善了工作场所 1 中七分之一的认知，以及工作场所 2 中七分之三的认知。令人惊讶的是，项目结束后，工作场所 1 观察到塑料废物减少，而工作场所 2 则有所增加。如果没有清晰的理论整合，就很难确定需要改进的领域。然而，据推测，COVID-19 对人们去工作场所的限制以及较低的调查回复率可能导致了这些意外结果。

实际影响

本研究强调了对自愿行为改变计划的评估可以做出的关键改进。仔细评估行为改变计划是提高计划有效性的关键。从业者会发现本研究提出的改进建议有助于制定和完善自愿行为改变计划评估。

原创性/价值

这是评估旨在减少工作场所 SUP 的自愿行为改变计划影响的首批研究之一。它还补充了关于自愿行为改变干预的有限文献，并推动了理论在行为改变干预中更好应用的运动。