A system dynamics approach for enhancing social behaviours regarding the reuse of packaging

•Reuse behaviour is dependent on knowledge and communication emphasising reuse.•Personal and social norms positively influence reuse of packaging behaviour.•Personal and social values positively influence reuse of packaging behaviour.•Enable reusable packaging to enable reuse behaviour by its functionality.

There have been many attempts to reduce the amount of waste packaging through open dumping and burning, recycling, landfill, incineration, etc. However, there has been little attention paid to reuse as the simplest way to reduce waste. In order to motivate consumers to perform reuse behaviour, it is essential to understand how this behaviour can be influenced and what variables predict it. This paper aims to study the effectiveness of improving social aspects of reuse behaviour and investigate the variables that lead to increased reuse behaviour in a short time period. This paper selects a quantitative approach, the System Dynamics (SD) method, which offers a means by which to highlight the dynamics and interrelationships among the different social aspects in reuse behaviour. Different social aspects are extracted from Cognitive Behaviour Theory (CBT) as a basis with the Theory of Planning Behaviour (TOPB). The authors develop a Social Behaviour Aspect Model (SBAM) with three predictors: information values, awareness-changing variables and behavioural adaptation variables. The paper demonstrates its utility with a report on a recent empirical study that has used the model to provide important new findings about different social aspects to enhance reuse behaviour. These findings have clear implications for the packaging industry who intend to enhance reuse behaviour amongst consumers, encouraging them to take corrective and preventive actions at an early stage.