Understanding the barriers and drivers of sustainable construction adoption and implementation in South Africa: A quantitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B Model

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the largest consumers of natural resources. Improving the sustainability of construction industry activities is therefore key to mitigating the negative impact of the industry on the environment. Given the extent of the environmental challenges faced by many countries, the transition towards the adoption of sustainable alternatives in the construction industry must include dimensions of changing human behaviour. These dimensions include influencing the capability, opportunity, and motivation to adopt the desired change in behaviour. In order to improve the adoption and implementation of sustainable practices within the construction industry, the behaviour change processes of stakeholders need to be considered. This study describes how the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) were used to identify the barriers to and drivers of sustainable construction practices by construction industry stakeholders. The study included a structured questionnaire survey completed by 108 construction industry stakeholders and indicated a need to improve the capability, opportunity, and motivation amongst construction industry stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of sustainable construction practices. The questionnaire identified that an increase in the awareness, knowledge, interest, and demand for sustainable construction will facilitate the adoption thereof. Additionally, providing training and access to education on best practices for sustainability can positively influence the behaviour of stakeholders and improve their confidence in implementing sustainable construction practices. Economic factors such as the cost of implementing sustainable solutions and the perception of the economic and social benefits of sustainable construction were identified as the critical barriers. These barriers and drivers are mapped to five TDF domains (knowledge, skills, social influences, beliefs about capabilities, and beliefs about consequences), which can be targeted for behaviour change amongst construction industry stakeholders in future interventions.