Bridging the green gap in laboratory practices: Examining the influence of organizational culture, environmental literacy, and sustainability communication on pro-environmental behaviors

As key players in innovation and analysis, laboratories are crucial in reducing environmental impacts. This study examines how organizational culture (OC), environmental literacy (EL), and sustainability communication (SC) influence pro-environmental behaviors, integrating the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework to address the existing literature gap on behavioral determinants in green and sustainable laboratory practices. Two hundred one (201) professional laboratory personnel in the Philippines participated in the self-administered questionnaire disseminated through a snowball sampling approach. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilized in testing the hypothesized relationships. Results show that OC, EL, and SC all significantly affected green intentions and behaviors, as mediated by TPB constructs: pro-environmental attitude (ATT), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC). ATT was the most influential in predicting green intentions, while OC and PBC directly influenced green behavior, emphasizing the importance of leadership influence and organizational practices. The paper also highlights the application of the extended TPB in contributing to the importance of institutional values, norms, resource availability, and environmental sustainability in fostering green practices in laboratories across developing countries.