JSR

Background: Sustainable Development Goal 12 focuses on sustainable consumption and production patterns. Females are more likely to adopt these sustainable consumption practices due to their environmental attitudes. The scope of the present research is to develop a Hungarian model that can provide a theoretical explanation for the formation, viability and empowerment of zero waste awareness among females as they are sensitive to the issue and may have sufficient knowledge about it. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed in a university environment in Hungary, resulting in 160 responses after data cleaning. The model was constructed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Results: The results show that for females, the factors waste sorting and zero waste practicality account for 72.4% of the variance in zero waste awareness. The Beta values indicate that both effects are positive with the effect of the first (βZWS-ZWA = 0.523) being stronger than the second (βZWP-ZWA = 0.389). In addition, it can be concluded that women’s attitudes toward waste sorting have a strong positive impact (R2 = 0.542, βZWS-ZWP = 0.736) on zero waste practicality. Conclusions: The zero waste attitudes of female university students’ behavior are significantly related to the selective collection of waste and the practical use of old products. In addition, waste separation is a practical approach to environmental responsibility, as there is no need to dispose of all end-of-life products if they can be recycled. The model could help the government understand the factors and the mindset from a female perspective in order to partially support the decision-making process related to sustainability.

environmental attitude; female; PLS-SEM; recycling waste; sustainable consumption