Intentions of housing developers to reuse wood materials in buildings

Abstract

The environmental impacts of the construction industry can be decreased by enhancing material circularity. This study explored the psychological factors that influence the intention of housing developers to use recycled wood materials in construction projects. A cross-sectional survey (n = 138) was conducted in the fall of 2022 in southern Norway. A conceptual model was developed and tested to integrate the theory of planned behavior and institutional theory. The model incorporates three behavioral variables (behavioral attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control), regulatory and market factors, and previous reuse behavior to investigate their direct and indirect impacts on reuse intention. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. In addition, a bootstrapping test was used to examine the potential mediating effects. The conceptual model explained a large proportion ($R^2$ = 53 %) of the intentions of housing developers to use recycled wood materials in construction projects in the next 5 years. The results reveal that previous reuse behavior, behavioral attitude, perceived behavioral control, and regulatory and market factors positively impact the intention to use recycled wood materials, while subjective norms do not have a significant effect. This suggests that changes in the use of recycled materials do not originate from consumer requirements. Easy access to materials, information, and suitable regulations and standards can improve the intention to use recycled wood in construction projects. Thus, this may be a first step toward establishing an industrialized value chain for recycled wood materials for construction.