Enacting pro-environmental behaviour through grounded engagement: An interdisciplinary case study of plastic bag use in a Lao fresh market
Publication Description
As we are reaching the limits of mono-disciplinary solutions for pro-environmental behavior change and single-use plastic reduction, this perspective documents how a recent development initiative formulated a bespoke behavior change portfolio in the Nonkho market of Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR. Our participatory approach was sensitive to gender, framed in a modern behavioral science framework, and drew on techniques from anthropology, development studies, economics, and the humanities. The resulting behavior change portfolio addressed people's psychological capability, physical and social opportunity, reflective motivation, and various subconscious automatic drivers of plastic bag avoidance, all while promoting the social role and economic autonomy of female market vendors.