RESEARCH ARTICLES

 

A review of factors influencing environmental performance: A quantitative analysis of the waste industry in KwaZulu-Natal

 

 

BZ Chummun^I, ; K Gaffar^II

^IUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal chummunb@ukzn.ac.za
^IIUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal movkyle@yahoo.com

 

 

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ABSTRACT

An increased generation of 40% more waste in South Africa prevail due to a rapid hike in population and industrial advancements during the last decade. The waste management sector in South Africa plays a vital role in the South African economy and contributes to 0.51% of the country's GDP. However recently reports of environmental degradation, pollution and non-compliances seem to prevail. The study seeks to investigate the factors that positively affect environmental performance in the waste management industry in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The investigation delved into organisational culture, environmental management and the pro-environmental behavior of employees, and how these factors affect environmental performance. Probability sampling method has been used. A sample of 80 employees out of a population of 100 was targeted. The results revealed that the factors namely organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behavior do indeed positively affect environmental performance. The study will assist and enlighten top management in the waste management sector of the factors that affect environmental performance in their respective organisations.

Key phrases: Environmental management; environmental performance; organisational culture and pro-environmental behaviour

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1. INTRODUCTION

Due to rapid innovation in technology, the global economy, and urbanisation, man has established the fourth industrial revolution, which has increased the standard of living. This has led to an increase in industrial processing, which has accelerated the generation of waste. Waste management has rapidly become one of the global environmental issues (Song, Li & Zeng 2015:1).

The waste management sector plays a vital role in the South African economy as waste is generated from all industries, which needs to be disposed of in a legal and accountable manner (Singh, Brueckner & Padhy 2015:16). Much emphasis has been placed on the waste sector lately with the National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), declaring a "War on Waste". The DEA has been striving to implement measures to ensure that waste is recycled, re-used, reduced and beneficiated (Godfrey & Oelofse 2017:1). Targets and deadlines have been placed on waste generators and waste management companies to comply with national legislation in order to ensure the protection of the environment and the health and safety of the public (Csutora 2012; Young, Davis, Mcneil, Malhotra, Russell, Unsworth & Clegg 2015:670).

Empirical research suggests that sound waste management practices in South Africa are not under control by those who are actively involved in waste management (Godfrey, Scott & Trois 2013:295). Although the intention is there to act responsibly, there are various barriers to good waste behaviour. Also, whilst there is intent to perform proper waste management practices, there is a probability that there has been weak translation into good behaviour (Godfrey et al. 2013).

The problem is the illegal handling, disposal and transboundary movement of waste, which, is an ongoing phenomenon which negatively impacts on the health and safety of communities and the environment (Guerrero, Maas & Hogland 2013; Song et al. 2015;). Waste management organisations in the private sector are constantly being neglectful towards legal compliance and the protection and sustainability of the environment. The issue is the continued manifestation of events which has led to environmental and health degradation by waste management companies (Belal, Cooper & Khan 2015). There have been various reports of organisations that have been found guilty or have been accused of polluting the environment and have received noncompliance notices from the DEA for contravening the requirements of legislation (Mungadze 2014; Ntuli 2016; Pieterse 2015).

Environmental performance demonstrates a methodology to ascertain the effectiveness of the environmental initiatives an organisation uses to mitigate pollution and protect the environment. Environmental performance can be measured by a variety of indicators dependent on the organisation and the type of business, such as: waste reduction, waste beneficiation, diversion of waste from landfill, recycling, energy conservation, green procurement, implementation of an environmental management system and compliance with legislation (Paillé, Chen, Boiral & Jin 2014:455).

Due to the number of environmental transgressions, it is imperative to conduct research on the various factors that would initiate and improve overall environmental performance. The objective of the study is to investigate the factors that positively affect environmental performance in the waste management industry in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

The study was directed at waste management industries in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Critical information was ascertained from the research findings, such as the current culture adopted in waste industries. The determination as to whether the companies partake in environmental management activities. The establishment of whether the employees have characteristics and traits of pro-environmental behaviour and to assess if these factors have affected the companies environmental performance.

In the next following segments, a theoretical framework is presented, detailing the theory with regards to organisational culture, environmental management, pro-environmental behaviour and environmental performance amongst various industries in various countries, followed by the methodology of the research, the analysis of the research findings, research implications, limitations and directions for further research and the conclusion to the article.

 

2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 Organisational culture

Hamdoun and Zouaoui (2017:77) define organisational culture as "as a set of values, beliefs, assumptions and symbols that define the way in which a firm conducts its business, organisational culture is based on standards and practises learned in the workplace which are valid within the organisation". Similarly, Sanyal and Pal (2017:60) define organisational culture as "the system of assumptions, values, convictions and beliefs accepted and commonly interpreted by the members of the organisation". These definitions are believed to be adopted by the personnel who are employed in the firm who in turn pass on the belief and values to the newcomers in the organisation.

The purpose of an organisational culture is to ensure collaboration amongst teams, ensure coherency amongst staff, engage and stimulate employee creativity and innovation, instil values and beliefs, create excitement and enhance and improve an organisations efficiency which in turn enhances employee attitude and behaviour. These traits will provide the norms of behaviour that employees will follow, which will in turn, translate to pro-environmental behaviour amongst employees (Sanyal & Pal 2017; Hogan & Coote 2014). A cohesive organisational culture is substantially dependant on the number of people collaborating with each other with the aim of accomplishing goals in their environment (Valmohammadi & Roshanzamir 2015).

There have been numerous studies in literature which depict a positive relationship between organisational culture and pro-environmental behaviour (Awadh & Alyahya, 2013; Hamdoun & Zouaoui 2017; Hogan & Coote 2014). One such study was undertaken by Sanyal and Pal (2017) in West Bengal amongst 100 employees spanned different sectors. Attention was focused on the following: the role of management in incorporating shared values and beliefs through workshops and training programs designed for employees. The aspects of environmental training which forms an integral part of developing environmental awareness. Pro-environmental behaviour - organisations should share a pool of environmental values and employees should continuously be engaged regarding environmental issues in the workplace.

A study conducted by Hamdoun and Zouaoui (2017) on 108 Tunisian companies put forward that environmental initiatives strengthen a robust organisational culture geared towards pro-environmental behaviour. The authors continued to state that a pro-environmental corporate culture is created by the human aspects of environmental management, such as employee engagement, value change, involvement, and awareness. Environmental proactivity uses an organisational culture of employees to achieve environmental outcomes. However, the authors fail to identify the drivers of environmental proactivity, and the role played by the organisation to sustain this action, is not mentioned.

Hamdoun and Zouaoui (2017) stated that in order to facilitate and sustain an environmental culture and commitment there needs to be collaboration between departments of an organisation, where all employees need to work together and participate in environmental practises to achieve a shared goal which is part of the organisational culture as working in teams encourages friendly competition and the sharing of tacit knowledge (Valmohammadi & Roshanzamir 2015; Hanna, Rocky Newman & Johnson 2000).

2.1.2 Importance of leadership in an organisational culture

Organisational leaders have the position, power and the status; therefore, they are seen as role models by their subordinates. Leaders, who continuously display characteristics of pro-environmental behaviour, send a signal to the employees that such behaviour is the norm and is valued in the organisation.

Environmental activities rely on a large extent on the motivation, commitment and leadership of top management who are in a role to implement policies and procedures (Robertson & Barling; Graves, Sarkis & Zhu 2013; Boiral, Baron & Gunnlaugson 2014). Environmental leadership has been described as "the ability to influence individuals and mobilize organisations to realize a vision of long-term ecological sustainability" (Boiral et al. 2014:3).

The function of an environmental leader has been described as the facilitator of the development of environmental initiatives to facilitate change and implement programs towards environmental sustainability. Such programs usually consist of training, strategies for pollution prevention and environmental management for the mitigation of adverse impacts of the business (Boiral et al. 2014). Leadership plays a significant role in establishing a pro-environmental culture (Robertson & Barling 2013). According to Graves et al. (2013), pro-environmental behaviour traits are influenced by their leaders or manager's transformational leadership style which motivates employees independently and externally.

Guerrero et al. (2013) confirm that research into the type of factors that contribute to the waste management transgressions are predominately in the form of the lack of leadership from management and the lack of knowledge. The lack of leadership interested in environmental issues leads to the halt of good environmental practices. In a study by Robertson and Barling (2013), a test model that correlates transformational leadership to pro-environmental passion and behaviours of employees was developed. From the above the following hypothesis is proposed:

H1 : Organisational culture has a positive effect on an organisation's environmental performance.

2.3 Environmental Management

2.3.1Role of environmental management

Environmental Management plays a significant role in sustaining a culture towards creating an excellent rate of environmental performance, profitability and a competitive advantage. Hamdoun and Zouaoui (2017:78) define Environmental Management as "technical and organisational activities aimed at reducing environmental impact caused by an organisations business operation". Environmental management consists of programs, policies and procedures to enhance and improve environmental performance in the form of recycling, waste management, eco-design, prevention of pollution and promoting sound environmental attitude and behaviour (Hamdoun & Zouaoui 2017).

Hamdoun and Zouaoui (2017) further state that research has not provided concrete evidence pertaining to the relationship between environmental management, a competitive advantage, organisational culture and environmental performance. However, other authors dictate otherwise in terms of the relationship between environmental management and a competitive advantage towards future profitability, there has been research which confirms the correlation between environmental management and a competitive advantage. Examples of such research is that conducted by Lopez-Gamero, Molina-Azorin, and Claver-Cortes (2010) where the authors concluded that environmental management contributes to a competitive advantage in terms of cost. The empirical study was conducted on 124 Taiwanese's firms, which showed that environmental management improves a competitive advantage as a result of a value creating strategy that is not carried out by other competitors. Another study by Molina-Azorin, Tari, Pereira-Moliner, Lopez-Gamero and Pertusa-Ortega (2015) on Spanish hotels also showed that environmental management has a positive impact on a competitive advantage as well as cost and environmental performance.

2.3.2ISO 14001

An environmental management system (EMS) is a global tool utilised for the mitigation of environmental impacts of the activities of a business and continuous improvement concerning environmental performance of an organisation and the mitigation of environmental degradation (Testa, Rizzi, Daddi, Gusmerotti, Frey & Iraldo 2014; Nguyen & Hens 2015). There are two leading standards which set requirements for an EMS, namely the ISO 14001 and Eco-management & Audit Scheme (EMAS) (Testa et al. 2014). South Africa adopts the requirements of the ISO 14001, in the form of South African National Standard (SANS) 14001.

ISO 14001 forms part of a set of standards aimed at environmental management systems called the ISO 14000 family. (Gavronski, Paiva, Teixeira & De Andrade 2013). The EMS consists of a framework to ensure the protection of the environment, responding to client demands and to changing and challenging environmental conditions. An EMS provides top management with an approach to continuously improve sustainable development by policies, procedures and work instructions. These actions assist the organisation in ensuring compliance with applicable legislation, efficiency improvement, and by protecting the environment (SANS 2015; Nguyen & Hens 2015; Prajogo, Tang & Lai 2012; Garvronski et al. 2013).

2.3.3 Environmental management system and environmental performance

Wiengarten and Pagell (2012), Testa et al. (2014) and Valmohammadi and Roshanzamir (2015) have confirmed a positive relationship between EMS and environmental performance. The researchers acknowledged that a formal EMS, such as the ISO 14001, significantly improves overall organisational performance, and through an EMS a firm reduces or mitigates the generation of waste and the risk associated with the activities of the business which ultimately has an impact on a firm's financial bottom line. Wiengarten and Pagell (2012) analysed the impact of environmental performance on the market value of organisations, the authors identified that environmental values and rewards have had a positive impact on organisational performance. Massoud, Tabcharani, Nakkash and Jamali (2012) have suggested that ISO 14001 certified firms experience a significant reduction in pollution when compared to non-certified companies. From the above the following hypothesis is proposed:

H2: Environmental management has a positive effect on an organisation's environmental performance.

2.4 Pro-Environmental behaviour

Sanyal and Pal (2017:61) define pro-environmental behaviour as "a kind of behaviour that consciously seeks to minimise the negative impact of one's action on the natural and built environment". Since employees spend at least 8 hours a day at work, it is envisioned that pro-environmental behaviour will contribute significantly to reduce and mitigate and mitigating the risk of pollution and detrimental environmental activities (Bronfman, Cisternas, Lopez-Vazquez, Maza & Oyandeel 2015).

There has been a significant amount of research on the actions of employees with regard to the mitigation of environmental degradation from their behaviour. However very few studies have confirmed as to how does this relates to environmental performance is unclear (Paillé et al. 2014). The argument by Paillé et al. (2014) is further supported by Young et al. (2015), who suggested that in recent years, there has been a number of corporate social responsibility and organisational sustainability strategies prone to environmental performance amongst employees. Numerous research has focused on methodologies and tools of altering behavioural patterns towards environmental performance, however, limited research has been conducted, where the focus has been on the actual environmental performance results of such methods or tools implemented, making it very difficult to interpret the effectiveness of such a program in an organisation (Young et al. 2015; Paillé et al. 2014).

Young et al. (2015) presents a baseline framework to depict the critical antecedents of a maintainable environmental behaviour demonstrated by staff in the waste management sector of the organisation. The framework encompasses specific factors which have been widely researched on the influence of employee behaviour change at the employee level and company level, as well as the fact that it was theorized as a result of studies determining the actual impact of changes in environmental performance. The framework assists in determining which aspects of employee behaviour change had the most significant impact regarding environmental performance (Paillé et al. 2014).

2.4.1 Individual and group factors

Employees' behaviour towards the environment is a critical component of the framework which comprises of feedback, financial incentives, environmental awareness, beliefs, attitudes and environmental attitudes.

2.4.1.1Beliefs and attitudes

Young et al. (2015) suggest that in order to enhance employee motivation, organisations need to ensure that there is a balance between employee and organisational values. The author states that environmental attitudes were a high concept for behaviour change. Begum, Siwar, Pereira and Jaafar (2009) stated that behavioural changes are firmly based on attitudes, which leads to performance in environmental waste management issues. Attitudes towards waste reduction and minimization are the reasons for the issues with regard to waste management in the construction sector and a definite factor of attitude change is learning and knowledge. Research by Begum et al. (2009) revealed that waste contractors in the cement industry who had a better attitude towards waste management practices had excelled in environmental performance. The concern for the environment, which stems from the individual's personal life, and which is referred to as organisational citizenship behaviour for the environment (OCBE) has currently developed amongst environmental literature and appears to be a growing paradigm to ensuring pro-environmental behaviour at work (Boiral & Paillé 2012).

2.4.1.2Environmental awareness

Training is seen as a vital point in sustaining a conscious environmental culture, and in ensuring that staff is aware of the environmental impact of the organisation's activities (Renwick, Redman & Maguire 2013). Young et al. (2015) suggest that knowledge of environmental legislation and environmental processes, such as recycling or best environmental practices, have had a positive influence on employee behaviour. The authors further state that staff who were conscious of their companies practises pertaining to waste management were more accustomed to engage in best environmental practices. A case study by Jones, Jackson, Tudor and Bates (2012), revealed that employees in the construction industry who were given the opportunity of training had a high performance with regards to recycling. Research conducted by Boiral et al. (2014) on operators in the Canadian chemical industry, found that environmental performance was improved by informing the employees of their environmental duties. The paradigm of environmental awareness and training is also supported by the research undertaken by Begum et al. (2009) and Paillé et al. (2014).

2.4.1.3Level feedback

Young et al. (2015) suggested that by continually providing feedback to employees improves the efforts to enhance their behaviour. The author cites a case study by Lingard, Gilbert and Graham (2001) who reported on the research conducted on the efficiency of goal establishment and communication with employees and how these variables impact the improvement of waste operations in the construction industry. The study concluded that the establishment of goals and communication through feedback have been used effectively to improve waste management programs. Green performance appraisals provide a platform to continually point out the employee's wrongdoing or downfall with regards to environmental practices which will enhance continuous improvement (Renwick et al. 2013).

Melnyk, Sroufe & Calantone (2014) states that performance management is pivotal to successfully achieving effective management for any organisation, and that change in the business environment are constantly evolving and ever-changing. If organisation's change with regards to their strategies and they do not change the metrics in which performance is measured, a case will arise whereby what the organisation wants to achieve and what the firm measures are not aligned which will result in inefficiencies of the organisation.

2.4.1.4Financial incentives

Young et al. (2015), Raj and Seetharaman (2013), Paillé et al. (2014) and Renwick et al. (2013) suggest that financial incentives or competency-based rewards schemes for being environmentally conscious, and applying environmental practices have been proven to motivate employees who will improve and encourage their behaviour as well as establishing an environmentally sustainable related behaviour. Incentives are seen to assist companies in mitigating illegal activities and environmental degradation and are seen to have a significant impact on employee eagerness to apply eco-initiatives. Examples of reward incentives include paid holidays, time off, gift cards, companywide public recognition, and monetary value.

Early research findings suggest that chief executive officer's (CEO's) are not stimulated by incentive programs for environmental performance. However, in recent research, there has been an active link between environmental performance and executive compensation, and there has been research which suggests that paying for environmental performance from companies who reward senior managers have a higher environmental performance than those managers in companies who have fixed salaries (Renwick et al. 2013; Young et al. 2015; Paille et al. 2014). Tam and Tam (2008) assessed an incentive program in Hong Kong, where an incentive was given for the amount of waste diverted from landfill. The results of the study showed an increased improvement in the amount of waste being disposed of in landfill sites.

2.4.1.5 Management support

Support by top management and line managers form a critical component of behavioural change, and if management has values and beliefs towards environmental sustainability, this sets an example for the employees to follow. Leaders shape their companies practises to mitigate deteriorating environmental circumstances and managers norms are influential factors for an active culture toward environmental management (Renwick et al. 2013). Employee creativity, is a vital tool for environmental management, which should be supported by managerial supervision and commitment, managerial support of environmental management is a key driver to send a message to employees that environmental management is important (Ramus 2002). From the above, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H3: Pro-environmental behaviour of employees has a positive effect on an organisation's environmental performance.

H4: There is a significant difference in the perceptions of male and female employees regarding the key dimensions (organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behaviour) having the potential to affect environmental performance.

2.5 Conceptual framework

Figure 1 depicts the conceptual framework which was derived from the literature review; the conceptual framework is based on the positive effect on environmental performance by the three factors, namely, organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behaviour. A correlation between the three factors has a greater influence on environmental performance.

 

 

3. METHODLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN

An explanatory, descriptive, quantitative research methodology has been utilized in this study. The relationship between the independent variables (which are organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behaviour) and the dependent variable (which is environmental performance) was tested and analysed utilising statistical techniques.

Four waste management companies were included in the sample; each company had a significant role in the waste management sector. The four sectors of focus consisted of recycling, landfill management, waste transportation and environmental consulting. These four sectors provided a holistic approach to the waste management industry.

The population included personnel (10 from management and 38 from the workforce) across each division of the private sector in the waste management industry from the departments: (5) sales, (12) technical, (4) finance, (6) safety, health, environmental and quality (SHEQ), (4) admin, (3) human resources, (10) operations and (4) transport. Respondents were between the ages of 25 to 55 years old, from all ethnic groups. A self-completed questionnaire had been administered to research respondents through email, delivery and collection. The sample size consisted of 80 personnel; an appropriate sample size had been calculated, in order to achieve a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill 2016:281). A target population of 100 yielded a minimum sample size of 80. 48 questionnaires had been received; therefore a response rate of 60% was achieved.

Once, all the questionnaires were received from the respondents, the data was captured into a Microsoft excel sheet, and thereafter the SPSS 23 was utilized to determine the statistical analysis. The data analysis consisted of an ANOVA, T-Test and Spearman rho correlation statistical measures.

 

4. RESEARCH RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Validity and reliability

Table 1 illustrates the Cronbach Coefficient Alpha result which was the instrument utilized to calculate the reliability of the study. A total of 56 items were tested, which yielded a Cronbach Alpha of 0.932. Hence the research instrument, namely the questionnaire, has a high degree of reliability and an acceptable level of inter item consistency.

 

 

Due to the types of Likert scales that were used in the instrument, a successful factor analysis could not be undertaken to measure the validity of the study, however validity was measured utilizing, face, content and predictive validity. The study had face validity in that statements in the questionnaire were derived and linked to the objectives of the study. The study had content validity in that the entire range of the issues was measured and the study had predictive validity in that the statements in the questionnaire could forecast an outcome.

4.2 Data analysis

Table 3 illustrates the ANOVA analysis. For the analysis of data, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized. ANOVA can be described as a hypothesis testing procedure used in determining whether mean differences exists for two or more sample treatments.

 

 

 

 

Table 2 depicts that there is a significant difference in the perceptions of employees varying in age, qualification, job title, years of service and organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behaviour at the 5% level of significance, however not all the biographical variables have proven to influence the factors, hence the following hypothesis are partially accepted:

H1 : Organisational culture has a positive effect on an organisation's environmental performance.

H2: Environmental management has a positive effect on an organisation's environmental performance.

H3: Pro-environmental behaviour of employees has a positive effect on an organisation's environmental performance.

Table 3 illustrates the T-Test analysis which was utilised to determine if there are any significant differences in the means for two groups in the variable of interest namely male and female.

Table 3 depicts that there is a significant difference in male and female employee's perceptions of organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behaviour to positively affect environmental performance, at the 5% level of significance, hence hypothesis 4 namely, there is a significant difference in the perceptions of male and female employees regarding the key dimensions (organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behaviour) having the potential to affect environmental performance is accepted.

Table 4 illustrates the Spearman's rho correlation which measured the magnitude and direction of association between variables. The magnitude of association is measured by the correlation coefficient, where any value closer to 1 indicates stronger association between variables.

 

 

Table 4 indicates that there exist significant intercorrelations amongst the key dimensions organisational culture, environmental management and pro-environmental behaviour having the potential to effect environmental performance. Table 4 indicates that whilst the majority of the relationships are moderate, the strongest relationship is between organisational culture and pro-environmental behaviour. Hence the conceptual model was validated.

 

5. DISCUSSIONS

Several insights can be drawn from the research findings.

5.1 Biographical data

Distributions of respondents in terms of gender revealed that majority of the respondents were female (62.5%), male respondents accumulated to 37.5%.

Majority (51.4%) of the respondents were in the age group of between 18-35, which reveals that the age of staff in the waste management are within an age of growth and are not of the age of experience and knowledge. According to Kooij, De Lange, Jansen, Kanfer, and Dikkers (2011:6), employees between the age group of 21-30 are more flexible, multitask oriented and technologically advanced. On the other hand, according to Maurer and Barbeite (2011), the decline in the ability of personnel between the age group between 41-60, is counter acted by their knowledge and experience.

Collectively 60.4% of respondents are in possession of a tertiary education, this is satisfactory as education serves as a significant factor in the way an individual conducts their activities and their mind-sets towards their work (Silman 2011). A good representation of the various departments sampled in the study was achieved, majority of which comprised of technical (25%) and operations (20.8%). Majority (79.2%) of the respondents comprised of the frontline employees and 20.8% stemmed from management. A relatively low retention period was observed amongst the respondents as the majority (58.3%) had a length of service in the company between 1-4 years and 33.3% between 5-8 years.

5.2 Organisational Culture

Collectively 71% of respondents agree that their companies' culture is geared towards enhancing environmental performance, and collectively 75.1% agree that because the culture of the company is prone to environmental sustainability, the environmental performance is good. Sanyal and Pal (2017) believed that an organisational culture has a purpose of ensuring enthusiasm amongst employees and motivates employees to enhance the organisations efficiency. Ogbonna and Harris (2000) stated that an organisational culture has a direct impact on the organisation's performance. It is evident that the employees in the study believe that the organisation in which they are employed in have established a culture which puts measures in place to influence the behaviour of employees towards environmental sustainability; hence, environmental performance is achieved.

According to Zsoka (2007), management values are strongly associated with the organisation and the value and beliefs of managers can either have a positive or negative effect on the organisations depending on their environmental orientation and considerations. The managers' value and beliefs have a strong influence on the environmental performance of the organisation. The study revealed that collectively 72.9% and 83.3% of respondents agree that the management of the respective companies have values which are in the best interest of the environment and apply their focus on managing environmental problems.

5.3 Environmental Management

All of the respondents agreed that environmental management greatly assists their company in ensuring the mitigation of risk to the environment by their business. According to Raj and Seetharaman (2013), environmental management ensures the management of the operations of the business towards the environment, and it enhances the companies' environmental performance as well as its long-run financial performance.

A significant 95.8% of respondents collectively agree that environmental management positively influences the environmental performance of their companies. According to Jabbour, De Sousa Jabbour, Govindan, Teixeira and De souza Freitas (2013), there is a consensus among various literature that the adoption of environmental management increases environmental performance which is indicative of various indicators. Jabbour et al. (2013) also suggested that environmental management should be with behavioural and human aspects.

5.4 Pro-environmental behaviour

Numerous research has been conducted on pro-environmental behaviour, and there have been some antecedents which have been researched which encourage a pro-environmental behaviour amongst employees such as performance management, incentive rewards, recruitment process, and training programs (Razab, Udin, & Osman, 2015; Steg, Bolderdijk, Keizer and Perlaviciute 2014; Young et al. 2015). Collectively, 64.6% of respondents agree that they receive appropriate feedback about their environmental aspect of their work. Performance management plays a key role in motivating pro-environmental behaviour, and 50% of the respondents agreed that their companies undertook performance appraisal seriously while, 18.8% disagreed and 31.3% remained neutral. This is a cause for concern and something that needs to be addressed.

Collectively 58.3% of respondents believe that their companies do consider environmental attributes during recruitment of staff. According to Razab et al. (2015), the environmental culture of the company should be incorporated into the recruitment process, and the personnel to be selected should match the attribute and character required for environmental competencies. Jabbour and Santos (2008) suggested that human resource management plays a pivotal role in achieving environmental objectives, and if the human resources practices are efficient, they are in a position to understand the companies' environmental objects and can assist in achieving them.

Training is a critical component of establishing and sharing knowledge. Collectively 70.9% of respondents agree that their company values training and awareness programs which are offered to employees. In a study by Kulatunga, Amaratunga, Haigh and Rameezdeen (2006) as cited in Raj and Seetharaman (2013), the authors noticed that through education and training the perception and attitude of the workforce influenced positive waste management strategies. In order to improve environmental performance, the workforce has to be educated through training (Raj & Seetharaman 2013). The importance of training is evident in the fact that collectively 68.8% are in agreement that training improves the attitude and knowledge of employees. In the waste management industry, this is critical, as employees are often exposed to new legislation and new means to constantly practice sustainable environmental actions. In a study by Sarkis, Gonzalez-Torre & Adenso-Diaz (2010) as cited in Jabbour and Santos (2008), environmental training had been concluded to be the mediating variable for the success of environmental practices.

Rewards and incentives are a vital component of motivation and encouraging pro-environmental behaviour. However, this seems to be the failure of companies in the waste management industry as only 39.6% collectively agrees that they do receive rewards or recognition, whilst 31.3% disagree and 25% remain neutral. Kulatunga et al. (2006) and Tam and Tam (2008) suggested that rewarding the employees in the form of bonuses or allowances changes the attitude of employees towards good practices and without some reward system employees become careless with regards to their activities.

Collectively 85.5% of respondents are in agreement that pro-environmental behaviour amongst employees enhances environmental performance. There have been a large number of pollution cases lately, and Steg et al. (2014) stated that by managing and changing human behaviour, an organisation can resolve and promote environmental quality. According to Begum et al. (2009), human factors play a significant role in the minimization of waste and waste activities can be improved by changing attitudes.

 

6. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

These results have implications for the management of waste management firms who are seeking on ways to improve their environmental performance and for companies who are looking for a competitive advantage in the waste industry. There is a need to establish a culture which focuses on the protection of the environment and legal compliance, and this should form part of the vision and mission of the company so that all employees, whether it be old or new, are motivated by the company culture to engage in their work activities in an environmental safe manner.

Management need to ensure that an environmental management system is in place to ensure that there are policies, procedures and work instructions to actively engage employees towards a process for increasing improving environmental performance. Further to this, management need to constantly communicate and provide employees with a platform to regularly improve pro environmental behaviour of employees, training initiatives and incentive reward programs and motivation from management needs to be the primary focus to ensure that employees think about the environment before they conduct their daily duties.

 

7. LIMITATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Due to time constraints, only a few companies were chosen to be included in the target population, and the sample size was limited. The sampling period spanned between September and October 2017, a more longitudinal study would have been preferred. CEO's of companies did not partake in the study; input from the leader of the company would have further enhanced the investigation.

Further research should be conducted on other factors that affect environmental performance which could be adopted by organisations in the waste sector. In collaboration with this, environmental performance indicators and quantification thereof should be investigated further, as it is not featured in this study. As this will measure as to how the factors investigated improve environmental performance.

The sample population should include employees who have been employed in companies that have been non-compliant in terms of environmental compliance, to ascertain the traits the attributes which have contributed to the downfall as compared to those companies who have excelled in improving their environmental performance. The sample population should also include all sectors of the waste industry to provide a holistic approach; only four were utilized in this study. Further to this, research should be conducted on the comparison between companies who have an environmental management system and companies who do not implement environmental management activities and programs.

The adequacy of the South African legislative framework and the monitoring thereof by the national departmental compliance affiliates should be researched further, the research should aim to ascertain the effectiveness of the variables mentioned above and the impact it has on environmental noncompliance transgressions and waste management companies.

 

8. CONCLUSION

Due to globalisation and a rapid economic and technological development of industries, there has been a vast increase in the amount of waste generated. Waste has become a nationwide focus due to handling, storage, transport, treatment and disposal of waste.

In recent times there has been a spate of environmental transgressions in the waste management sector. In light of this, the objective of the study was to investigate the factors that affect environmental performance in the waste management industry in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN). In particular, the factors which were investigated were as follows: organisational culture, environmental management and the pro-environmental behaviour of employees. The study concludes that there is a definite association amongst an organisational culture, environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviour.

The results of the study reveal that the hypothesis H1, H2 and H3 have been partially accepted and H4 completely accepted and statistically valid for those companies analysed in the waste management industry in this study. Management in the waste management sector need to pay particular attention to the organisational culture of their organisation in order to continually encourage an environmental mind-set of employees to protect the environment. Environmental management programs should be initiated in order to ensure the mitigation of adverse impact of the activities of the business. Human capital forms the heart of the business and the pro-environmental behaviour of employees is essential in ensuring that their actions from their activities are in line with the protection of the environment.

 

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