A quantitative assessment of key drivers for environmental economic practices adoption for sustainable development

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an assessment aimed at evaluating potential drivers for the adoption of environmental economic practices in the construction industry, with a view to enhancing sustainability of construction projects, using the Nigerian construction industry as a case study. This study utilized a post-positivist philosophical approach and a quantitative research design to collect data from construction professionals in the Nigerian construction industry through a well-structured questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using various statistical tests, including the Kruskal–Wallis H test, Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W), Chi-square (χ²), and exploratory factor analysis. Five major clusters of drivers for the adoption of environmental economic practices were derived in this study. These are (1) operational drivers, (2) stakeholder drivers, (3) market and financial drivers, (4) regulatory and policy drivers, and (5) technological drivers. The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the potential drivers for the adoption of environmental economic practices in the construction industry, particularly from the perspective of a developing country such as Nigeria. Overall, this study contributes to the promotion of environmental sustainability in the construction industry, particularly in developing countries, which can have significant implications for global sustainability efforts.