Psychological Drivers Of Pro-Environmental Behaviour In Healthcare Organizations: Implications For Sustainable Renal Care

Healthcare organisations play a critical role in protecting human health, yet contribute substantially to environmental degradation through intensive energy use, water consumption, and waste generation. Renal care—particularly dialysis—is among the most resource-intensive domains within healthcare, making sustainability in kidney care both urgent and complex. Although healthcare systems increasingly adopt environmental policies and technological innovations, these initiatives often underperform because they insufficiently address the psychological and behavioural factors shaping everyday clinical practice. This narrative review synthesises evidence on the psychological drivers of pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in healthcare organisations and examines their implications for kidney health and sustainable renal care. Drawing on established psychological frameworks, including the Norm Activation Model, the Theory of Planned Behaviour, and value-based theories, the review highlights the roles of personal values, lifestyle orientation, perceived behavioural capability, and organisational climate in shaping discretionary sustainability behaviours. The evidence consistently indicates that green lifestyle orientation and value congruence are stronger predictors of workplace pro-environmental behaviour than environmental commitment, awareness, or green human resource management alone. In renal care settings—where clinical protocols, workload pressures, and patient safety concerns constrain action—effective sustainability depends on behaviourally informed strategies that align environmental responsibility with professional ethics and routine practice. The review concludes that sustainable renal care is not solely a technological challenge but a behavioural one, underscoring the need to embed psychological insights into healthcare sustainability efforts to advance both planetary health and long-term kidney care resilience.