The impact of innovation attributes and the mediating effect of environmental attitudes towards environmental management practices among SMEs

There is growing concern about the disastrous effect of the food manufacturing sector on the environment, making environmental management practices (EMPs) a potential solution that cannot be ignored. In order to deepen the knowledge related to environmental attitude and the relationship between this attitude and the intention to adopt EMPs, the owner‐managers of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), which are the primary decision‐makers in the organisation, are the best area of interest to be tested. This paper aims to investigate the influence of owner‐managers’ environmental attitude and its mediation effect, as well as the influences of attributes of innovation toward the intention to adopt EMPs. This study was conducted on 367 food manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia, and the data collected were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings revealed that environmental attitude, relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity have significantly influenced the owner‐managers’ intention to adopt EMPs. Furthermore, the owner‐managers’ environmental attitude proved to have partial mediation effects in the structural model. The paper has significant implications as it shows the vital role of the owner‐managers’ environmental attitude, not only as a driver that nurtures the intentions of EMPs, but also as an intervening variable that mediates the relationship between the attributes of innovation and the intention to adopt EMPs.