A Conceptual framework for the adoption of a life cycle assessment-based emissions trading scheme in the Australian construction sector

Abstract

As carbon governance in the construction sector shifts from a narrow focus on operational energy towards whole-of-life performance, understanding stakeholder intentions to adopt a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) becomes increasingly relevant to exploring market-driven decarbonisation pathways for the industry. This study proposes a conceptual framework for understanding the factors influencing stakeholder adoption of an LCA-based ETS in the Australian construction sector. Drawing on a literature review, the proposed framework is underpinned by institutional theory, the technology acceptance model (TAM), and stakeholder theory, with systems thinking providing a broader analytical perspective. Three groups of factors form the basis of the framework. The first concerns the implementation barriers and potential benefits associated with LCA and ETS. The second involves the institutional conditions shaping the adoption context, including coercive, normative, and mimetic pressures, alongside stakeholder-related factors such as carbon mitigation perception and stakeholder pressure. The third relates to the behavioural constructs through which stakeholders form adoption intentions, namely perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioural intention. The framework brings these factors together into a structured relationship linking external context, cognitive appraisal, and behavioural judgement. It suggests that the adoption of an LCA-based ETS should be understood as a progressive process situated within a broader socio-technical and institutional system.