FROM SURVIVAL TO SUSTAINABILITY: GREEN WORK BEHAVIOR ININFORMAL BICYCLE-BASED MICRO-ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ITSIMPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNITY LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS IN INDONESIA

Abstract

This study examines sustainability-driven behavior in informal micro-entrepreneurship by focusing on
bicycle-based coffee vendors—popularly known as “Starling” (Starbucks Keliling) in Jakarta,
Indonesia—as a low-carbon, survival-driven livelihood model within community-based economic
systems. Although situated in an urban setting, such micro-enterprises reflect adaptive, resourceefficient practices that are highly relevant for rural and peri-urban livelihood systems facing similar
structural constraints. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and a behavioral sustainability
perspective, this study investigates the effects of environmental awareness and sustainable work
motivation on green work behavior and micro-entrepreneurial performance, while testing the
mediating role of green work behavior and the moderating role of resource efficiency orientation.
Data were collected from 172 vendors and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation
Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that environmental awareness and sustainable work motivation
significantly influence green work behavior. Green work behavior emerges as the strongest direct
predictor of performance, while sustainable work motivation plays a critical role as a primary driver of
both behavior and performance. However, green work behavior does not mediate the relationship
between sustainability drivers and performance, indicating a compressed pathway in which
motivation translates more directly into economic outcomes. Resource efficiency orientation
strengthens the effect of environmental awareness on performance but does not moderate the
motivation–performance relationship. This study contributes by demonstrating that in informal microentrepreneurship, sustainability outcomes are shaped by the interaction between motivation,
efficiency, and adaptive practices rather than environmental cognition alone. The findings highlight
the relevance of low-carbon micro-enterprises in supporting inclusive livelihood systems and
advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8 and SDG 11).