A consumer values-based approach to enhancing green consumption

Abstract

Pro-environmental consumer behaviours are increasingly desirable. However, many studies report that gaps exist between consumers’ attitudes toward green products and their purchasing behaviours. Understanding these gaps is important to foster market demand for green products. Two sets of distinct consumer value systems offer insights into green consumer behaviour. Consumers’ personal values (PVs), i.e. their altruistic, biospheric and egoistic values, as well as consumers’ consumption values (CVs), e.g. the functional, psychological, economic or social perceived benefits consumers perceive in relation to a green offering. This paper examines current understanding of the individual and combined roles of consumers’ PVs and CVs in green consumption through an integrative literature review. Three knowledge gaps are identified, including that extant theories and models do not sufficiently consider associations between CVs and PVs in a green consumption context. To address the gaps, a conceptual model is proposed with eight testable propositions.