ASSESSING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PURCHASE INTENTION TOWARD THE ECO-FRIENDLY STATIONERY: THE MODERATION ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN

This study is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and focuses on university students in South Korea and China. It explores how the consumption value of sustainable fashion products affects consumers’ purchase intentions. Additionally, it verifies the moderating effect of environmental concern on the relationship between consumption value and purchase intention. An empirical analysis is conducted through a questionnaire survey using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0. This study integrates the TPB model to examine the impact of consumption value on the purchase intentions of university students in both countries. It also investigates how environmental concern moderates the relationship between the sub-factors of consumption value—functional value, social value, emotional value, precious value, and ethical value—and purchase intention. To achieve the research objectives, a comprehensive review of relevant domestic and international literature is undertaken. This review establishes a theoretical foundation for the constructs of consumption value, subjective norms, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, purchase intention, and environmental concern. Based on this framework, empirical research is conducted to develop and validate the research model and associated hypotheses. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the market response to sustainable fashion products in China and South Korea. It analyzes the relationship between consumption value and purchase intention regarding these products. Additionally, the research aims to provide insights for fashion enterprises on the appropriate positioning of sustainable fashion products. It also establishes a theoretical foundation to guide the future development of sustainable fashion initiatives.

This study investigates the nuanced interplay between economic status and perceived buying intention toward energy-efficient appliances among university professors in India, a demographic characterized by high educational attainment and environmental awareness. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the research extends the traditional framework by integrating environmental concern and environmental knowledge are responsible for shaping consumers’ attitude, and by testing economic status as a moderating variable. Using a cross-sectional design and data from 300 respondents employed in higher education institutions, the study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the strength and significance of relationships among constructs. Contrary to conventional economic theory, the findings reveal that economic status does not significantly influence purchase intention, challenging the assumption that affordability is a primary barrier to green consumption. Instead, environmental concern and environmental knowledge emerge as dominant predictors of consumer attitude, which in turn strongly drives purchase intention (β = 0.694, p < 0.001). The moderation analysis further confirms that the interaction between economic status and attitude has an insignificant effect on purchase intention (β = -0.026, p = 0.864), suggesting that intrinsic motivation and environmental consciousness override the income-based constraints in this context. The study also uncovers that subjective norms and eco-label knowledge do not significantly shape consumer attitude, hinting at a latent skepticism or limited trust in external cues such as labelling and peer influence. This finding diverges from prior literature and raises questions about the efficacy of green marketing and labelling strategies in influencing educated consumers. Reliability and validity metrics—including high Cronbach’s alpha, AVE, and HTMT ratios—affirm the robustness of the measurement model, while R² values indicate that attitude explains nearly 60% of the variance in purchase intention. Practically, the research underscores the importance of fostering environmental knowledge and concern through targeted educational and policy interventions, rather than relying solely on economic incentives or labelling schemes. The results advocate for a shift in marketing and policy focus, from price subsidies to awareness campaigns and moral framing, to enhance adoption of energy-efficient technologies. The study also calls for a re-evaluation of demand-side assumptions in sustainability discourse, especially in contexts where consumers exhibit high intrinsic motivation. By isolating economic status as a non-significant moderator, this work contributes a critical perspective to the green consumer behavior literature and opens avenues for future research on behavioral segmentation, longitudinal analysis, and alternative indicators of economic capacity. It also offers actionable insights for policymakers and marketers aiming to accelerate India’s transition toward sustainable consumption, particularly within the educated and environmentally conscious segments of society.

The rising threat of environmental degradation and global warming has made countries realize the importance to adopt and promote sustainable practices. Therefore, the study aims to identify the contributing factors to the purchase intention for energy-smart household appliances (ESHA) in a developing country. Partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique enabled to analyze 291 useful responses that were gathered from household energy consumers. Findings reveal that perceived behavioral control, attitude, moral norms, and environmental concern affect the intention to purchase ESHA. In contrast, subjective norms and environmental knowledge failed to affect purchase intention. The results also exhibit that moral norms and environmental knowledge help in defining the core constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Importantly, environmental concern emerged as a moderator between attitude and purchase intention and between subjective norms and purchase intention but failed to moderate the association between perceived behavioral control and purchase intention. This study offers valuable implications for TPB theory and contextual knowledge of consumer behavior related to sustainable products. This is arguably among the first studies to explore environmental concern as a moderator for identifying ESHA’s purchase intention and testing the moral norm’s relationship with the central principles of the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Despite their potential for promoting environmental sustainability, understanding consumer adoption of green products is limited since such behavior is complex, as it may differ from typical purchasing motives and cultural values. Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used in this study to address the main research problem of how PBC attitudes, subjective norms, environmental (un)concern, and environmental knowledge, influence consumers’ green product purchase intention. It also explores how cultural values moderate these relationships, specifically man-nature orientation and LTO. This study proposes a structural model with multigroup analysis to address the moderating impacts on a sample of 216 respondents participating in an online survey. Results show that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and environmental knowledge positively influence consumers’ green product purchase intention. The group analysis results imply that the dominant group’s environmental concern negatively impacts purchase intention, while this relationship is not significant in the subordinate group. Also, the influence of subjective norms on purchase intention is significantly stronger in the dominant group. The long-term orientation also moderates the relationship between attitude toward green products and purchase intention. The insights from this research extend the literature in TPB and provide practical implications to marketing managers concerning developing marketing communication strategies, perceived value proposals, and the reputation of green products.

Many consumers are concerned about environmental issues and have expressed interest in purchasing green products. However, actual sales of green products are still not as high as expected. Therefore, marketers of green products may need to investigate the factors driving green purchase behaviors. In this study, we proposed an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model that links consumers’ environmental concerns, perceived image of the company, consumer innovativeness, and environmental knowledge with green product purchase behavior. We applied a quantitative approach to collect the data via online questionnaires through Amazon MTurk. With 974 useable samples, the data were analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM) using Smart PLS. The results showed that green purchase intention positively and significantly affects green purchase behavior. Moreover, the multigroup analysis revealed that the direct influence of green purchase intention on green purchase behavior is higher in developing countries than in developed countries. Regarding the direct effect on green purchase intention, attitude toward green products, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), environmental concern, and company’s perceived green image are significant antecedents of the intention to purchase, with attitude toward green products being the most robust antecedent among the three. However, subjective norms do not act as a direct antecedent of purchase intention. For the indirect effect on green purchase intention, four main antecedents (attitude toward green products, subjective norms, PCE, and environmental concerns) indirectly impact purchase intention via the mediating role of the perceived green image of the company. This study contributes to existing literatures via extending the TPB model. Regarding attitude-intention-behavior model, we found that environmental concern complements the model as an antecedent of green purchase intention. Moreover, a company’s perceived green image mediates the relationship between four antecedents and green purchase intention. Therefore, marketers of green products may also enhance future purchases by promoting the green image of the company. Particularly, we found that environmental knowledge positively moderates the relationship between environmental concern and a company’s perceived green image. We added on the empirical evidence that PCE plays a crucial role in stimulating green purchases as its direct positive influence on green purchase behavior is larger than that of green purchase intention. Moreover, consumer innovativeness positively moderates the relationship between PCE and green purchase intention.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the direct and indirect influence of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on green cosmetics purchase intention of young Vietnamese female consumers through health concern, environmental concern and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) factors.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a survey of Vietnamese young female consumers that were analyzed using a partial least squares structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results reveal that eWOM has a direct effect on consumers’ purchase intention of green cosmetics. Among TPB factors, attitude was a greater influential predictor of purchase intention than subjective norms. However, the influence of perceived behavioral control on purchase intention was not supported. There were significant indirect effects of eWOM on purchase intention through the mediation of health concern, environmental concern and attitude.Practical implicationsTherefore, the findings of this study are relevant for marketers and managers as they provide valuable insights into understanding the motivational factors of consumers’ green cosmetics purchase intention. The results highlighted that eWOM could increase young female consumers’ environmental concern and health concern, which, in turn, influence a positive attitude toward green cosmetics. Hence, eWOM is a powerful vehicle for environmental and health messages; also, it can be an important channel of sensitization toward environmental and health issues and motivation of proenvironmental behavior and healthy lifestyle.Originality/valueThe study contributed to the literature by confirming the utility of the TPB model in predicting young women’s green cosmetics purchases in the context of Vietnam, an emerging market, which has largely been overlooked in the literature. The findings show that eWOM has a direct influence on green cosmetics purchase intentions of young Vietnamese female consumers and indirectly eWOM through health concern, environmental concern and two TPB factors (attitude and subjective norms).

Due to the high usage and demand of stationery among university students, this study investigates the factors that significantly influence university students' intention to purchase eco-friendly stationery. A novel research model has been developed using the stimulus-organism-responses (S-O-R) framework. Four external factors have been proposed as stimuli, namely, environmental knowledge (EK), environmental concern (EC), perceived environmental responsibility (PER), and university green initiatives (UGI), with attitude (ATT) as an organism and purchase intention (PI) as the response. Using purposive sampling, 367 Malaysian university students participated in this study, and the result of the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that EK, EC, and PER significantly influenced students' ATT toward eco-friendly stationery. In addition, only the PER and ATT significantly affect the students' PI on the eco-friendly stationery. Additionally, the indirect hypothesis testing showed that EK, EC and PER indirectly influenced students' PI on eco-friendly stationery through ATT. This study's findings provided several important implications, including theoretical and practical implications, which would be utilized to understand the subject area better and cultivate students' PI on eco-friendly stationery in establishing a sustainable environment, communities and campus.

Purpose This study explores green consumer behaviour among Generation Y (Gen Y) and Generation Z (Gen Z) in India, applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to assess how digital literacy and eco-friendly behaviour, alongside knowledge, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, shape purchase intentions in line with Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12). Design/methodology/approach The research involved a survey of 680 randomly selected respondents from educational institutions across three northern Indian cities. Data collection was conducted using a structured questionnaire with items measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Statistical methods, including confirmatory factor analysis, were used to validate the measurement model, while descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and regression analysis were employed to analyse the data. Findings The study uncovers differences between Gen Y and Gen Z regarding the factors influencing green product purchase intentions. Gen Y’s purchase intentions are shaped by attitude, digital literacy, eco-friendly behaviour, and perceived behavioural control, whereas Gen Z’s intentions are also affected by environmental knowledge and subjective norms. Research limitations/implications This research provides significant insights into the factors determining green consumer behaviour among Gen Y and Gen Z in India, enriching the knowledge of sustainable consumption practices. It highlights the importance of digital literacy and eco-friendly behaviour in promoting green purchase intentions, and the differing roles of environmental knowledge and subjective norms across generational cohorts. Practical implications Understanding the drivers behind green product purchase intentions for Gen Y and Gen Z enables stakeholders to craft specific marketing strategies, educational programs, and policy initiatives that promote sustainable behaviours and mitigate environmental impacts. Social implications The study’s findings have significant social implications, promoting sustainable lifestyles and behaviours among younger generations. By influencing peer groups and communities, and guiding the development of effective public campaigns and CSR initiatives, the study contributes to fostering a more informed and engaged citizenry that advocates for environmental sustainability. Originality/value The uniqueness of this study comes from its focus on the Indian youth demographic, the application of the TPB framework with additional variables, and its contribution to SDG 12, enhancing our comprehension of green consumer behaviour and supporting sustainability advancements in India and globally.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand consumers’ purchase intention toward green apparel products using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Specifically, this study aimed to compare US and Chinese consumers to understand how green apparel behaviors differ by a country’s green market status and cultural differences.Design/methodology/approachBy employing two antecedents, man-nature orientation and environmental knowledge into the TPB framework, a theoretical model was proposed and tested to explain how and to what extent each variable affected the purchase intention of US and Chinese consumers. To compare the two countries consumers’ purchase intention, moderating effects were proposed. To test this model, a total of 437 valid data sets were collected at universities in the USA and China.FindingsFindings indicated that the subjective norm was found to have the highest direct influence on purchase intention in both countries. Regarding internal perceived behavioral control (PBC) and external PBC, internal PBC was important for purchase intention in the US consumers while external PBC significantly influenced purchase intention among Chinese consumers. For the USA, two indirect antecedents to purchase intention (man-nature orientation and environmental knowledge) positively influenced variables in the TPB. In contrast, for China, the path between man-nature orientation and attitude toward green apparel products was not supported, but all other paths were supported. Only environmental knowledge (indirect antecedent) positively influenced internal PBC. Country moderating effects were not tested because of lack of supported evidence of invariance tests.Originality/valueThis study is an empirical research that focuses on purchase intention of green apparel products rather than on the production of green textiles, a topic that has received considerable attention in previous studies. This research is based on TPB with specified indirect antecedents to purchase intention. By testing the proposed model, the study explains the paths from two indirect antecedents (i.e. man-nature orientation and environmental knowledge) to the intent to purchase green apparel products. Therefore, academically, this study contributes to understanding the interrelationships among the factors that lead to purchase intention of green apparel products.

The increasing awareness of environmental challenges has significantly influenced consumer behavior, with sustainable products, particularly sustainable clothing, becoming a top priority for Generation Z consumers. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing Generation Z's purchase intentions toward sustainable clothing in Vietnam, guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) frameworks. Specifically, it examines the effects of green perceived value, green perceived quality, perceived price, social influence, product design, environmental concern, and environmental knowledge on purchase intentions. The study also explores the mediating roles of environmental attitude and product attitude in these relationships. The research employed a quantitative approach, using a Likert scale questionnaire to gather data from 641 Vietnamese Generation Z consumers. The study utilized exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the data. The results revealed that all proposed hypotheses were supported, indicating that all factors significantly impact environmental attitude and product attitude, which, in turn, influence purchase intention. The results emphasize the strong mediating role of environmental attitude and product attitude, suggesting that consumers with positive attitudes toward the environment and products are more likely to intend to purchase sustainable clothing. This research provides valuable insights into the psychological and contextual factors that influence Generation Z's sustainable consumption behavior. For marketers, these findings underscore the need to promote transparency in sustainable practices, emphasize high product quality and appealing designs, and engage this demographic through community involvement and authentic sustainability efforts.

Traditional consumption patterns are considered to be among the leading causes of global environmental degradation. Green marketing has emerged as a possible solution to these harmful effects on the environment; it aims to provide services and products that have a positive impact on the ecosystem and that satisfy consumers’ needs. This study investigates the factors that have an influence on consumers’ intentions to purchase green products in Saudi Arabia. Attitudes toward green products (AGP), perceived behavioral control (PBC), subjective norms (SN), environmental concern (EC), environmental knowledge (EK), and green purchase intention (GPI) are examined. A questionnaire is used as a method of data collection to gain information from 251 consumers in Saudi Arabia. The conceptual model is constructed based on planned behavior theory (TPB) to support the framework of the current study. SPSS version 22.0 software was used to investigate the collected data. The study reveals that a consumer’s attitude, environmental concern, and environmental knowledge are the main factors that influence the intention to buy green products in Saudi Arabia. Perceived behavioral control and subjective norms do not significantly support this purchase intention.

PurposeThis research investigation aims to explore the factors that affect purchasing behaviour among consumers in India in the context of green electronic products with the aid of the extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) by incorporating two additional constructs, namely environmental concern and ethical obligation.Design/methodology/approachThe current research adopted a quantitative methodology, utilising a survey (questionnaire) to gather data from respondents residing in Delhi-NCR, India. A convenience sampling technique was used to select these respondents. Both online and offline modes were used to collect the data. Moreover, to evaluate the theoretical foundation of the investigation, the researchers employed PLS-SEM (partial least square structural equation modelling) on 346 useable samples.FindingsThe outcome reveals that attitude, subjective norm and perceived behaviour control (PBC) are significant predictors, supplementary constructs such as environmental concern are not significant predictors, whereas ethical obligation is a substantial predictor of purchase intention. Consumer purchase behaviour, in turn, is influenced by consumer purchase intention.Practical implicationsThe outcome of this research could help the country’s legislators formulate policies and programs related to current environmental problems faced by our planet. Marketers could understand the factors that drive consumers' purchasing behaviour towards green electronic products and design effective marketing strategies accordingly. Thus, by enhancing the company’s green image, marketers of green products may potentially increase future purchases, all of which contribute to solving worldwide environmental problems.Originality/valueThis research confirms the usefulness of TPB in understanding Indian consumers' purchasing intention and behaviour towards green electronic products. It further extends the TPB by showing that new components, environmental concerns and ethical obligations influence Indian consumers' purchasing intentions and behaviour. Moreover, prior studies mostly used both additional constructs for green products. Current research used specific types of green products, i.e. green electronic products, as very few studies are available on these products that apply TPB, which makes this study novel. In contrast to previous research that primarily examined purchase intention, this study takes a further step by investigating the connection between intentions and consumers' purchase behaviour. It establishes intention as a precursor to behaviour, specifically towards green electronic products. Additionally, this study introduces new constructs and explores the Indian context, significantly contributing to the existing literature.

Purpose This study aims to examine millennial consumers’ intentions towards purchasing eco-friendly products in the emerging Arab nation of Oman, focusing on the moderating role of eco-labelling (EL). Design/methodology/approach Environmental knowledge (EK) and environmental concern (EC) are integrated into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) framework as independent variables, along with EL as a moderating variable. The data was collected through a self-administered survey and consisted of 705 random responses that was tabulated and analysed through the structural equation modelling technique. Findings ECs, subjective norms (SNs) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) significantly influence consumer attitudes towards green eco-friendly products. Consumers’ EK and attitudes positively influence the purchase intention (PI) to make green purchases. SNs and PBC substantially influence consumer attitudes towards adopting green products. However, the findings reveal a non-significant moderating influence of EL on the relationship between EC and PI for millennial Omani consumers. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to only one Arab country, Oman, which limits the scope of the study. This study contributes to the TPB by using additional dimensions to examine the green purchasing behaviour of millennials. Practical implications Marketers can use these insights to develop strategies that emphasise the environmental benefits of products, leverage social influences and empower consumers to make environmentally conscious choices. Incorporating EL and green packaging can enhance the visibility and attractiveness of green products. Social implications Promoting environmental education, awareness campaigns and policy interventions that highlight the importance of eco-friendly product choices can foster more sustainable consumption patterns among Arab consumers. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the green PIs of millennials in an Arab context, specifically focusing on the moderating role of EL.

This study investigates the factors influencing consumer purchase intentions for sustainable products in Malaysia, focusing on eco-friendly packaging and its contribution to promoting sustainable consumption. Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the research analyses critical elements such as environmental concern, social influence (subjective norms), perceived control over behaviour, attitude, and willingness to pay, and how these factors affect consumer choices. The study context is Malaysia’s ongoing struggle with plastic waste management, and it aligns with global sustainability objectives, notably Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12). Data were collected through online surveys targeting consumers in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, and quantitative analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression to explore the connections between these variables and purchase intentions. The results provide insights for businesses and policymakers to develop strategies that enhance sustainable product offerings while addressing environmental challenges. Additionally, this research fills a gap in the existing literature by examining sustainable consumer behaviour in Malaysia, offering actionable recommendations for encouraging green practices and minimizing environmental impact.

In the context of sustainable consumption, this study aims to understand the determinants of the intention to purchase secondhand products, exploring the direct and indirect effect of each in the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). To the traditional variables of TPB, Attitude, subjective norm and perception of behavioural control, were added the price, the need for exclusivity, frugality, environmental concern and environmental knowledge. Quantitative approaches were used, data were collected through a questionnaire and 805 responses were analyzed through PLS-SEM. The results revalidated the TPB variables, frugality, price and environmental concern, as determinants of the intention to purchase secondhand products. Price and environmental concern were the greatest influence on purchase intention. The results also reveal differences between younger and older people in relation to secondhand purchasing and sustainable consumption. Environmental concern is only significant in the purchase intention of younger people, because in older people the price prevails as more influential. This study expands TPB, introducing secondhand and sustainability determinants and analyzing the direct and indirect effects of behavioural constructs applied to purchase intention of secondhand products. Firms and brands need to change from linearity to circular production and follow the intentions of consumers to buy secondhand products, especially young consumers.