Barriers to consumer adoption of sustainable products – an empirical analysis

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to identify and study the effect of identified eight barriers to sustainable consumption on consumers’ intention to purchase sustainable products. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a self-administered field survey in India, and 315 valid responses were obtained from the survey process. Partial least square structural equation modeling analysis was carried out to establish the validity of the measures used and to examine the impact of the identified barriers on sustainable purchase intentions. Findings The results of this study indicate that barriers such as low willingness to pay, low functional performance, low availability of sustainable products and difficulty of integration in the normal route have a statistically significant negative impact on consumers’ sustainable purchase intentions. Practical implications The findings of this study are useful for marketers and policymakers who want to increase the consumer adoption of sustainable products in emerging markets. Originality/value This study develops measures to capture the consumers’ perception of barriers to the adoption of sustainable products.