Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between environmental consciousness (ECO), green purchase attitude (GPA), green purchase intention (GPI), perceived customer effectiveness (PCE), green behaviour (GRB) and green purchase behaviour (GPB). Based on the statistical analyses, this paper offers some further research directions to advance the extant literature.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical model is firmly grounded in extant literature. To test the study hypotheses, the authors have developed a survey instrument following a two-stage process. The constructs were first operationalized by the authors and then pre-tested by experts. Dillman’s (2007) guidelines were then followed to gather data. Finally, the theoretical model was tested using multivariate statistical tools.FindingsResults indicate that ECO has an influence on GPA and PCE; GPA has an influence on PCE and GRB; GPI has an influence on PCE; and GRB has an influence on GPB. Environmental benefit still ranks at the sixth position among eight product-selection criteria, as is evident from qualitative in-depth interviews indicating a primarily rationalistic and not an altruistic purchase approach. The gap in translation of ECO into GB and GPB can be attributed to costliness, non-availability with less variety, lack of brand reputation of green products and budget constraints for customers.Research limitations/implicationsThe study faces the limitation of generalizability of the results because it was carried out in a particular state in India; it may not be the perception of the country as a whole. The bias owing to social desirability, selective memory and telescoping with the use of self-reported data could also be a limitation for the current empirical study.Originality/valueThis study aimed to extend pro-environmental behaviour studies beyond developed countries and to empirically validate the models built on the theory of ECO leading to GPB, especially for India, a rising market. A novel approach to empirically discuss the situational and market factors will provide a much-needed thrust for research on these lines.
Highlights
Environmental protection is a pressing concern for the entire globe
Scholars have found that higher environmental consciousness (ECO) leads to higher perceived customer effectiveness (PCE; Tan, 2011; Joonas, 2008; Ozmete, 2007), which is in turn a predictor of green purchase behaviour (GPB) (Lee, 2009; Chan, 2001)
Significant numbers of researchers agree that PCE, Green purchase attitude (GPA) and green purchase intention (GPI) have a significant influence on green behaviour (GRB) (Khare, 2015; Roy, 2013; Singh and Pandey, 2012; Steg and Vlek, 2009), which leads to GPB
Summary
Environmental protection is a pressing concern for the entire globe. There is a rich body of literature on low-carbon emission (Bord et al, 2000; Renukappa et al, 2013; Jones, 2014; Li and Lin, 2016; Du et al, 2016), green manufacturing (Montalvo, 2008; Deif, 2011; Singh et al, 2012; Bhattacharya et al, 2015), sustainability strategies (Law and Gunasekaran, 2012; Mangla et al, 2013; Harik et al, 2015), responsible manufacturing (Bazan et al, 2017), environment management (Massoud et al, 2010; Zhang et al, 2009), responsible purchasing (Mont and Leire, 2009; Winter and Lasch, 2016), environment-friendly technology (Luken et al, 2008; Gutowski et al, 2005), product recovery (Kapetanopoulou and Tagaras, 2011), etc. Green purchase attitude (GPA; Klaus et al, 2014; Thøgersen and Zhou, 2010; Tung et al, 2012) is remarked as a significant mediator between ECO and GPB. Another group of researchers focused on green purchase intention (GPI; Punyatoya, 2015; Limbu et al, 2012; Leonidou et al, 2011) as a key mediator between ECO and GPB. Significant numbers of researchers agree that PCE, GPA and GPI have a significant influence on GRB (Khare, 2015; Roy, 2013; Singh and Pandey, 2012; Steg and Vlek, 2009), which leads to GPB
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