Exploring the Effects of Greenwashing Concern Between Intention and Behaviour in Sustainable Clothing Choice

Abstract

The textile industry is expected to use 118 billion cubic meters of water for garment manufacturing worldwide by 2030, posing a serious environmental problem as it works to fulfil the increasing needs of humans while also making extensive use of scarce natural resources. As a result, humans must change how they buy clothes to make it more sustainable. Although humans' conduct when buying environmentally friendly apparel is generally understood, a thorough explanation of their purchase habits is lacking. We expanded the Theory of Reasoned Action by incorporating novel constructs derived from prior exploratory findings, such as greenwashing, and established constructs from prior literature, such as perceived environmental knowledge and environmental concerns, to address this gap and explore the factors influencing the purchase behaviour of sustainable clothing. The study shows that attitude toward eco-friendly apparel is the most important factor influencing buying intention. However, humans' worries about greenwashing have a detrimental impact on this connection. Our research indicates that the intention-behavior link is influenced by perceived environmental knowledge and environmental concerns.