How Do Environmental Knowledge, Eco-Label Knowledge, and Green Trust Impact Consumers’ Pro-Environmental Behaviour for Energy-Efficient Household Appliances?

Abstract

Pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) helps individuals to minimize the negative effects of their actions on the environment; for example, by recycling and reducing energy consumption. This study aimed to explore consumers’ attitudes and trust in energy-efficient household appliances and their environmental and eco-label knowledge to determine how these may affect pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). In addition, the study examined the mediating effects of attitude and green trust on the proposed frameworks of environmental and eco-label knowledge in relation to consumer pro-environmental behaviour. PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modelling) was applied to a study from Bangladesh to examine hypotheses proposed from the data generated by 1510 valid respondents relating to their experiences of using household energy-efficient products. The results showed that environmental knowledge, eco-label knowledge, attitude, and green trust all significantly correlated with consumer pro-environmental behaviour. In addition, attitude and green trust significantly mediated the relationship between environmental knowledge, eco-label knowledge, and pro-environmental behaviour. This study also found that green trust positively affects consumer attitudes, and that those attitudes serve as a significant mediator between green trust and pro-environmental behaviour. An IPMA (importance-performance matrix analysis) map indicated that the total effects of environmental attitude and eco-label knowledge were more important to defining the pro-environmental behaviour of consumers than those of environmental knowledge and green trust. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research introduces for the first time an empirical survey that provides a new theoretical framework for consumer pro-environmental behaviour in regard to energy-efficient household appliances in the context of a developing country. Suggestions are provided on ways to promote energy-saving appliances from theoretical and practical perspectives.