Impact of consumption values on consumers’ purchase of organic food and green environmental concerns

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of consumption values on consumers’ purchase of organic food and green environmental concerns. Additionally, the relationships between green environmental concerns and consumers’ purchase of organic food are investigated.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 500 consumers with experience in purchasing organic food in Pakistan. The covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) technique was used for the data analysis using the Analysis of Moments Structure software version 23. The CB-SEM technique allows for the simultaneous estimation of all relationships.FindingsThe CB-SEM technique reveals that of the 11 hypotheses tested, social value heavily influences consumers’ green environmental concerns. Moreover, consumers’ purchase of organic food is greatly impacted by conditional value. Consumers purchase organic food for their daily needs because they feel responsible for preserving and protecting the environment against global warming and its associated threats. This green purchasing behavior actually leads to better social approval, through its ability to impress others.Practical implicationsOrganizations and business owners should address green environmental concerns by seriously applying organic methods in the process of production, processing, packaging and selling of organic food products. Such organic practices would enable organizations and business owners to produce organic food products that are free from chemicals.Originality/valueThe inclusion of consumption values strengthens the explanatory power of the proposed model in the context of Pakistani consumers’ purchase of organic food and green environmental concerns simultaneously. This study therefore adds new and substantial insights into the marketing theory.