Leveraging environmental corporate social responsibility to promote green purchases: The case of new energy vehicles in the era of sustainable development

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Leveraging on the theoretical integration of stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory, stakeholder theory, and self-consistency theory, an investigation is undertaken to explore the effectiveness of environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in shaping green buying intentions using the world’s largest economy of new energy vehicles (NEVs), China, as a case. An analysis of data from 306 NEV owners in four Chinese cities demonstrated that ECSR directly and indirectly, via green trust and green brand image, shapes green purchasing intentions positively. However, green self-concept consistency was found to weaken the connections ECSR, green trust, and green brand image. From a theoretical perspective, this exploration enhances our understanding of environmentally-driven micro-CSR (individual-level CSR) by shedding light on the factors influencing consumers' intentions to engage in green consumption (new energy) of high involvement products (vehicles). Noteworthily, this examination uncovers the social-psychological mechanisms that drive these intentions and underscores the significance of maintaining consistency in self-concept, particularly within collectivist societies. From a practical standpoint, this research offers valuable guidance for marketing approaches, particularly in the NEV sector, thereby contributing to SDG7 on clean energy and SDG12 on responsible consumption and production.