Prolificacy of Green Consumption Orientation and Environmental Knowledge to Slash Plastic Bag Consumption: The Moderating Role of Consumer Attitudes and the Demarketing Efforts

Abstract

The use of plastic bags has long been a global concern due to its hazardous contributions to the environment. Firms, governments, and special interest groups (like Greenpeace) have always earnestly ventured, through their individual or collaborative initiatives, strategies and/or (demarketing) campaigns, to discourage the use of plastic bags to ensure a healthy and sustainable planet. However, such initiatives are least likely to produce desired results if the most important stakeholder i.e., consumers do not perceive greater value from such a reduction in usage of plastic bags. Considering the same an important precondition for building positive intentions and consequent behaviors to reduce plastic bag usage and a complementor of demarketing efforts of the stakeholders, the primary purpose of this study has been to investigate the role of consumers’ green orientation, environmental knowledge, and perceived instrumentality of demarketing efforts in enhancing the perceived value of plastic usage curtailment. Based on PLS-based structural equation modelling performed on a data set comprising 977 consumers, it has been found that the three antecedents namely green consumption orientation, recycling attitudes and demarketing efforts have direct positive effects on the outcome construct. Besides, the study also found that the effect of green consumption orientation on perceived value of plastic usage reduction is significantly and positively moderated by consumers’ recycling attitudes and their perceived effectiveness of demarketing efforts. The findings offer some useful insights and implications to the theory, practice and the policy making for boosting pro-environmental behaviors.