The mediating role of exogenous shocks in green purchase intention: evidence from italian fashion industry in the Covid-19 era

Abstract

This work investigates how the COVID-19 outbreak has affected consumers’ green purchasing intention in the fashion industry. It examines how this exogenous shock has influenced the relationship between consumer green purchasing intention and its three relevant antecedents (environmental knowledge (EK), environmental concern (EC), eco-friendly behaviour (EFB)). A survey of 1433 Italian consumers was carried out. The data were analysed through a structural equation modelling method to evaluate the direct and indirect mediating effects of the COVID-19 shock on the relationship between green purchasing intention and its antecedents (i.e., EK, EC and EFB) by considering traditional and online purchasing channels. The results of the model confirmed a positive relationship between green purchasing intention and its antecedents. The COVID-19 pandemic was also found to positively mediate the relationship between green purchase intention and two out of its three antecedents (i.e., EK and EC) in both traditional and online purchasing channels. This paper contributes to the literature on sustainable consumption by assessing magnitude of the relationship between green purchasing intention and its antecedents, and the mediating role exerted by a complex exogenous shock such as the COVID-19 outbreak.