Sustainable buying behavior has increasingly received attention from academia and practitioners alike. While research in this field commonly relies on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), previous studies have not been able to clarify the utility of purchase intention as a proxy for sustainable buying behavior and systematically neglect the role of social sustainability aspects. To advance the theoretical understanding of sustainable consumption, we investigate buying behavior with regard to the sustainable clothing purchases of 2000 consumers in Germany using necessary condition analysis (NCA). The results empirically confirm the utility of intention as a proxy for sustainable buying behavior. Further, we find that social concerns and the perceived knowledge of social issues are essential drivers of purchase intention. In addition to extending the theoretical understanding of the roles of intention and social aspects in the TPB framework, we derive practical implications for managers seeking to facilitate sustainable consumption.
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