RESEARCH ARTICLE
Toward sustainable consumption: Investigating the determinants of green buying behaviour of Indian consumers
Deepak Jaiswal,
Bhagwan Singh,
Corresponding Author
Deepak Jaiswal
Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, School of Business & Management Studies, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, (H.P.) India
Senior Research FellowCorrespondence
Deepak Jaiswal, Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, School of Business & Management Studies, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, (H.P.) India
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorBhagwan Singh
Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, School of Business & Management Studies, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, (H.P.) India
Associate Professor & Head of DepartmentSearch for more papers by this authorDeepak Jaiswal,
Bhagwan Singh,
Corresponding Author
Deepak Jaiswal
Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, School of Business & Management Studies, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, (H.P.) India
Senior Research FellowCorrespondence
Deepak Jaiswal, Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, School of Business & Management Studies, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, (H.P.) India
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorBhagwan Singh
Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, School of Business & Management Studies, Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala, (H.P.) India
Associate Professor & Head of DepartmentSearch for more papers by this authorAbstract
Green buying behaviour can stimulate firms and society in the pursuit of sustainability while balancing the demand and supply side of the business cycle with addressing the ecological and social benefits. The objective of this paper is to understand and test the integrative model of green buying behaviour in the Indian and Asian context of sustainable consumption. The model is tested by applying structural equation modeling of path analysis using the total of 410 valid responses. The data were collected from Uttar Pradesh (India) through a structured questionnaire using the purposive convenient sampling. The results validate that “green purchase behaviour” is significantly determined by “green purchase intention,” which in turn significantly and positively influenced by “attitude towards green products.” The results also revealed that the measure of “environmental concern” and “perceived consumer effectiveness” were found to be positive and significant predictor of attitude towards green products, however, “perceived environmental knowledge” was not significantly related to attitude towards green products and perceived consumer effectiveness in the model. The discussion and implications are manifested towards sustainable consumption in the context of emerging target markets.
REFERENCES
- Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behaviour.
- Akehurst, G., Afonso, C., & Martins Gonçalves, H. (2012). Re-examining green purchase behaviour and the green consumer profile: New evidences. Management Decision, 50(5), 972–988.
- Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411.
- Bamberg, S. (2003). How does environmental concern influence specific environmentally related behaviors? A new answer to an old question. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23(1), 21–32.
- Bonini, S., & Oppenheim, J. (2008). Cultivating the green consumer. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 6(4), 56–61.
- Chan, R. Y. (2001). Determinants of Chinese consumers' green purchase behavior. Psychology & Marketing, 18(4), 389–413.
- Chan, R. Y., & Lau, L. B. (2000). Antecedents of green purchases: A survey in China. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17(4), 338–357.
10.1108/07363760010335358 Google Scholar
- Chan, R. Y., & Lau, L. B. (2002). Explaining green purchasing behavior: A cross-cultural study on American and Chinese consumers. Journal of international consumer marketing, 14(2-3), 9–40.
10.1300/J046v14n02_02 Google Scholar
- Charter, M., Peattie, K., Ottman, J., & Polonsky, M. (2002). Marketing and sustainability.
- Chen, T. B., & Chai, L. T. (2010). Attitude towards the environment and green products: consumers' perspective. Management Science and Engineering, 4(2), 27.
- Dagher, G. K., & Itani, O. (2014). Factors influencing green purchasing behaviour: Empirical evidence from the Lebanese consumers. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 13(3), 188–195.
- Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). New trends in measuring environmental attitudes: Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: A revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425–442.
- Ellen, P. S., Wiener, J. L., & Cobb-Walgren, C. (1991). The role of perceived consumer effectiveness in motivating environmentally conscious behaviors. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 102–117.
- Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research reading (Vol. 6). MA: Addison-Wesley.
- Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50.
- Fryxell, G. E., & Lo, C. W. (2003). The influence of environmental knowledge and values on managerial behaviours on behalf of the environment: An empirical examination of managers in China. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(1), 45–69.
- Greendex (2014). Consumer choice and the environment – A Worldwide Tracking Survey. http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/mediacontent/file/NGS_2014_Greendex_Highlights_FINAL-cb1411689730.pdf
- Ha, H. Y., & Janda, S. (2012). Predicting consumer intentions to purchase energy-efficient products. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(7), 461–469.
10.1108/07363761211274974 Google Scholar
- Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2015). Multivariate data analysis ( 7th ed.). Noida: Person India.
- Haron, S. A., Paim, L., & Yahaya, N. (2005). Towards sustainable consumption: An examination of environmental knowledge among Malaysians. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 29(5), 426–436.
10.1111/j.1470-6431.2005.00460.x Google Scholar
- Hines, J. M., Hungerford, H. R., & Tomera, A. N. (1987). Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Environmental Education, 18(2), 1–8.
10.1080/00958964.1987.9943482 Google Scholar
- Ho, R. (2014). Handbook of univariate and multivariate data analysis with IBM SPSS. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.
- Hsu, C. L., Chang, C. Y., & Yansritakul, C. (2017). Exploring purchase intention of green skincare products using the theory of planned behavior: Testing the moderating effects of country of origin and price sensitivity. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 34, 145–152.
- Jain, S. K., & Kaur, G. (2004). Green marketing: An attitudinal and behavioural analysis of Indian consumers. Global Business Review, 5(2), 187–205.
10.1177/097215090400500203 Google Scholar
- Jain, S. K., & Kaur, G. (2006). Role of socio-demographics in segmenting and profiling green consumers: An exploratory study of consumers in India. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 18(3), 107–146.
10.1300/J046v18n03_06 Google Scholar
- Joshi, Y., & Rahman, Z. (2015). Factors affecting green purchase behaviour and future research directions. International Strategic Management Review, 3(1), 128–143.
10.1016/j.ism.2015.04.001 Google Scholar
- Kaiser, F. G., & Gutscher, H. (2003). The proposition of a general version of the theory of planned behavior: Predicting ecological behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(3), 586–603.
- Kaiser, F. G., Wölfing, S., & Fuhrer, U. (1999). Environmental attitude and ecological behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19(1), 1–19.
- Kanchanapibul, M., Lacka, E., Wang, X., & Chan, H. K. (2014). An empirical investigation of green purchase behaviour among the young generation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 66, 528–536.
- Kang, J., Liu, C., & Kim, S. H. (2013). Environmentally sustainable textile and apparel consumption: The role of consumer knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived personal relevance. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 37(4), 442–452.
- Kim, Y. (2011). Understanding green purchase: The influence of collectivism, personal values and environmental attitudes, and the moderating effect of perceived consumer effectiveness. Seoul Journal of Business, 17(1), 65.
- Kim, Y., & Choi, S. M. (2005). Antecedents of green purchase behavior: An examination of collectivism, environmental concern, and PCE. ACR North American Advances.
- Kinnear, T. C., Taylor, J. R., & Ahmed, S. A. (1974). Ecologically concerned consumers: Who are they? The Journal of Marketing, 38(2), 20–24.
- Kotler, P., Keller, K. L., Koshy, A., & Jha, M. (2009). “Marketing management” a south Asian perspective, prentice ( 13th ed.). New Delhi: Hall of India.
- Kumar, B., Manrai, A. K., & Manrai, L. A. (2017). Purchasing behaviour for environmentally sustainable products: A conceptual framework and empirical study. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 34, 1–9.
- Lai, C. K., & Cheng, E. W. (2016). Green purchase behavior of undergraduate students in Hong Kong. The Social Science Journal, 53(1), 67–76.
- Laroche, M., Bergeron, J., & Barbaro-Forleo, G. (2001). Targeting consumers who are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(6), 503–520.
10.1108/EUM0000000006155 Google Scholar
- Lee, K. (2008). Opportunities for green marketing: Young consumers. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 26(6), 573–586.
10.1108/02634500810902839 Google Scholar
- Lee, K. (2011). The role of media exposure, social exposure and biospheric value orientation in the environmental attitude-intention-behavior model in adolescents. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(4), 301–308.
- Lin, H. Y., & Hsu, M. H. (2015). Using social cognitive theory to investigate green consumer behavior. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(5), 326–343.
- Malhotra, N. K., & Dash, S. (2014). Marketing research: An applied approach. New Delhi (Pearson India): Dorling Kindersely.
- Mostafa, M. M. (2006). Antecedents of Egyptian consumers' green purchase intentions: A hierarchical multivariate regression model. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 19(2), 97–126.
10.1300/J046v19n02_06 Google Scholar
- Mostafa, M. M. (2007a). A hierarchical analysis of the green consciousness of the Egyptian consumer. Psychology & Marketing, 24(5), 445–473.
- Mostafa, M. M. (2007b). Gender differences in Egyptian consumers' green purchase behaviour: The effects of environmental knowledge, concern and attitude. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31(3), 220–229.
10.1111/j.1470-6431.2006.00523.x Google Scholar
- Murphy, P. E. (2005). Sustainable marketing. Business & Professional Ethics Journal, 24(1/2), 171–198.
- Nielsen Survey (2011) on Global Online Environment and Sustainability http://www.nielsen.com/in/en/pressroom/2011/indianconsumersconsciousofenvironmentalbenefits.html, (accessed 10.02.16)
- Ottman, J. A. (2011, 2011). The new rules of green marketing: Strategies, tools and inspiration of sustainable branding. U.K: Greenleaf Publishing Ltd.
- Ottman, J. A., Stafford, E. R., & Hartman, C. L. (2006). Avoiding green marketing myopia: Environment, Vol-48, June-2006.
- Paul, J., Modi, A., & Patel, J. (2016). Predicting green product consumption using theory of planned behavior and reasoned action. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 29, 123–134.
- Peattie, K. (2010). Green consumption: Behavior and norms. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 35, 195–228.
- Prakash, G., & Pathak, P. (2017). Intention to buy eco-friendly packaged products among young consumers of India: A study on developing nation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 141, 385–393.
- Rahbar, E., & Abdul Wahid, N. (2011). Investigation of green marketing tools' effect on consumers' purchase behavior. Business Strategy Series, 12(2), 73–83.
10.1108/17515631111114877 Google Scholar
- Roberts, J. A. (1996). Green consumers in the 1990s: Profile and implications for advertising. Journal of Business Research, 36(3), 217–231.
- Roberts, J. A., & Bacon, D. R. (1997). Exploring the subtle relationships between environmental concern and ecologically conscious consumer behavior. Journal of Business Research, 40(1), 79–89.
- Robin, N., & Roberts, S. (1998). Consumption in a sustainable world. [WWW document]. URL http:// www.iied.org/smg/pubs/work-bk2.html.
- Singh, B. (2017). Web based advertising: A tool of digital & internet based marketing ( 1st ed.). New Delhi (India): Anamika Publisher.
- Straughan, R. D., & Roberts, J. A. (1999). Environmental segmentation alternatives: A look at green consumer behaviour in the new millennium. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 16(6), 558–575.
10.1108/07363769910297506 Google Scholar
- Tan, B. C. (2011). The roles of knowledge, threat, and PCE on green purchase behaviour. International Journal of Business and Management, 6(12), 14.
10.5539/ijbm.v6n12p14 Google Scholar
- Uddin, S. F., & Khan, M. N. (2016). Green purchasing behaviour of young Indian consumers: An exploratory study. Global Business Review, 17(6), 1469–1479.
10.1177/0972150916660440 Google Scholar
- Van Liere, K. D., & Dunlap, R. E. (1981). Environmental concern: Does it make a difference how it's measured? Environment and Behavior, 13(6), 651–676.
10.1177/0013916581136001 Google Scholar
- Vermeir, I., & Verbeke, W. (2008). Sustainable food consumption among young adults in Belgium: Theory of planned behaviour and the role of confidence and values. Ecological Economics, 64(3), 542–553.
- Wei, C. F., Chiang, C. T., Kou, T. C., & Lee, B. C. (2017). Toward sustainable livelihoods: Investigating the drivers of purchase behavior for green products. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(5), 626–639.
- Yadav, R., & Pathak, G. S. (2016). Young consumers' intention towards buying green products in a developing nation: Extending the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production, 135, 732–739.
- Zagata, L. (2012). Consumers' beliefs and behavioural intentions towards organic food. Evidence from the Czech Republic. Appetite, 59(1), 81–89.
- Zhou, Y., Thøgersen, J., Ruan, Y., & Huang, G. (2013). The moderating role of human values in planned behavior: The case of Chinese consumers' intention to buy organic food. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 30(4), 335–344.
10.1108/JCM-02-2013-0482 Google Scholar
