Sustainable Marketing: Studying the Effects of Environmental Consciousness and Involvement Degree on Purchasing Behavior of Consumers

Abstract

Concerns and consumers’ awareness of the environment has increased significantly, and their perception of environmental concerns now represents one of the major factors in consumer decision making. The main aim of this study is to determine the relationship of environmental consciousness and involvement degree on consumers’ purchasing behavior. Factors affecting environmentally friendly behaviors will be explained within the context of attitude, intention, and behavior with a holistic approach. TRA Model (Theory of Reasoned Action) will be expanded by adding variables that express individual consumer characteristics. Besides, the data will be gathered via an online survey from various participants who live in Metro Manila, where people from different socio-economic backgrounds are thought to be heavily dispersed and located. Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used to study the relationship and analyze the connection between variables. Results of PLS-SEM revealed that environmental consciousness (ß = 0.38; p = 0.001) and involvement degree (ß = 0.311; p = 0.001) have significant effects on respondent’s attitude in purchasing eco-friendly products. Moreover, both the environmental consciousness (ß = 0.423; p = 0.001) and involvement degree (ß = 0.46; p = 0.001) have direct significant effects in respondent’s behavior in purchasing eco-friendly products.   Based on the statistical analyses, this paper offers some further research directions to advance the extent of the literature. This study offers valuable insights for eco-friendly brands that offer products by indicating two important dimensions, which are the environmental consciousness and involvement degree of consumers upon purchasing.