Understanding purchase intention towards eco-friendly clothing for generation Y & Z

Green consumption and pro-environmental behaviour have attracted considerable attention from academic marketing scholars. From the South Asian perspective, investigation on environmental awareness, social recognition, and self-image building through green consumption is very limited, particularly for young generations. Therefore, this study seeks to comprehend the motives of consumers that belong to generations Y & Z towards green apparel purchases. The theoretical base integrates the (TBP) Theory of Planned Behaviour with three additional constructs of Environmental Apparel knowledge (EAK), Social Status (SS), Green self-concept (GSC). An online survey of 347 consumers belonging to generation Y & Z was conducted. For determining measurement and structural models, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM-PLS) was employed. The results indicated that Environmental Apparel Knowledge (EAK) and Green Self-concept (GSC) positively impact attitude towards green apparel, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC), and purchase intention towards green apparel. In contrast, Social Status (SS) only impacts subjective norms. Moreover, mediation analysis showed that attitude mediated all relationships between Environmental Apparel knowledge (EAK), Social Status (SS), Green self-concept (GSC), and purchase intention towards green apparel. However, perceived behavioural control only mediated Green self-concept (GSC) and purchase intention, while subjective norm did not mediate any relationship. The study contributes to the existing literature by examining young green consumers’ specific personal and social values. It highlighted the role of knowledge about environmental concerns in designing purchase intention strategies for emerging countries. Practical implications for marketers and policymakers were presented.