Antecedents of Green Purchasing Behavior among Malaysian Consumers Punitha Sinnappan and Azmawani Abd Rahman

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence green purchasing behaviors o consumers and observes if the factors affecting green purchasing behavior differ by demographic profile. Respon study were consumers from various age groups, education level, ethnic group, type of occupation and income level shows that the best predictor for green purchasing behavior is environmental attitude followed by perceived en responsibility; environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems, perceived effec environmental behavior and governments role. While for demographic variables, only age group is significant i the environmental factors. The result of the research can serve as a guideline for firms to strategize their marketing that caused buying behavior while analyzing the demographic characteristics would give firms better knowle targeting these groups of people. This study also offers practical guidelines to marketers who are planning t Malaysian market. The understanding on the changing consumption pattern of Malaysian consumers and t attachment, they gave to the environment provides useful insights that are especially pertinent to an improved unde green purchasing behavior in the South East Asia context.

INTRODUCTION The consumers spending pattern has been growing over the past decades. The manufacturing, processing and con goods involve the usage and damage of natural resources such as air, timber, fossil fuels ore and water. High cons exploitation of the nature have caused environmental deterioration. The more things people purchase, the contribution to the environment. The use of goods themselves creates toxic waste which becomes the pollutant to environmental problems have sources, several effects and the most prominently, a resolution. Therefore, the a environmental problems and the respond to these issues without delay is absolute necessary.

Malaysia is one of the earliest countries in the world that have taken a serious consideration regarding the env enacting the Environment Quality Act way back in 1974. Besides enacting acts about environmental protection, the has also formed the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, recently in order to cater the rising need and of green technology towards sustainable advancement. The ministry has enacted the National Green Technology after the formation of the ministry (Malaysia Green Forum, 2010). The government has taken a holistic approa known with the acronyms of AFFIRM for the sustainability of the environments. AFFIRM stands for Awaren Finance, Infrastructure, Research, development and commercialization and Marketing. This acronym is mainly obtain commitment from all stakeholders in committing towards the environmental protection in Malaysia (Ma Forum, 2010). The consumers preferences are changing over time. Although, people now-a-days are more aware of the environm some might have unpleasant perception towards environmentally friendly goods and less readiness to pay more for products. Firms need to be responsive to this socio-demographic change in order to remain competitive in the mark important challenge that marketers are facing now is thorough understanding on consumers behavior rega marketing and green purchasing.

While the demand is increasing, there have been very few studies conducted on green purchasing behavior (Tann 2003;Soonthonsmai, 2007; Lee, 2008; Cheah, 2009). Apart from this, the result varies either due to different count

as the origin or different samples were used. Together, the green marketing studies in Asian countries are re compare to Western countries (Lee, 2008). Thus, it is important to perform a study in the context of Asian cou Malaysia to understand their green purchasing behavior. Studies performed by Cheah (2009) and Chen and Chai ( an increased demand for green products in the Malaysian market. Their studies has offered understanding on green behavior however, limited to only a few determinants influencing consumers towards positive green purchasing fact, their studies which focused on young consumers have caused a query regarding other age groups perception towards green products. Generally, consumers who are aware of the environmental issues tend to have a positive attitude towards green However, a variety of factors typically can influence them. A number of individual drives and external factors determinants of such behavior. Therefore, this study is conducted to narrow the gap by studying the factors that inf purchasing behaviors of Malaysian consumers and the weight of these factors. Together, it is important to study i affecting green purchasing behavior differ by demographic profile.

Literature Green consumerism and green marketing: A green consumer is defined as consumers who are conscious of a in ecological issues (Soonthonsmai, 2007). They consider that all products and services have environmental imp initiative is to reduce them to the minimum. Consumer purchases green products when their prime requirement performance and easiness were achieved and when they realized how a green product could facilitate to answer en tribulations. The knowledge gap or skepticism towards the usage of green products would stop consumers themselves to any buying decisions. Poor description about green claims would always put the green consumers in this will lead to switching to better green products. According to Renner (2002) consumers are requesting for more reliable information about the society and ecolog the goods that they are purchasing besides the information that the product is environmentally friendly. Compani improving indicates that they are revising their policies and updating themselves with regards to the current en issues and fulfilling the changing needs of green consumers. Green marketing is the practices of advertising products or services by referring on their ecological advantage defined as the actions taken by firms that are concern about the environment or green problems by pr environmentally sound goods or services to build consumers and societys satisfaction (Soonthonsmai, 2007). defined traditional marketing as a mental position an attitude a way of conceiving the exchange relationship by entity offering their products to the market. Where else, green marketing was defined as the way to conceiv relationships that goes beyond the current needs of the consumers, considering at the same time the social interest the natural environment (Chamorro and Banegil, 2005). According to them, green marketing involves three playe consumers and the environment. Antecedents of green purchasing behavior: Factors influencing green purchasing behavior have been carried o in a develop countries. However, dominant factor that affect the green purchasing behavior in one country might be another due to the differences in cultural and socio-economic conditions of each countries. In fact, variab antecedents of green purchasing behavior are vary from one study to another. From the review of the literature, thi identified and tested eight antecedents of green purchasing behavior, namely; social influence, environmen environmental concern, perceived seriousness of environmental problems, perceived effectiveness of environmen perceived environmental responsibility, concern for self-image in environmental protection and the governments ro Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA): TRA was established by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) is used to argue that

attitudes and subjective norm towards environmental issues can influence their behavior and action towards green This theory includes consumers attitudes how these attitudes are formed and how other people could influence th This theory is also being used by many researchers from different fields in order to analyze humans behavior. marketing researches, TRA is used to explore purchasing intention or behavior of consumers (Mostafa, 2007; C The research framework is as follows (Fig. 1). The eight identified antecedents towards green purchasing are te eight hypotheses. Social influence: The social dynamic in which individual associate with other people by presenting similar identified as homophily (Ryan, 2001).

Fig. 1: Research framework In different words, it can be known as situations that an individual shares the same values, thoughts and beliefs a that they are communicating with. In a study done by Chen-Yu and Seock (2002), they had found that conformity b important factor for purchasing certain clothing among adolescents. The same result was obtained by Lee (2008) peer influence was the most important factor for Hong Kongs adolescents green purchasing behavior compare to o Thus, the hypothesis that is developed for this variable is as follow: H1 : There is a significant relationship between social influence and green purchasing behavior in Malaysia Environmental attitude: Lee (2008) stated that environmental attitude refers to the individuals value judgment an individuals cognitive assessment of the value of environmental protection. Some studies have identified a positive between environmental attitude and environmental behavior (Kotchen and Reiling, 2000). To date, a stud by Mostafa (2007) among Egyptian consumers and he has found that consumers attitude towards green purchase c their green purchase intention and directly affects their actual green purchase behavior. Referring to this, it can be p H2 : There is a significant relationship between environmental attitude and green purchasing behavior in Malaysia Environmental concern: Environmental concern can be known as affective traits that can signify an individu consideration, likings and dislikes about the environment (Yeung, 2004). Few studies were done on environme (Barr et al., 2003; Milfont and Duckitt, 2004). Mostafa (2007) has indicated in his study that environmental conce an essential factor for marketers as they can easily target environmentally conscious consumers. High level of en concern is expected due to the health issues (Said et al., 2003). Meanwhile, young consumer in Hong Kong b

environmental concern is the 2nd top predictor of green purchasing behavior (Lee, 2008). By referencing the exist on environmental concern, it is hypothesized that: H3 : There is a significant relationship between environmental concern and green purchasing behavior in Malaysia Perceived seriousness of environmental problems: People in Asian countries rate environmental problems as than those who reside in Western countries (Lee, 2009). It is also believed that media plays a major role in e seriousness of environmental problems to consumers (Moser and Uzzell, 2003). Lee (2008) found that teenagers p seriousness of environmental problems as the least important factor in influencing the green purchasing behavior behind this was known due to desensitization in which adolescents respond negatively to repetitive exposures. H result might be different in different context of study. Thus, the hypothesis for this variable is defined as: H4 : There is a significant relationship between perceived seriousness of environmental problems and green purch behavior in Malaysia Perceived environmental responsibility: Lai (2000) has reported that citizens in Hong Kong have att environmental knowledge and thus they are really aware of the environmental problems. However, the environmental responsibilities were generally weak. Lai (2000) has also identified that the consumers are lookin policies to solve the environmental problem and yet they are reluctant to get themselves engaged with tho Additionally, the study done by Lee (2008) among Hong Kongs young consumers revealed that the perceived en responsibility factor was found to be the fourth important predictor of green purchasing behavior. Thus, this stu that: H5 : There is a significant relationship between perceived environmental responsibility and green purchasing beha Malaysia Perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior: Perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior is persons perception that if each individuals involves himself in pro-environmental behaviors, he would contribut environment. This perception might be true and this factor was the fifth predictor of green purchasing behavior a consumers in Hong Kong (Lee, 2008). Lee (2008) further stressed the perception that ones action could make a another important factor in influencing adolescent consumers decision to buy green products or not. By this, the h derived as: H6 : There is a significant relationship between perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior and green purch behavior in Malaysia Concern for self-image in environmental protection: In studies about adolescence, identity formation is fou most important factor (Sharp et al., 2007). Waterman (2004) found that individuals are likely to engage in activities their actual identities. This is related to the studies done by Mannetti et al. (2004) in which a persons se environmentally responsible has significant relationship with the intentions to engage in recycling. Together, the f image in environmental protection was also found as the influencer of green purchasing intention among adolesc 2009). Lee (2008) also found that this factor was the third predictor of green purchasing behavior among the Hong consumers. Thus, it is posited that: H7 : There is a significant relationship between concern for self-image in environmental protection and green purc behavior in Malaysia Governments role: A lot of people believe that protecting the environment is the responsibility of the gove though when they have portrayed high environmental concern (Tsen et al., 2006). Ministry of the Environmen reported that the government is playing a major role in endorsing green purchasing in Japan and thus, increases th and consumption of environmentally friendly products. In contrast to Taiwan, even though there was a strong supp

government for green marketing, the consumption of green products has decreased due to poor quality (Lee, Malaysian government has taken serious action towards environmental sustainability through various pr establishments. Contrasting results between Japan and Korea with regards to government role towards green purc it necessary to investigate this issue within the context of Malaysian consumers. Therefore, it is hypothesized that: H8 : There is a significant relationship between governments role and green purchasing in Malaysia Demographic profile: The identification of demographic variables on consumer behavior would be helpful for perform segmentation or targeting their consumers. Soonthonsmai noted that consumers green purchase intention correlation with different age and income group but education was found does not influence the intention to pu products. Studies done by Ottman et al. (2006) found that younger generations accept new or innovative ideas be to older people. Result from several studies have revealed that male and female have significant dissimilarity in en attitude in which female showed more positive attitude compared to the males (Tikka et al., 2000; Zelezny et al., 20 al., 2005; Lee, 2009). However, this is contradict to a study done recently by Chen and Chai (2010) who found significant differences among males and females in environmental attitude or green purchasing behavior. The indicated that demographic variables have less explanatory power compare to psychographic variables. Howe by Chen and Chai (2010) only focused on undergraduates students. Working adults with dissimilar gender could be terms of green purchasing behavior. Therefore, demographic variables such as gender, age, ethnic group, edu occupation and income level will be considered in this study. Thus, the hypotheses are derived as: H9a : Attitudes towards antecedents of green purchasing behavior vary by gender H9b : Attitudes towards antecedents of green purchasing behavior vary by age H9c : Attitudes towards antecedents of green purchasing behavior vary by ethnic group H9d : Attitudes towards antecedents of green purchasing behavior vary by education level H9e : Attitudes towards antecedents of green purchasing behavior vary by occupation H9f : Attitudes towards antecedents of green purchasing behavior vary income level Table 1: Summary of questionnaire

MATERIALS AND METHODS Research instrument: The sampling design that is used in this study is non-probability sampling where the elem have a known or predetermined chance of being selected as subjects (Sekaran, 2003). The questionnaires that w structured close-ended questions and they were distributed within Peninsular Malaysia. This questionnaire is de questions for each variable and it is divided into two parts: part A and B. Part A contains statements relating to an consumers green purchasing behavior. The items were adopted and modified from studies done by Lee (2008) a Chai (2010). Five point likert scale ranging from 1 strongly disagree to 5 strongly agree were used. Table 1 show

variables and total items used for each variable. Meanwhile, part B requests the respondents to provide some d themselves. This generally covers the demographic profile of the respondents such as gender, age, ethnic grou level, occupation and income level. Data collection: The method of data collection that was practiced in this study was personally administered questi the end of data collection period, a total of 204 usable questionnaires were used for data analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Reliability analysis: Table 2 shows the groupings of items for the variables and its reliability score. The reliability used to explain the nine variables are all above the minimum recommended threshold of 0.6 and thus, no items we improve the internal consistency. Bivariate pearson correlation analysis: This analysis (Table 3) is <0.6. The results obtained from this analysis indicate the effect of multicollinearity among independent variables. The result also explains that six factors out of seem to have positive relationship and are vital in explaining the green purchasing behavior. The initial correlation the predictor for green purchasing behavior would be environmental attitude (r = 0.955) followed by perceived en responsibility (r = 0.913), environmental concern (r = 0.821), perceived seriousness of environmental problems perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior (r = 0.293) and governments role (r = 0.212). The remaining t namely social influence and concern for self-image were insignificant and therefore were eliminated in the followin Multiple regression analysis: This analysis was conducted to test hypothesis 1-8 hypothesis. Results indicate independent variables have significant relationship in explaining the consumers green purchasing behavior (r = 0.9 94.5% of the variance of dependent variable can be explained by the variance of the independent variables (r = 0 4). The equation for the estimated regression can be written in a standard format as follows (Table 5):
2

Where:

Y = Green purchasing behaviour X1 = Environmental attitude X2 = Environmental concern X3 = Perceived seriousness of environmental problems X4 = Perceived environmental responsibility X5 = Perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour X6 = Governments role t-test and one-way ANOVA: These analyses were used to test hypothesis nine (relationships between demograp and antecedent of green purchasing behavior). Based on the results obtained only age group (Table 6) seemed to b in explaining the environmental factors. In other words, different age group has different perceptions on the en factors. By looking at the computed means (Table 7) respondents who were <20 years old (adolescence) appeare that the factors are highly important to them compared to adults. By this, H9a, H9c, H9d, H9e and H9f are rejected accepted. Table 2: Reliability analysis

Note: refers to items that are reverse coded Table 3: Pearson correlation analysis among variables

*Significant at p<0.01, **Significant at p<0.05, ***Significant at p<0.1. SI = Social Influence; EA = Environmental Attitude; EC = Environmental Concern; PSEP = Perceived Seriousness of Environmental Problems; PER = Perceived Environmental Responsibility; PEEB = Perceived Effectiveness of Environmental Behavior; CSI = Concern for Self-image; GR = Governments Role This study has mainly fulfilled the research objectives. It has identified the factors that could contribute to purchasing behavior and the demographic characteristic that plays an important role in influencing the factors that

the green purchasing behavior. The result obtained shows some differences when compared to previous studies.

Table 4:

Model summary and ANOVA

Table 5: Regression coefficients

Table 6: ANOVA measuring the effect of age on the factors affecting green purchasing behavior

Table 7: Descriptive of ANOVA measuring the effect of age on the factors affecting green purchasing behaviour

AG = Age Group; N; M = Mean; EA = Environmental Attitude; EC = Environmental Concern; PSEP = Perceived Seriousness of Environmental Problems; PER = Perceived Environmental Responsibility; PEEB = Perceived Effectiveness of Environmental Behavior; GR = Governments Role

This is possibly due to the different sample used as most of previous studies (Lee, 2008; Cheah, 2009; Chen and which only focused on adolescents. Among the eight independent variables suggested in this study, environmental found to be the top predictor of green purchasing behavior (r = 0.955). Referring to Lee (2008), this variable was only ranked as second last predictor as she believes that adolescents emotional attachments compared to rational attachments. However, the result of this study is in line with Peattie acknowledged the need and the importance of rational or attachment towards green marketing. Environmental atti the consumers value finding and how it taps their cognitive assessment of the value of environmental protection Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) has also pointed out that an individual will always behave in foundation to his a Perceived environmental responsibility is the second top predictor of green purchasing behavior (r = 0.913). This sh consumers in Malaysia are aware of their responsibility in protecting the environment for healthy living. individuals own perceived responsibility, it is impossible to create positive green purchasing behavior. The colle of consumers consumption pattern which increases the damage to the environments creates a sense of responsi them. At the same time, consumers also believe that the responsibility should not be portrayed only by the citizens responsibility of everyone in which it highly includes companies that produces goods. This creates a environmentally friendly products. The 3rd top predictor of green purchasing behavior is environmental concern This result is consistent with Lee (2008) who found environmental concern as the second top predictor of green behavior. Concern can be highly related to worries and consideration (Yeung, 2004). Consumers who relativel concern on the environment often consider on how the quality of the environment can be improved and they wou engage themselves in buying environmentally friendly products. This is mainly because they would know the re environmental issues such as pollution and how it can be resolved easily. Thus, behavioral practices related to envi be achieved if the individual believes the countrys environmental quality is his main concern. Among the remaining factors, perceived seriousness of environmental problems is the 4th predictor of green behavior (r = 0.725). This factor showed a positive correlation with green purchasing behavior and this impli individual perceive, the environmental problems to be very serious they would highly engage in purchasing gre This result is contradict to Lee (2008) who found negative relationship and believes that it is due to desensitizati depressing visuals on the environmental problems would create high ignorance among adolescents in Hong Kon this study reveals that consumers in Malaysia would really take severe action if it involves their health. Thus, technique of highlighting the seriousness of the countrys environmental problems would create a positive behavio Malaysian consumers. The 5th predictor that explain the green purchasing behavior is perceived effectiveness of en behavior (r = 0.293). This is related to a persons perception that if each individuals involves himself in pro-en behaviors he would contribute a lot to the environment. As known, an individuals consumption pattern is highly with the production of waste materials. Thus, those who believe that they can provide significant difference by environmental protection they would purchase green products to reduce the amount of waste. Consumers believ than assuming the environmental protection is an individuals attempt, it would be better if it is known as collective

Lastly, governments role is another predictor of green purchasing behavior (r = 0.212). Besides individuals resp protecting the environment, consumers believe that the government also plays an important role in building green behavior among its people. This result is similar to Tsen et al. (2006) who suggested that although the consume environmental concern but they still consider that government plays a major role. Government can ban produ hazardous to the environment and also to the health of the public. Enforcing rules and regulation will also promo concentration by companies on production of green products. At the same time, campaigns and environmental ed are given to the public would enhance their green purchasing behavior. Contradict to studies by Lee (2008), Cheah (2009) and Wahid et al. (2011), social influence in this study was insignificant towards green purchasing behavior. This is mainly because of the sample frame used by them. Adoles to give much importance on social marketing in influencing their peers to purchase products that are environment (Cheah, 2009). As different age groups have been included in this study, it seems to be irrelevant as adults influenced by friends easily compare to the younger generations. The same result was obtained for concern fo variable as it is insignificant towards green purchasing behavior. Adolescence seems to perceive self-image as a criterion when they make a purchase and they are highly involved in identity-and-approval-seeking (Lee, 2008). In contrast, adults are more focused in decision making that involves rationality and cognition (Peattie, 2001). The be said that this factor seems sensitive to age groups in predicting consumers green purchasing behavior. Age grou show a significant relationship with antecedent of green purchasing behavior. Younger generations who are the have stronger perceptions on the environmental factors compared to the adults. Other demographic variables suc ethnic group, education level, occupation and income level did not show any relationship towards the factors that green purchasing behavior. This implies that irrespective to these demographic variables, everyone has equal towards the environmental factors. Implications of the study: Marketers, basically are facing a lot of challenges in convincing the consumers toward the green products. In order to be successful in this, it involves an understanding of the route that shifts the en factors to green purchasing behavior. By getting themselves prepared on this, marketers would be able to creat marketing strategies. At the same time, those manufacturers and producers can also get benefits out of the result ob study. Understanding that environmental attitude is the main predictor, closing the gap would lead towards higher consume green products. According to Baker and Ozaki (2008), consumers have highly engaged in recycling of wa such as bottles and studys as they are consistently provided with information about recycling and its benefits. This information is highly important to change the attitude of consumers towards green purchasing behavior. Schiffma (2010) stated that consumers basically have a strong need to know and enthusiasm about things that they encounte also indicated that fulfilling the need to know interest would develop the consumers attitude towards the produc knowledge function can be known as one of the best strategy to change the attitude of consumers towards a fav purchasing behavior. As the consumers are well educated and informed about the importance of preserving the environment, responsibility need to be incorporated in the marketing efforts of the company. Lee (2008) has given a suggestion message such as each of us is responsible to save our earth. By doing this, the marketers can create a feel of high among consumers towards the message and further increases the intention of personal contribution and importance in particular purchase decision. At the same time, environmental concern which is highly known as emotional appeals or affective componen integrated in the marketing efforts to increase the consumers sense of responsibility and involvement in buying

environmentally friendly products.

Fig. 2: A simple representation of Tricomponent attitude model Schiffman and Kanuk (2010) have mentioned that emotional cues are important in enhancing positive or negative that would later affect what comes to the mind of the individual and how the individual acts. Referring to the abo marketing efforts and messages that need to be conveyed to consumers can be best explained using the Tricompo model. The marketer should include both cognitive (rational) and affective (emotional) cues in their me combination of these two cues would increase the likelihood that the consumers will have favorable intention to purchases and this reflects the conative component of the model. Figure 2 shows the Tricomponent attitude model. Looking at the next predictor, perceived seriousness of environmental problems would also induce green purchasi This allows the marketers to identify the current environmental problems that need to be dealt urgently and produ that could somewhat reduce the problem. This involves product development based on current environmental simple example can be used to further explain this suggestion. The usage of polystyrenes in food packaging seriously, affecting the country as it is not biodegradable and also hazardous to the health. Thus, any packaging friendly and could replace polystyrenes would be highly demanded by consumers.

Next is perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior. This indicates how much difference that one individual he could contribute towards the environment by engaging in pro-environmental behavior. Thus, what marketers educating them on the benefits of their products and how much each individual would contribute to the surroundin when the product is used frequently. For example, there are many companies that are producing goods from rec materials such as recycling rubbers and produce goods such as glove, flippers, doormat and shoes. At such situation who purchase these goods would indirectly encourage recycling of waste rubbers and reduce the usage of raw rubb marketers can conduct campaigns and exhibitions to educate the consumers about their products. Together, sales can be carried out to stimulate purchasing intention.

Malaysian government has also involved in stimulating green purchasing behavior among the consumers. Thro approach like AFFIRM (Awareness, Faculty, Finance, Infrastructure, Research, development and commercia Marketing), the government is involving all stakeholders in the country to make it a realization. The financia proposed by the government encourage the companies to produce environmentally friendly products. Malaysian

also encourages the manufacturers within the country to partner with foreign green institutions for mutual benef Green Forum, 2010). Lastly, younger generation believes that the environmental factors are very much important green purchasing behavior compare to the adults. This shows that the adolescence are highly informed and educat importance of protecting and preserving the environment for the benefit of all. This also explains that this group of future prospect for green products. CONCLUSION Integrating both cognitive and affective elements in the messages conveyed to consumers would make them to responsible. At the same time, understanding the seriousness of the environmental problems that the country produce eco-friendly products would very much attract the consumers towards positive intention of purchase. Con need to be taught on the importance of each individuals contribution to the environment as through such ways, coll can be achieved. Without good education, they will not understand how the green products are benefiting the surroundings. As governments strategic decision are also influencing consumers towards green purchasing, com take advantage of the incentives and policies established by government to better serve their customers according t and wants. By considering the environmental factors, the green market is found to be growing while providing op new entrants. As segmenting and targeting always move together with marketing strategies, green market segmented and targeted. Different age groups have different perceptions towards the environmental factors. Ado indicated a bigger market to be penetrated in the future.

Lastly by understanding, the environmental factors that have high tendency to influence consumers green purchasi marketers will be able to create the intention towards the purchase. Together, other elements such as price, quality, high performance need to be integrated to reach the actual purchasing decision.

RECOMMENDATIONS This study has investigated the general view of consumers towards the purchases of green products. Thus, future be focused on consumers green purchasing behavior in regards to eco-label, green packaging, biodegradable m hazardous metal-free utensils. This can be done either by focusing on the industry such as food, agriculture an appliances or studying on the specific type of green products such as fertilizers, unleaded petrol, biodegradable pa free batteries and hybrid cars. Other than that as age group seemed to have significant differences in how they factors affecting green purchasing behavior, future study can be focused on age differences in consumers green behavior. Age group can be treated as moderating variable on the relation between environmental factors ( variable) and green purchasing behavior (dependent variable). This will be very helpful for the marketer to plan the strategies according to their target market who comprises of different age groups.

This study has used cross-sectional designs in which it identifies the past or current behavior of consumers reg purchases. However, the behavior might change over time and thus, longitudinal designs might be appropriate changes. By this, the theoretical framework used in this study would provide more information if it is ap longitudinal designs.

http://www.medwelljournals.com/fulltext/?doi=ibm.2011.129.139

survey of consumer behaviour towards eco friendly

22 jan

You've heard about it for years noweveryones interested in being green. But do you really know how your personal choices are adding up? What about the choices of your fellow citizens? What behaviors are people adopting globally that have a positive impact on ?environmental sustainability? What has changedand what hasntin the past few years This is the third year National Geographic has partnered with GlobeScan to develop an international research approach to measure and monitor consumer progress towards environmentally sustainable consumption. The key objectives of this unprecedented consumer tracking survey are to provide regular quantitative measures of consumer behavior and to promote sustainable consumption. Why? We want to inspire action both among the millions that the National Geographic brand touches worldwide, and among others who will hear about this study. A chief component of this effort is giving people a better idea of how consumers in different countries are doing in taking action to preserve our planet by tracking, reporting, and promoting environmentally sustainable consumption and citizen behavior. This quantitative consumer study of 17,000 consumers in a total of 17 countries (14 in 2008) asked about such behavior as energy use and conservation, transportation choices, food sources, the relative use of green products versus traditional products, attitudes towards the environment and sustainability, and knowledge of environmental issues. A group of international experts helped us determine the behaviors that were most critical to investigate. The result: the third annual National Geographic/GlobeScan "Consumer Greendex," a scientifically derived sustainable consumption index of actual consumer behavior and material lifestyles across 17 countries. We will continue to track the Greendex over time, including comparability across the selection of countries representing both the developed and developing world.

Overall Results
In their third annual survey to measure and monitor consumer behaviors that have an impact on the environment, the National Geographic Society and the international polling firm GlobeScan have found that environmentally friendly behavior among consumers in 10 out of 17 countries has increased over the past year. The survey results show that environmentally friendly consumer behavior, as measured by the Greendex, has now increased from 2008 levels in all but one of the 14 countries polled in both 2008 and 2010. By environmentally friendly consumer behavior, we mean peoples transportation patterns, household energy and resource use, consumption of food and everyday consumer goods, and what consumers are doing to minimize the impact these activities have on the environment. Greendex 2010: Consumer Choice and the Environment A Worldwide Tracking Survey is a comprehensive measure of consumer behavior in 65 areas relating to housing, transportation, food and consumer goods. Greendex 2010 ranks average consumers in 17

countries according to the environmental impact of their consumption patterns and is the only survey of its kind. As in 2008, the top-scoring consumers of 2010 are in the developing economies of India, Brazil, China, in descending order. American consumers behavior still ranks as the least sustainable of all countries surveyed since the inception of the survey three years ago, followed by Canadian, French and British consumers. Consumers in emerging economies continue to round out the top tier of the Greendex ranking, while the six lowest scores were all earned by consumers in industrialized countries. Consumers registering the largest 2010 vs. 2008 increase in environmentally sustainable consumer behavior were the Indians, Russians and Americans. Environmentally sustainable behavior among average consumers in India, China, Mexico, Russia, Hungary, Japan, Great Britain, and Canada has also increased steadily each year. In contrast, consumers in Germany, Spain, Sweden, France and South Korea have slipped slightly over the past year.

/http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/greendex on 22 jan

important things about eco fashion

The National Association of Sustainable Fashion Designers is one of those organizations. Its purpose is to assist entrepreneurs with growing fashion related businesses that create social change and respect the environment. Sustainable Designers provides specialized triple bottom line education, training, and access to tools and industry resources that advance creative, innovative and high impact businesses. The organizations mission is to create social change through design and fashion related businesses by providing education, training and programs that are transformative to the industry and to cultivate collaboration, sustainability and economic growth. According to Earth Pledge, a non-profit organization (NPO) committed to promoting and supporting sustainable development, "At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment, and still two thirds of a garment's carbon footprint will occur after it is purchased."[2] http://earthpledge.org/ff 0n 22 jan

disease from non organic clothing

Clothing has a lot of chemicals that a normal consumer may never know about in his lifetime. On an average, six hundred dyes and chemicals are used, the most common being, aldrin, benzo and chlorolane. (Cantoria, 2010) These chemicals can have from minor effects on the consumers body, such as rashes and allergies, to major skin problems and other lung and kidney problems. Chemicals in clothes can also cause prostate, pancreas, liver and bladder cancer.(Cantoira, 2010). But, most of these diseases are contracted by workers who work in factories. The paradox here is that we cannot keep buying clothes that are so harmful to us and yet we cannot make clothes with out them. Even though clothes have many chemicals in them, they can also be produced without the overwhelming use of chemicals. Clothes can be produced by using crops that are grown organically. Such clothing is known as organic clothing. In organic clothing, the crops that http://galileoweb.org/aoht/fi les/2011/04/ResearchPaper-ClothingIndustryHowWeCanMakeItEcoFriendlyAmandeep.pdf on 22 jan

Reusable cycle bag

A reusable shopping bag, sometimes called bag for life is a type of shopping bag which can be reused several times: this is an alternative of single use paper or plastic bags. It is often made from fabric such as canvas, woven synthetic fibers, or a thick plastic that is more durable than disposable plastic bags, allowing multiple use. Reusable shopping bags are a kind of carrier bags, which are available for sale in supermarkets and apparel shops. Reusable shopping bags require more energy to produce than common plastic shopping bags. One reusable bag requires the same amount of energy as an estimated 28 traditional plastic shopping bags or eight paper bags.[1] An unpublished report from the UK's Environment Agency found that when compared to a traditional plastic bag, a canvas or cotton reusable bag would have to be reused a total of 171 times to offset the higher carbon emissions. The same study found however that the average cotton bag is used only 51 times before being thrown away.

History First introduced in the US in 1977, plastic shopping bags for bagging groceries at stores flourished in the 1980s and 1990s, replacing paper bags.[citation needed] In 1990s, governments in some countries started to impose taxes on distribution of disposable plastic bags or to regulate the use of them. Supermarkets increasingly discourage consumers from using disposable plastic bags and offer alternative reusable shopping bags with small prices, providing information on environmental damage associated with plastic bags.[3] Because of these encouragements, reusable shopping bags are gradually taking place beside plastic bags. The shape of reusable shopping bags which are now becoming popular is usually different from what they used to be before the prevalence of plastic bags. The apparel industry promotes reusable shopping bags as sustainable fashion.

Small retailers offerings eco clothing Prema Clothing A Toronto based team providing you with clothing and apparel solutions. In our changing times, we are here to fill the gap between wanting to do the more responsible and more eco-friendly thing and doing it. We provide you, our customer, with many organic and sustainable options for your custom apparel and accessories printing. ecomum ecomum has expanded its inventory to include organic clothing for adults and kids, as well as hemp and other alternative fabrics, reusable swim diapers, detergents, baby carrying slings, waldorf toys and more. Axis Gear Torontos eco-friendly screen printer. (Organic cotton, bamboo, hemp) Eco-ganik Organic, natural and sustainable fashion should be a staple, not a luxury. We want to give the eco-minded customer a lot of options for her wardrobe for any occasion. If we can offer a beautiful garment, at a comparable price, why not choose ecofriendly? We are a young, chic, modern brand and we want to emphasize that you can look amazing on the outside and feel good about it on the inside. Eco-Ganik is the go-to brand

for any earth conscious, fashion savvy girl. Were making the world a better place, one outfit at a time. Ecosandals A non-profit importer and reseller of sandals produced by Akala Designs Limited, a cooperative business based in Nairobi, Kenya. This astonishing international ebusiness, based in one of Nairobis most destitute neighborhoods, currently employs nearly 30 Kenyans in the designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling of really great sandals made with recycled tire treads. grace & cello we only work with fabrics that we can justify as having a minimal impact on the environment, and we weigh the pros and cons of every fabric we use in our collections Hemp & Company Specializes in selling environmentally sustainable products that are well known for their effective use of land and water resources. We manufacture our own clothes using hemp and organic cotton blends and we manufacture in Vancouver, Canada. Lela Designs Putting the green in ladies golf! Our fashion forward designs have been on the forefront of the eco luxury golf niche for years and each season we better our practices creating more choices for the earth loving consumer. Linda Loudermilk Redefines sustainability with design that gives back to the earth. Linda Loudermilk clothing outfits the movement, providing the uniform for this new kind of earth warrior an infusion of hope for an abused but resilient planet. Loomstate Launched in New York City in 2004 by designer Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn, Loomstate was founded as a casual brand dedicated to creating demand for certified organic cotton using socially and environmentally responsible methods of production. The Healthy Hemp Guy Mens, womens and childrens hemp clothing.

People Tree For every beautiful garment People Tree makes, there's an equally beautiful change happening somewhere in the world. We like to think of it in terms of our little shoots-and-roots motif. We provide you with exclusive fashion - the shoots - while at the same time we work deep down through the roots, improving the lives and environment of the artisans and farmers in developing countries who work to produce it. It's Fair Trade throughout. Efforts 15 years ago we started by supplying companies with eco-friendly Hemp fabrics to Wholesalers, Designers, Internet and other Eco-Friendly businesses across North America. Since then, we've grown with the industry and evolved into designing and making a quality line-up of clothes and accessories for the whole family. (Bamboo & Soy as well) LivEco We are a friendly Canadian online retailer of Eco-friendly products worldwide, with a dominant focus on hemp clothing and home products. Based in Ontario Canada, we pride ourselves with having fair pricing, great shipping options and follow up service. With our main emphases on Environmental Consciousness, you can rest assured knowing that our product line is all about Eco-Friendliness. Green is Black Retails womens and mens green clothing, eco clothing, shoes, and accessories created by cutting edge designers who use hemp, organic cotton, bamboo, and soy, as well as reclaimed, recycled and vintage materials. We only deal with manufacturers who employ fairly paid labour practices: this eliminates the dilemma of choosing between fashion and ethics. Salts Organic Clothing All of Salts Organic Clothing is designed and produced in North America. This is important to us because we want to support the communities that we live and play in. Salts clothing is made of the highest quality organic fabrics available and we

are constantly seeking beautiful new fabrics to work with.

http://platinum.lambton.on.ca/bsi/mcfilemanager/files/templates/pdf_docs/en viromentallyfriendlyclothingfinal-1.pdf on 22 jan

brands offering eco garments

Eco-friendly is the buzz word among apparel makers worldwide and also in India. Of course, being eco-friendly has acquired a business sense in retail too. No wonder, top apparel brands like Woodland, Wills Lifestyle, Van Heusen, Benetton, SKNL, et al are betting big on eco-friendly lines to woo the environment-conscious consumer. Arindam Saha, Associate VP-Fashion & Textiles at Technopak explains Eco friendly clothing is a relatively new trend for apparel industry. Worldwide, retailers and brands are coming up with line of clothing that is eco friendly, without compromising on the style and fashion quotient. Even brands such as Versace, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney are using eco friendly materials to create their specific clothing line. In India too there has been increased consumer awareness about sustainability and ecofriendly nature of products and processes. According to Energy Alternatives India, the share of eco friendly clothing in India will rise from current 1 per cent of the total market of Rs 32,000 to 5 per cent in 2015, reaching Rs 1,500 crores thats almost 40 per cent CAGR for the next five years. IN INDIA eco clothes gain popularity from thelaunch of designer Anita Dongre's label Grassroot, in 2007. In Dongres own words Grassroot believes machines cannot substitute the skills, especially those that require human touch, and they need to be encouraged in order to sustain and continue. It is our endeavor to revive these crafts and present them in a way that appeals to every fashion conscious consumer. It uses cellulosic or other organic fibers like viscose, modal, bamboo jersey fabrics that are recyclable and do not cause any harm to the environment. It also stresses on the use of use of natural and vegetable dyes which do not cause any industrial effluence, and the waste products are re-used in the form of manure.

Important

Awareness about eco friendly clothing has been growing so much so that retailers too are encouraging manufacturers to opt for a production cycle using

less water, leading to water conversation. Woodland for example, has been among the first companies in the early 2000 to start innovating green products and processes. We are a green company with focus on reducing our carbon footprint not only through the product lines, processes and supply chain but also through our stores and corporate communication. The aim is to promote a sustainable business model and serve as a benchmark in the retail industry for best green practices, says Amol Dhillon, VP-Strategic Planning, Aero Group. The brand scientifically calculates the carbon footprint of their products through third party firms to follow strict international norms. Reduction of water usage, recycling the waste and water, using solar panels for lighting are some of the many ways they have gone green. They offer bio-degradable shoes; use vegetable tanned leathers which use tanning processes followed hundreds of years ago and is organic. As the name suggests the concept behind the brand Do U Speak Green is environment conservation. Our inspiration came about due to the absence of smart looking clothing for the nature lover and absence of organic clothing in India, explains Shishir Goenka, Director, Fusion Clothing. His passion for wildlife preservation has made him decide to contribute 10 per cent of sales for the environment. Similarly, Ludhiana-based brand UV&W makes clothing that are skin friendly and good for the ecology as the cotton is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. We find an immense scope for eco friendly apparel in the future to the extent that it will replace all inorganic apparel, avers Rajat Misra, VP-Marketing and Designing. Among the big brands Van Heusen, the apparel brand from Madura Garments, launched its green range of apparel last year. The range has seen a healthy demand for organic clothing. In fact, wary of how the market will receive such a line, the brand started with a limited edition, but soon saw it flying off shelves. Similarly, Levi's, which already retails organic jeans in the US market, has an organic line for male and female denims called Levis-Eco. While the cotton used by the company for making jeans is organic, the button on the waistband is made of coconut shell. There are no metal rivets, the dye is from natural compounds including indigo, and the label is from recycled cardboard. Dhillon gives the big picture as he sums up: Being eco-friendly is in not only about a T-shirt or a shoe, the reduced resource consumption and overall impact of the brand in leaving a green footprint is the whole big pic

http://www.fashionunited.in/news/fashion/green-impact-eco-friendly-brands-all-for-acause-280920112549 on 22 jan brands offering jeans

Levi Strauss The name synonymous with jeans has evolved and produced two eco friendly lines:Levis Eco and Levis Captial E. Whats the difference? Eco is made with all or a large percentage of organic cotton, while Capital E features all organic cotton, as well as recycled buttons, rivets, zippers and natural indigo dyes. Both lines feature the same style and quality that made this brand famous. www.levistrauss.com

http://www.whiteapricot.com/fab_finds/rm_top_organic_denim_lines.php0n 22 jan