Understanding the Relationship Between Different Facets of Materialism and Attitude Toward Green Products

Abstract

The economic philosophy of growth focuses on the idea of utility maximization and ignores the environmental impact of such growth. Resources are getting depleted in countries that have an increasing population. Therefore, for a sustainable future, there is a need to turn the behavior of people toward environment-friendly actions. The marketing strategies that promote environmental benefits are unable to entice consumers into buying green products. One possible reason for the failure of green marketing strategies in increasing sales can be the rise in the materialistic value of individuals. This paper investigates in the Indian context the impact of rising materialism on attitude toward green products, through environmental beliefs, and specific beliefs regarding green products, such as perceived behavioral control (PBC) and subjective norms. We collected data of four hundred valid respondents from an online survey and analyzed it using PLS-SEM. The study found that materialistic values tend to eliminate environmental concerns by establishing a negative relationship with environmental beliefs that further, has a negative influence on PBC, subjective norms and attitudes toward green products. The article also guides policymakers and practitioners for promoting green products by evaluating individuals’ beliefs, norms, and values.

Keywords:

• Materialistic values
• environmental beliefs
• attitude toward green products
• subjective norms
• perceived behavioral control (PBC)