Identifying factors that influence green purchase behaviour

Abstract

Through the worldwide concern on the problems facing the environment such as climate change and pollutions, consumers realise that their purchasing behaviour can further contribute to the depletion of natural resources. Thus, it became apparent that the global environment requires significant attention. Green purchasing (GP) is an important part of sustainable consumption and businesses quickly started analysing the green purchasing behaviour of consumers in order to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. This study attempts to close the gap by exploring the possible factors that influence green purchasing behaviour. An existing conceptual model was used to analyse the factors influencing the green consumer’s buying behaviour. The data were collected through means of a questionnaire and the influential factors were determined by making use of descriptive statistics as well as exploratory factor analysis. The sample adequacy was measured through Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin whilst sphericity was determined through Barlett’s test. Cronbach Alpha was also used in the study to test the appropriateness of the collected data for factor analysis. Seven factors, namely: Environmental knowledge, Environmental beliefs, Environmental concern, Environmental awareness, Environmental attitude, Environmental social consciousness and Purchase intention were identified. The study contributes by providing a valid questionnaire to measure green buying behaviour of South African consumers whilst also providing a measure of current green buying behaviour.