The psychological determinants of the green consumer

Abstract

During the last years, environmental issues have received increasing attention by the general population, consumers, governments, companies and researchers. Effectively, consumers are now aware that their behavior is likely to influence the environment, and thus have a greater concern when they choose products to buy and consume. Governments attempt to promote policies of environmental sustainability, and companies recognize that the adoption of a socially responsible positioning and the offering of green products are critical factors to develop and maintain a competitive advantage. In this context, the present work intends to study the determinants of purchase behavior of green products based on the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Based on a sample of employees of a Portuguese company in Portugal with national geographic coverage, we concluded that the variables attitude, subjective norm, and perceived control influence the behavioral intention of buying green products