ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND CONSUMER CHOICE EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF GREEN MARKETING ON ECO-LABEL PURCHASING BEHAVIOR OF GENERATION Z CONSUMERS IN CHINA
Keywords:
Environmental Issues, Consumer Choice,Green Marketing, Chinese Generation Z Consumers, Eco-labeling Purchasing BehaviorAbstract
Abstract: Since the industrial revolution in the 18th century, due to the process of industrialization, urbanization and the improvement of human health, the pollutants and wastes discharged by human beings have increased and the degree of multi-resource appropriation has deepened, the ecological and environmental problems have become more and more prevalent and prominent, which have affected the interests and lives of most members of the society, and to a certain extent, have made the operation of the society dysfunctional. The continuous expansion of material goods and desires has gradually made environmental problems a social issue. This study aims to explore the close connection between environmental issues and consumer choices, with a special focus on the influence of eco-labeled product purchasing behaviors of Chinese Generation Z consumers and an in-depth study of the role of green marketing strategies in shaping their consumer attitudes and behaviors. Adopting the theory of rational behavior as the core guiding theory, this study provides an in-depth analysis of Chinese Generation Z consumer behavior through a comprehensive literature review and quantitative research methods. The results of this study show that Chinese Generation Z consumers are increasingly concerned about environmental issues in their purchasing decisions, and eco-labeling has become one of the most important factors they consider when shopping. At the same time, the use of green marketing strategies, such as environmental messaging, sustainable production practices, and social responsibility campaigns, has had a positive impact on shaping their environmental awareness and purchase intentions. This study not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the environmental behaviors of Chinese Generation Z consumers, but also provides valuable insights for companies and marketing decision makers to develop more appealing and sustainable product marketing strategies to meet the needs of this group and to promote the spread and enhancement of environmental awareness among consumers.
References
Bearden, W. O. & Etzel, M. J. 1982. Reference Group Influence on Product and Brand Purchase Decisions. Journal of Consumer Research 9(2): 183-194.
Carter, R. 1988. Green marketing: Challenges and opportunities for the new marketing age. Green Marketing: Challenges & Opportunities for the New Marketing Age, 1.
Chan, R. Y. K. & Lau, L. B. Y. 2000. Antecedents of Green Purchases: A Survey in China. Journal of Consumer Marketing 17(4): 338-357.
Coddington, W. 1994. Environmental marketing management: Meeting the green challenge. Washington, DC: Lewis Publishers.
Giesler, M. & Veresiu, E. 2014. Creating the Responsible Consumer: Moralistic Governance Regimes and Consumer Subjectivity. Journal of Consumer Research 41(3): 840-857.
Grankvist, G., Dahlstrand, U. & Biel, A. 2004. The impact of environmental labelling on consumer preferences: Negative vs. positive labels. Journal of Consumer Policy 27(3): 213-230.
Hartmann, P. & Ibanez, V. A. 2006. Green value added. Marketing Intelligence & Planning 24(7): 673-680.
Hinduan, Z. R., Anggraeni, A. & Agia, M. I. 2020. Generation Z in Indonesia: The self-driven digital. In The New Generation Z in Asia: Dynamics, Differences, Digitalisation (pp. 121-134). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Howard, J. A., & Sheth, J. N. 1969. The theory of buyer behavior. t.tp.: John Wiley & Sons.
Khalil, S., Ismail, A. & Ghalwash, S. 2021. The rise of sustainable consumerism: evidence from the Egyptian generation Z. Sustainability 13(24): 13804.
Kilian, T., Hennigs, N. & Langner, S. 2019. Green, greener, the greenest: How color of eco-labels affects the evaluation of organic food. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 46: 127-136.
Nicosia, A. C. 1966. The Consumer Decision Process. t.tp.: Prentice-Hall.
Ottman, J. A. 1998. Green marketing: Challenges and opportunities for the new marketing age. t.tp.: NTC Business Books.
Peattie, S. 1993. Ready to Fly Solo? Reducing Social Marketing's Dependence on Commercial Marketing Theory. Marketing Theory 3(3): 365-385.
Polonsky, M. J. 1994. An introduction to green marketing. Electronic Green Journal 1(2): 1-9.
Ranjbari, M., Esfandabadi, Z. S., Zanetti, M. C., Scagnelli, S. D., Siebers, P. O., Aghbashlo, M. & Tabatabaei, M. 2021. Three pillars of sustainability in the wake of COVID-19: A systematic review and future research agenda for sustainable development. Journal of Cleaner Production 297: 126660.
Simon, H. A. 1955. A behavioral model of rational choice. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 69(1): 99-118.
Solomon, M. R., White, K., Dahl, D. W. & Zaichkowsky, J. L. 2019. Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being. Pearson.
Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. 2008. Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. t.tp.: Yale University Press.
Tien, N. H., Ngoc, N. M., Anh, D. B. H., Huong, N. D., Huong, N. T. T. & Phuong, T. N. M. 2020. Green marketing development strategy in post Covid-19 period in Vietnam. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation 1: 101-106.
Verplanken, B. & Holland, R. W. 2002. Motivated Decision Making: Effects of Activation and Self-Centrality of Values on Choices and Behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 82(3): 434-447.
Yildirim, S. 2022. The consumer role for sustainable development: how consumers contribute sustainable development goals. In Research Anthology on Measuring and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (pp. 872-888). IGI Global.
