Decoding Gen Z’s Green Purchases: The Role of Product Attributes and Environmental Awareness

Authors

  • Barkah Barkah Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
  • Puty Febriasari Prasetyo Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis, Universitas Panca Bhakti, Pontianak, Indonesia
  • Erna Listiana Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38035/dijemss.v6i6.5243

Keywords:

Product Attributes, Environmental Attitude, Ecological Affection, Environmental Concern, Green Purchase Behavior

Abstract

Although Indonesian Generation Z demonstrates strong commitment to climate change mitigation, their actual green behavior remains limited. This study examines the influence of product attributes on green purchasing behavior, with environmental awareness as a mediating variable. Data were collected from 113 respondents representing Generation Z in Indonesia and analyzed PLS-SEM using SmartPLS 4. Findings indicate that product attributes positively influence environmental awareness, but environmental awareness does not directly or indirectly affect green purchasing decisions. Factors such as green product characteristics, ecological sensitivity, and environmental concern were found to shape sustainable purchasing behaviors among Indonesian Gen Z. Theoretically, this research expands the understanding of green consumption patterns and clarifies the conceptual link between product attributes and environmental awareness in the Indonesian youth context. Practically, the study offers managerial insights and actionable recommendations to encourage green purchasing in this demographic.

References

Albayrak, T., Aksoy, ?., & Caber, M. (2013). The effect of environmental concern and scepticism on green purchase behaviour. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 31(1), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634501311292902.

Ameena, A. A. (2022). Evaluating Ecological Consciousness And Its Effect On Green Purchase Behavior.

Arnold, M. J., & Reynolds, K. E. (2009). Affect and Retail Shopping Behavior: Understanding the Role of Mood Regulation and Regulatory Focus. Journal of Retailing, 85(3), 308–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2009.05.004.

Bloomberg News. (2020, January 12). Generation Z Is Willing To Pay More For Eco-Friendly Products Sustainability is becoming more important in consumer choices overall.

Chan, R. Y. K., & Lau, L. B. Y. (2000). Antecedents of green purchases: a survey in China. http://www.emerald-library.com.

Chaudhary, R., & Bisai, S. (2018). Factors influencing green purchase behavior of millennials in India. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 29(5), 798–812. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-02-2018-0023.

De Medeiros, J. F., Ribeiro, J. L. D., & Cortimiglia, M. N. (2016). Influence of perceived value on purchasing decisions of green products in Brazil. Journal of Cleaner Production, 110, 158–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.100.

Djajadiwangsa, K. P., & Yeshika, A. (2022). Sustainable Beauty: Pengaruh Eco-Label, Product Attributes, Perceived Consumer Effectiveness (PCE), dan Environmental Awareness terhadap Green Purchase Behavior. INOBIS: Jurnal Inovasi Bisnis Dan Manajemen Indonesia2022, 06(01), 121–137.

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). MULTIVARIATE DATA ANALYSIS EIGHTH EDITION. www.cengage.com/highered.

Ham, C. D., Chung, U. C., Kim, W. J., Lee, S. Y., & Oh, S. H. (2022). Greener than Others? Exploring Generational Differences in Green Purchase Intent. International Journal of Market Research, 64(3), 376–396. https://doi.org/10.1177/14707853211034108.

Helenita, R. da S. T., Joseacute, A. G. da S., Edgard, M. M., & Marcos, G. (2013). The relationship between ecological knowledge, ecological concern, ecological affection, subjective norms and the green purchase behavior in Brazil. African Journal of Business Management, 7(34), 3297–3314. https://doi.org/10.5897/ajbm12.1270.

Kanchanapibul, M., Lacka, E., Wang, X., & Chan, H. K. (2014). An empirical investigation of green purchase behaviour among the young generation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 66, 528–536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.10.062.

Kymäläinen, T., Seisto, A., & Malila, R. (2021). Generation z food waste, diet and consumption habits: A finnish social design study with future consumers. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042124.

Laela, Asdar, M., Abdul Rahman Kadir, & Dian Parawansa. (2022). Do Green Trust and Attitude Toward Green Products Have Effect on Green Purchase Behavior of Urban Society In Makassar? Quantitative Economics and Management Studies, 3(4), 615–629. https://doi.org/10.35877/454ri.qems936.

Marcon, A., Ribeiro, J. L. D., Dangelico, R. M., de Medeiros, J. F., & Marcon, É. (2022). Exploring green product attributes and their effect on consumer behaviour: A systematic review. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 32, 76–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2022.04.012.

Milfont, T. L., & Duckitt, J. (2010). The environmental attitudes inventory: A valid and reliable measure to assess the structure of environmental attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 80–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.09.001.

Mostafa, M. M. (2007). Gender differences in Egyptian consumers’ green purchase behaviour: The effects of environmental knowledge, concern and attitude. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31(3), 220–229. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2006.00523.x.

Nam, C., Dong, H., & Lee, Y. A. (2017). Factors influencing consumers’ purchase intention of green sportswear. Fashion and Textiles, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-017-0091-3.

Pelikánová, R. M. G., & Hála, M. (2021). CSR Unconscious Consumption by Generation Z in the COVID-19 Era—Responsible Heretics Not Paying CSR Bonus? Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 14(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm14080390.

Pham, T. H., Nguyen, T. N., Phan, T. T. H., & Nguyen, N. T. (2019). Evaluating the purchase behaviour of organic food by young consumers in an emerging market economy. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 27(6), 540–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2018.1447984.

Sharma, A., & Foropon, C. (2019a). Green product attributes and green purchase behavior: A theory of planned behavior perspective with implications for circular economy. Management Decision, 57(4), 1018–1042. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-10-2018-1092.

Sharma, A., & Foropon, C. (2019b). Green product attributes and green purchase behavior: A theory of planned behavior perspective with implications for circular economy. Management Decision, 57(4), 1018–1042. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-10-2018-1092.

Shwetha G Y. (2019). A Descriptive study on Attitude of Generation Z towards Green Behaviour. Cape Comorin Publisher, 1(1), 24–28. https://archive.org/details/07-shwetha-g-y.

Song, Y., Qin, Z., & Qin, Z. (2020). Green Marketing to Gen Z Consumers in China: Examining the Mediating Factors of an Eco-Label–Informed Purchase. SAGE Open, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020963573.

Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1995). The New Ecological Paradigm in Social-Psychological Context. Environment and Behavior, 27(6), 723–743. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916595276001.

Tih, S., Chan, K. T., Ansary, A., & Ahmed, A. (2016). Green advertising appeal and consumer purchase intention. Jurnal Pengurusan, 47, 157–168. https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2016-47-13.

William Putra Utomo, & Devina Heriyanto. (2022). Indonesia Gen Z Report 2022.

Xu, X., Hua, Y., Wang, S., & Xu, G. (2020). Determinants of consumer’s intention to purchase authentic green furniture. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104721.

Yadav, R. (2016). Altruistic or egoistic: Which value promotes organic food consumption among young consumers? A study in the context of a developing nation. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 33, 92–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.08.008.

Downloads

Published

2025-09-17

How to Cite

Barkah, B., Prasetyo, P. F. ., & Listiana, E. . (2025). Decoding Gen Z’s Green Purchases: The Role of Product Attributes and Environmental Awareness. Dinasti International Journal of Education Management and Social Science, 6(6), 5342–5352. https://doi.org/10.38035/dijemss.v6i6.5243

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 6 (2025): Dinasti International Journal of Education Management and Social Science (August - September 2025)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Barkah Barkah, Puty Febriasari Prasetyo, Erna Listiana

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish their manuscripts in this journal agree to the following conditions:

  1. The copyright on each article belongs to the author(s).
  2. The author acknowledges that the Dinasti International Journal of Education Management and Social Science (DIJEMSS) has the right to be the first to publish with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
  3. Authors can submit articles separately, arrange for the non-exclusive distribution of manuscripts that have been published in this journal into other versions (e.g., sent to the author's institutional repository, publication into books, etc.), by acknowledging that the manuscript has been published for the first time in the Dinasti International Journal of Education Management and Social Science (DIJEMSS).