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Asian Journal of Business Research ISSN 1178-8933 Volume 5 Issue 2 2015 DOI 10.14707/ajbr.150013

Encouraging Green Purchase Behaviours of Hong Kong

Consumers

Mark, Ng

Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Monica Law

Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Abstract

With China’s rapid economic development in recent years, a number of

environmental problems have surfaced. More educated Chinese consumers are

becoming concerned about the adverse environmental impacts of their consumption

activities. Thus, the Chinese market for green products has been growing

substantially, and research study of Chinese consumers’ green buying behaviours is

important. This study was conducted in Hong Kong among 457 respondents to

examine their environmental attitudes and green buying behaviours. The responses

were analyzed by descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, and partial least square

structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). A model is proposed that depicts the

influence of consumers’ environmental attitudes, environmental concern, perceived

environmental responsibility, and perceived effectiveness on green purchase

behaviour. The results demonstrate that consumers’ perceived environmental

responsibility and perceived effectiveness of environmental protection play important

roles in promoting their attitudes toward and intention of buying environmentally

friendly products. Perceived environmental responsibility also fully mediates the

relationship between consumers’ environmental concern and their intention of buying

eco-friendly products. Finally, the current research supports the view that Generation

X consumers put stronger emphasis on the effectiveness of their actions in pro-

environmental consumption. The findings contribute to the literature on green

marketing and have implications for conducting green marketing in Hong Kong and

China.

Key words: Green marketing, perceived environmental responsibility, perceived

environmental effectiveness, environmental concern, environmental attitude

Introduction

Facing the environmental problems such as pollution and global warming, consumers

are more aware of the environmental impacts of their consumption activities and are

more willing to change their buying decisions and shopping behaviors for

environmental reasons(Lyon and Maxwell, 2004). As China turns to be a key market

in Asia and it continues its economic development, increasingly affluent and educated

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Chinese consumers have become more concerned about the adverse impact of

pollution on their quality of life (Mohai et al., 2010). Many companies offer green

version of products in China and successfully charged consumers with a premium.

For example, according to Manget et al. (2009), 59% of respondents were willing to

pay a premium to buy some green products. Thus, green marketing strategy becomes

an option for international brands to develop competitive advantages in China market.

Some studies investigated the link between environmental consciousness and green

purchase behaviors such as Chen (2009)and Kim and Seock (2009). However, the link

between attitudinal components and consumer green purchase behavior is still under

debated. Positive attitude towards the environment is not necessarily indicative high

intention of buying green products (Gill et al., 1986). As such, this paper attempts to

supplement the existing literature by proposing a comprehensive model to examine

the relationship between environmentl attitudes and green buying behaviors.

Thisinvestigation will provide marketer with valuable insights into improving the

effectiveness of their green marketing strategies.

Furthermore, most of these studies focused in the western countries and the research

studies on green consumer behaviors in Asian countries is still limited(Lee, 2014).

This study then aims to fill this gap by examining the green purchase behaviors of

consumers in Hong Kong (China). Finally, generational differences between

Generation X and Generation Y in consumer purchase patterns may exist and need to

be addressed(Norum, 2003, Schewe and Meredith, 2004). Generation Y refers to the

individuals born between 1980 and 1994(Chung and Holdsworth, 2012). Although

boomers and Generation X still dominated the eco-friendly marketplace, the

percentage of eco-friendly Generation Y is increasing (Hill and Hyun-Hwa, 2012).

Currently, the Generation Y population of China consists of approximately 200

million people(Kwok, 2012). Given the size and importance of the green product, a

better understanding of thisyoung consumer segment is vital.

Theoretical framework

Environmental attitude

Environmental attitudeis defined as “a collection of beliefs, affect, and behavioral

intentionsa person holds regarding environmentally relatedactivities or

issues”(Schultz et al., 2004). It refers to consumers’ evaluation of environmental

protection activities(Lee, 2009). Many studies support the use of environmental

attitude as a predictor to individuals’ environmentally related behaviors such as

organic food consumption (Chen, 2009), recycling (Park and Ha, 2012) and

ecological behaviors(Lynne and Rola, 1988).

However, the predictive ability of attitude is still being debated by researchers. Earlier

studies suggest that there is no significant correlation between attitudes and pro-

environmental behaviors(Tracy and Oskamp, 1984).The relationship between

environmental attitude and ecological behavior is from weak to moderate in a number

of studies (Berger and Corbin, 1992, Smith et al., 1994). The inconsistency of results

stemmed from researchers’ use of more generalized measurement of pro-

environmental behaviors (Gadenne et al., 2011, Mainieri et al., 1997). To avoid this

problem, this study would focus on consumers’ buying intention of green

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products.Consumers with more positive attitude toward environmental issues tend to

have positive attitude toward green products and higher intention of using green

products(Kotchen and Reiling, 2000). This study would further ascertain the

relationship between consumers’ environmental attitude and buying behaviors. Thus,

we propose the following hypothesis:

H1: Consumers’ environmental attitude is positively related to their attitudes

toward green products.

Environmental concern

Environmental concern refers to consumers’ emotional reactions such as worries,

dislikes, and compassions, toward the environmental problems (Milfont and Gouveia,

2006, Yeung, 2004). Many studies examined the effects of environmental concern on

the choice of products such as laundry detergents (Kinnear and Taylor, 1973),

cosmetics and toiletries(Prothero and McDonagh, 1992), renewable energy (Bang et

al., 2000), and organic food(Hoffmann and Schlicht, 2013).People with more

environmental knowledge and concern tend to have positive attitudes toward

environmental products (Suki, 2014, Karatu and Mat, 2014). The deteriorating

environmental conditions in China have lead increasing numbers of people to become

aware of the need for environmental protection (Wong, 2003). As in the case of

environmental attitudes, some researchers find that the relationship between

environmental concern and behaviors are weak or insignificant (Bamberg, 2003,

Davis, 1995). Further study is required to clarify the relationship between

environmental concern and consumers’ intention of buying green products.The

following hypothesis is proposed:

H2: Consumers’ environmental concern is positively related to their attitudes

toward green products.

Perceived responsibility

Perceived environmental responsibility refers to consumers’ intention to takeaction

directed toward pro-environmental behaviors(Stone et al., 1995). The use of green

products usually involve altruistic helping behaviors whereby consumers buying

green product may need to pay higher price, or sacrifice their time and resources to

protect the environment(Zelezny et al., 2000).According to the norm activation

model, altruistic helping behavior is most likely to occur when an individual is aware

of harmful consequences and feel responsible for these consequences(Schwartz, 1977,

Schwartz and Howard, 1981).Consumers who perceived that they are responsible for

handling environmental problems are more likely to engage in green consumption

activities (Nyborg et al., 2006). They tend to display more ecological behavior

including buying (Kim and Damhorst, 1998) and using green products (Kaiser et al.,

1999).

In general, people having higher environmental attitude and environmental concern

tend to perceive that they are responsible to take environmental protection measures,

who are more likely to have positive attitude toward eco-friendly products and

promotions (Kaiser et al., 1999, Yusof et al., 2013). However, Lai (2000)reported that

Hong Kong consumers are concern about the environmental problems but their

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perceived environmental responsibilities were weak, which affect their use of green

products. Young people do not perceive or accept their responsibilities toward

environment would reduce their intention to make green purchase(Lee, 2008).Thus,

the following hypotheses are proposed:

H3a: Consumers’ environmental concern is positively related to their perceived

responsibility to environmental protection.

H3b: Consumers’ environmental attitude is positively related to theirperceived

responsibility to environmental protection.

H3c: Consumers’ perceived responsibility to environmental protection is positively

related to their attitudes toward green products.

H3d: Consumers’ perceived responsibility to environmental protection is positively

related to their intention to buy green products.

Perceived effectiveness

Consumers’ environmental concern may not necessarily translate into action without a

sense of empowerment. Self-efficacy theory suggested that people’s beliefs in his or

her ability to accomplish a specific task play key roles in shaping their approaches to

goals, tasks, and challenges (Bandura, 1977). Perceived consumer effectiveness refers

to the extent to which consumers believe that their actions can contribute to solving a

problem (Ellen et al., 1991). Consumers tend to purchase eco-friendly products if they

perceived that their purchase could help protecting the environment (Haytko and

Matulich, 2008).

Perceived effectiveness and environmental concern are different concepts as

perceived effectiveness involves consumers’ evaluation of the self in the context of

the issue(Berger and Corbin, 1992). Environmentally concerned consumers may not

buy those eco-friendly products if they perceived that these products did not offer

benefits to environment (Dobscha and Ozanne, 2001, Polonsky and Rosenberger III,

2001). Thus, we hypothesize that:

H4a: Consumers’ perceived effectiveness is positively related to their attitudes

toward green products.

H4b: Consumers’ perceived effectiveness is positively related to their intention to

buy green products.

Proposed model

Consumers’ green attitudes and buying behavior intention have been actively studied

(Chang, 2011). Chen and Chang (2012)used perceived values, perceived risks and

green trusts to predict consumers’ green buying behaviors. One of the most popular

theories explains the attitude-behavior relationship is theory of planned behavior

(TPB)(Ajzen, 2005). TPB regards a consumers’ behavior as determined by their

behavioral intention, where behavioral intention is a function of their attitude toward

the behavior and perceived control(Huang et al., 2014). TPB was applied in many

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different studies in green marketing(Albayrak et al., 2013, Kim and Choi, 2004). In

general, the attitude-behavior hierarchy model received support from different

empirical studies(Homer and Kahle, 1988, McCarty and Shrum, 1994, Milfont et al.,

2010). In the context of green consumer behavior, perceived behavioral control refers

to perceived consumer effectiveness (Roberts, 1996) and perceived responsibility of

environmental protection (Allen and Ferrand, 1999).

Based on the idea of TPB, a conceptual model is proposed in Figure 1 to illustrate the

hypothesized relationship among the constructs environmental attitudes,

environmental concern, perceived environmental responsibility, perceived

effectiveness, attitudes toward green products, and intention of green buying

behavior. The present model was conceived based on the ideas of previous

researchers and their models such as Kim (2005),Chan (2001)and Lee (2008).

Figure 1: Proposed Model

Generational Theory: Generation X and Generation Y

Generational theory proposes that similar life experiences and social context make

consumers in the same age cohorts develop similar attitudes and beliefs (Meriac et al.,

2010). It suggests that the sociocultural background helps create some homogenous

traits among generations(Pendergast, 2009). Generational cohorts differ not only in

their age, but also their values (Schewe and Meredith, 2004), and attitudes and beliefs

(Meriac et al., 2010). The use of generational cohorts allows marketers to identify the

key characteristics of different generations and develop more effective marketing

activities for them (Meredith et al., 2002).

Previous research studies identified many key features of Generation Y consumers.

For example, some studies suggested Generation Y is less loyal consumers than

Generation Y (Bush et al., 2004, Wood, 2004).They are better educated and more

aware of marketing tactics than previous generations (Tsui and Hughes, 2001).

Growing up in a marketing saturated environment, Generation Y consumers utilize

brands as an extension of themselves (Nowak et al., 2006). They are more concerned

about the symbolic meaning of the brands in comparison with Generation X. Lee

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(2008) also suggested that the green purchasing behavior of adolescents in Hong

Kong are more likely activated by their environmental attitude and concern. In

contrast, Generation X consumers generally respond to brands in a more pragmatic

way(Ritchie, 2002). They seek products that help them solve their problems. Thus, we

hypothesize that:

H6: When compared with Generation X consumers, environmental concern isa

stronger predictor to intention of buying green products for Generation Y

consumers.

H7: When compared with Generation X consumers, environmental attitude is a

stronger predictor to intention of buying green products for Generation Y

consumers.

H8: When compared with Generation Y consumers, perceived effectiveness is a

stronger predictor to intention of buying green products for Generation X

consumers.

Research Methodology

Participants and data collection

This research was conducted using a structured, self-administered questionnaire.

Snowball sampling procedure was adopted to collect the responses. The link to

questionnaire was sent through e-mail with a covering letter explaining the topic and

goals of the research.Total600 questionnaires were administered through social

networking sites, resulting in 457 valid responses, with an overall response rate of

76.17 per cent.There were 188 men (41.1%) and 269 women (58.9%) among

respondents. Most of them were university students and graduates (50.0%), followed

by participants with secondary school or below educational level (42.5%) and primary

education level (7.5%). 234 respondentswere aged below 25 (51.2%) as GenerationY

whereas223 of them were from 25 to 45 (48.8%) for the group of Generation X.

Instrument and measures

This study was designed to investigate the key determinants of attitudes towards and

intention of purchasing environmental friendly products.The questionnaire consisted

of three sections. The first part was intended to collect participants’ attitudes and

perceptions toward environmental protection. The second part consisted of scales

measuring their attitudes and purchase intention toward green products. Measures for

the variables in the proposed model were adapted from previous studies (Lee, 2008,

Pickett-Baker and Ozaki, 2008) (Table 1). The measurement items used seven-point

Likert’s scale anchored by “strongly disagree” and “strongly agree” with a point of

neutrality in the middle. The last part was about the participants’ personal

backgrounds.

Data analysis

The objective of this study is to analyze different factors in predicting local

customers’ attitude and behavioral intention towards green products. Partial least

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squares path modeling (PLS) with reflective indicators was applied in this study,

utilizing the software package SmartPLS. While other methods of structural equation

modeling are more widespread indeed, PLS was used due to its enhanced ability to

process complicated models and does not require distributional assumptions of the

sample (Chin, 1998).

To overcome the problem of no formal significance tests for the estimated parameters

in non-parametric method, the t-statistic and standard deviation of each parameter is

calculated by bootstrap technique (Chin, 1998). Bootstrapping was used to draw 5000

random bootstrap set to obtain stable standard errors and low differences between

entire sample estimates and means of subsamples(Léger et al., 1992). After

establishing the validity and reliability of measurement and structural model, a

parametric multi-group analysis was used to examine the differences between

generation X and Y customers.

Finding

Measurement model (Outer model)

There are several analyses to assess the adequacy of the measurement model:

Evaluation of component loadings of the items for each measure, the reliability of the

measures, convergent validity, and the discriminant validity of the constructs(Hair et

al., 2014).

Reliability of the measures is evaluated by both Cronbach’s alpha and composite

reliabilities (CR). Cronbach’s alpha is estimated using reliability analysis procedure in

SPSS and composite analysis are obtained from principal component analysis

procedure in PLS (Chin, 1998). As recommended by Nunnally (1978), the reliability

indicators of each construct should meet the desired criteria of 0.70. As shown in

Table 1, most of the reliability measures exceed 0.70, which indicates that the

measurement model possessed good internal consistency reliability.

Table 1: Quality criteria of the constructs

Item Mean SD Standardize

d loading Attitude toward environmental protection (Lee, 2009) AVE=0.694, CR=0.919, CA=0.889 It is essential to promote green living in HK 5.888 1.001 0.821 I strongly agree that more environmental protection works

are needed in HK 6.114 0.866 0.831

It is very important to raise environmental awareness

among HK people. 5.941 1.112 0.855

Environmental protection works are simply a waste of money and resources

6.092 1.078 0.878

Environmental protection issues are none of my business

(R) 5.755 1.298 0.777

Environmental concern (Lee, 2009) AVE=0.643, CR=0.877, CA=0.822 I am worried about the worsening of the quality of HK’s environment

5.735 1.254 0.689

Hong Kong’s environment is my major concern 5.546 1.093 0.835 I am emotionally involved in environmental protection issues in 5.311 1.156 0.857

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HK

Table 1: Quality criteria of the constructs (Cont’d) I often think about how the environmental quality in HK

can be improved

5.711 0.964 0.816

Perceived environmental responsibility (Lee, 2009) AVE=0.807, CR=0.926, CA=0.881 I should be responsible for protecting our environment. 5.797 0.951 0.904 Environmental protection starts with me. 5.558 1.050 0.919 Environmental protection is the responsibility of the government, not me.

5.494 1.019 0.872

Perceived effectiveness of environmental protection (Lee, 2008) AVE=0.536, CR=0.822,

CA=0.724 I think if I carry out some pro-environmental behaviours

in my everyday life,I would contribute a lot to our environment.

5.768 0.961 0.740

I think my participation in environmental protection

would influence myfamily and friends to participate too. 5.066 1.104 0.721

The environmental quality of HK will stay the same even

if I engage in somepro-environmental behaviours. (R) 4.420 1.486 0.735

Even if I recycle and reuse things, the environmental quality of HK will remainas it currently is (R)

4.482 1.493 0.733

Attitudes toward green product (Pickett-Baker and Ozaki, 2008) AVE=0.574, CR=0.800, CA=0.634 I feel good about buying brands which are less damaging

to the environment 5.274 1.097 0.833

It is easy for me to identify these products 4.536 1.274 0.651 Some multi-national corporations who manufacture well-

known consumer brands are redesigning their factory

processes, their products and their packaging to be more environmentally friendly. If they advertised this fact I

would be much more likely to choose that brand

4.692 1.297 0.777

Buying intention of green product (Pickett-Baker and Ozaki, 2008) AVE=0.617, CR=0.828,

CA=0.689 I buy green products even if they are more expensive than the non-green ones

4.384 1.391 0.724

I choose to buy products that are environmentally-friendly 5.282 1.070 0.840 When I want to buy a product, I look at the ingredients label to see if it, contains things that are environmentally-

damaging

4.853 1.240 0.789

Recommended criteria of acceptance of composite reliability and Cronbach’s Alpha is 0.7 (Hair, 1997),

and criteria of AVE is 0.5 (Fornell and Larcker, 1981).

All constructs have achieved an AVE greater than 0.50 and most factor loading

measures are near/above 0.70, thus meeting the recommended criteria for convergent

validity(Hair et al., 2011). The measurement model possessed adequate convergent

validity.Discriminant validity was assessed by the examination of cross loadings of

the indicators and Fornell-Larcker criterion (Fornell and Larcker, 1981). Table 2

summarizes the range of factor loading and cross loading of each construct. The

item’s factor loadings on its construct is higher than all of its cross loadings with other

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constructs, which provides support to discriminant validity.The Fornell-

Larckercriterion assessment, which compare the square roots of the reflective

construct’s AVE with the correlations between the constructs, further confirms the

discriminant validity of the measurement model (Table 3).The measure of each item

strongly related to the construct it attempts to reflect and did not have a strong

connection with another construct. Hence, this measurement model provides

acceptable discriminant validity.

Table 2: Examination of Cross Loadings

Range of Factor Loading

Range of Cross Loading

Attitude toward environmental protection

(EA) 0.777-0.878 0.177-0.641

Environmental concern (EC) 0.689-0.857 0.154-0.581 Perceived environmental responsibility

(PER) 0.872-0.919 0.283-0.584

Perceived effectiveness (PEE) 0.721-0.740 0.199-0.578 Attitudes toward green product (GA) 0.651-0.833 0.201-0.510 Buying intention of green product (GB) 0.724-0.840 0.267-0.532

Table 3: Square root of AVE (diagonal elements) and inter-construct correlations

EA EC PER PEE GA GB

Attitude toward environmental protection (EA)

0.833

Environmental concern (EC) 0.563 0.802 Perceived environmental responsibility (PER)

0.467 0.394 0.898

Perceived effectiveness (PEE) 0.655 0.584 0.612 0.732 Attitudes toward green product (GA) 0.421 0.345 0.452 0.472 0.758 Buying intention of green product (GB) 0.455 0.401 0.489 0.499 0.598 0.786

Structural Model (Inner model)

After establishing the reliability and validity of the measurement model, this section

presents the results of the hypothesis testing of the proposed model. Hair et al. (2014)

outlines the procedure in assessing structural model by PLS, which included

collinearity assessment, significance and relevance of structural model relationships,

the r-square (R2)for exogenous-endogenous relationships, effect size and predictive

relevance of the model (Hair et al., 2014).

Before assessing the structural model, we need to analyze the collinearity issue of the

model by variance inflation factor (VIF), which is the reciprocal of the tolerance. The

VIF of EA, EC, PEE, and PER were 2.173, 1.807, 1.502, and 2.318, respectively. All

VIF values are clearly below the threshold of 5(Hair et al., 2011). Therefore,

collinearity among the predictor constructs is not an issue in this model.

The variance explained in three endogenous variables, which included intention of

buying green products, attitudes towards green products, and perceived responsibility

of environmental, was 0.438, 0.282, and 0.497, respectively, which demonstrates

moderate predictive power (Henseler et al., 2009). The structural model demonstrates

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acceptable predictive power as the average explained variance R2 is 0.406. The effect

size f2 assesses an exogenous constructs’ contribution to an endogenous latent

variable’s R2 values. The effect size f

2 ranged from 0.020 to 0.310, which reflects that

the effect sizes of different endogenous constructs on exogenous constructs are from

small to medium. Predictive accuracy Q2 of the model was assessed by using the

blindfolding procedure(Wold, 1982). The cross-validated redundancy values for all

three endogenous constructs well above zero (PER: 0.394; GA: 0.161; GB: 0.255),

providing support for the model’s predictive relevance (Table 4).

Finally, the significance of path coefficients was assessed by bootstrapping. Results

from the bootstrapping procedure (5000 samples, no sign changes option) reveals that

eight of nine structural relationships are significant (p<0.01).Figure 2 depicts my final

model as well as the path coefficients, p-values, and r2. Theattitudes toward

environmental protection, perceived environmental responsibility,and perceived

effectiveness of environmental protection are key determinants ofconsumers’ attitudes

toward green products with path coefficients of 0.152, 0.195 and 0.241, respectively.

Surprisingly, environmental concern has no direct and significant effect on

consumers’ attitudes toward green products.

Figure 2: Results of the Study

Mediation analysis

The results from the path model suggest that perceived environmental responsibility

and consumers’ attitudes toward green products were mediators of consumers’

intention of buying green products. Thus, it is worthwhile to test for this potential

mediating effect by procedures suggested by Hair, et al. (2014). After confirming the

significance of indirect effects by bootstrapping, we compute the variance accounted

for (VAF) of each constructs. The results suggested that the relationship between two

general attitudes, which included “attitudes toward environmental protection” and

“environmental concerns”, and intention of purchasing green products, are fully

mediated by consumers’ perceived environmental responsibility and attitudes toward

green products. VAF value of PER and PEE are 0.310 and 0.363, respectively, which,

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according to Hair et al. (2014), consumers’ attitudes toward green products partially

mediates the relationship between these two constructs and their buying intention.

Generational differences

After establishing the validity of the structural model, multi-group analysis was

adopted to examine the differences between generation X and generation Y in their

consumption behavior. Following the parametric approach introduced by Keil et al.

(2000), we ran the PLS path modeling of each group and obtained standard errors of

each group by bootstrapping procedure (Henseler et al., 2009). An empirical t-value

was obtained to test the path differences.Table 5 shows that there are two significant

path differences between Gen X and Gen Y consumers. Gen Y consumers with higher

environmental concern tend to have more positive attitude toward green products. In

contrast, perceived effectiveness of environmental protection has direct effect on

intention of purchasing green product for Gen X.

Discussion and Implications

Previous studies questioned the relationship between consumers’ environmental

attitudes and concern and their intention to buy environmentally friendly products.

Few studies have attempted to model the mediation of ecological consumption and

limited empirical research has tested a theoretical model integrating consumer

environmental attitudes, perceived responsibility and perceived effectiveness, and

assessing their influence on green purchase decisions in Chinese context. Consistent

with the finding in earlier research studies, the model supports the validation and use

of theory of planned behavior to predict the green purchase behavior of

consumers(Dagher and Itani, 2014, Lee, 2008).

The results support the view that increased environmental concern and environmental

attitudes lead to higher buying intention of eco-friendly products, which is consistent

with previous research studies (Polonsky et al., 2014). Bang et al. (2000)suggested

that consumers emotionally involved with the environmental issues were more willing

to pay a premium price for renewable energy. To motivate consumers to pay a

premium price for eco-friendly products, marketer should get consumers emotionally

involved into specific environmental problems.

Consumers with high perceived consumer effectiveness tended to have more positive

attitudes toward eco-friendly products and engage in green purchase behavior.

Marketing communication should provide specific environmental claims with

meaningful benefits, which shows consumers how these products may contribute to

environmental improvement (Frankel, 1994). Marketers should demonstrate how

consumers could contribute to the benefits for the entire society by using these

products. The reinforcement of the usefulness of these products could further promote

consumers’ commitment to green purchase (Kim and Choi, 2004).

Perceived environmental responsibility also had a direct, positive influence on green

purchase, suggesting that consumers who accepted their responsibility to

environmental protection are more likely to buy environmental products. Green

marketers may make use of marketing communicationcampaign with strong emphasis

in environmental problems and the urgency of environmental protection to raise

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people’s environmental concern, which may lead to increase in perceived

responsibility of environmental protection. In contrast to previous studies, this study

found that the relationship between environmental attitudes and environmental

concern and buying intentions of green products were fully mediated by

consumers’perceived environmental responsibility and consumers’ attitudes toward

green product on their purchase of green products.

The environmental buying behaviors between Generation X and Y were similar to

each other. Perceived effectiveness and perceived environmental responsibility were

strong predictors to their buying intention of green products for both Generation X

and Generation Y consumers. However, environmental concern is a stronger predictor

for Generation Y consumers, while perceived effectiveness is a stronger predictor for

Generation X consumers. These differences support the hypotheses that Gen X

consumers are more concerned about the effectiveness of their pro-environmental

behaviors, while Gen Y consumers’ pro-environmental behaviors are more likely

stimulated by their environmental attitude and concern (Lee, 2008).

Taken together, this research supports past studies of green marketing by identifying

the key determinants of consumers’ attitudes and buying intention of eco-friendly

products. This studyreveals several implications for theory and practice relating to the

green marketing among consumers in Hong Kong.Theoretically, the findings firstly

enriched the current green marketing literature by support the validation and use of

theory of planned behaviorin predicting consumers’ green buying behaviors. Second,

the model proposed also extended the past studies of green marketing by identifying

the key mediators between consumers’ green attitudes and their intention of buying

green products. Finally, this study also explored the generational effects of pro-

environmental buying behaviors. The findings supported that Generation X

consumers were more pragmatic than Generation Y consumers in their buying

decision.

The findings also offer practical implications for marketers of green products and

public policy makers who promote pro-environmental behavior. To increase the

number and degree to which consumer engage in pro-environmental behaviors, it is

necessary to increase not only individual’s environmental attitude and concern, but

their acceptance of personal responsibility for the environmental action, and their

ability to contribute to environmental protection (Cleveland et al., 2012). Social

marketing campaigns of policy makers should not only emphasize on the

responsibility of environmental protections but also make individuals aware of their

ability to make differences over environmental outcomes, which may encourage more

people to engage in pro-environmental behaviors (Allen and Ferrand, 1999). Applied

to the segmentation and targeting strategies, promotional messages can be tailored to

young people with an appeal that emphasizes the seriousness of environmental

problem and their roles in improving the environment. For those Generation X

consumers, an emphasis on their contributions to environmental protection and the

environmental benefits created by using the products.

Limitations and Future Research

In conclusion, this study extends previous research on green marketing, by showing

how different environmental attitudes and perceptions are related to each other. Our

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findings highlight the importance of perceived responsibility and effectiveness of

environmental behavior in affecting their attitudes toward green products. Several

major limitations concerning this study need to be acknowledged. First, the sampling

method limited the external validity of our finding. A replication of this study with

randomized sample might be necessary to attest the applicability of the model.

Second, the focus of this research was consumers’ purchase intention of eco-friendly

products. The key determinants identified in this study might not be applicable to

predict other types of pro-environmental behaviors of consumers. Third, the present

study measures consumers’ attitudes toward green products but not their actual

purchase behaviors. Future research may address this limitation by linking the

attitudes with the behavior. For example, a longitudinal research follows the

consumer’s green behavior over time in respect to their willingness of green purchase

would be able to draw conclusion on whether relationships accounted for here are

consistent over time.

This study supported that the attitude-behavior model could be used for predicting

consumers’ intention of buying green products. However, some researchers have

argued that contextual factors such as external drivers and barriers would also affect

the environmental behaviors of respondents. Future research should continue to

identify what other factors drive these variables by incorporating more psychological,

interpersonal, and cultural factors such as values(Leonidou et al., 2010), norms, peer

influences (Lee, 2011)and habit strengths (Jansson et al., 2010). Inclusion of these

factors in further research may develop a more comprehensive model with better

explanatory power.Further research may also look into how corporations can build

effective marketing campaigns that convey the green messages to their audiences.

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