Factors affecting green buying behavior of consumers

Abstract

Environmental pollution is currently a hot-debating topic in Vietnam which draws the attention of not only practitioners but also marketers. In fact, while Vietnam's plastic consumption rate is much lower than other Asian countries, we are still one of the top five countries in the world in terms of producing plastic waste raising concern for researcher to examine the factors affecting green purchasing behaviours of Vietnamese consumers with the purpose of analysing factors which might affect the customers’ green purchasing intention under the research topic regarding “Factors Affecting Green Buying Behaviours of Consumers in Vietnam”. In order to do so, the researcher has examined the existing literature regarding green purchasing intention and behaviours with focus into TRA and TPB model before developing a conceptual framework of the study with the establishment of seven influential factors of the green purchasing behaviours of consumers namely Green Price, Attitude, Environmental Awareness, Availability of Products, Green Product Features, Perceived Behavioural Control, and Subjective Norms. Under quantitative approach, survey questionnaire is chosen as the main data collection instrument with the involvement of 486 respondents who are Vietnamese customers and have experienced the green product consumption. Findings from the research have indicated that among the seven variables of the framework including Green Price, Attitude, Environmental Awareness, Availability of Products, Green Product Features, Perceived Behavioural Control, Subjective Norms, there are only five of them to be proved to have significant impacts on the purchasing intention of customers toward green products while the impacts of Environmental Awareness and Green Product Features are proved to be modest. After the research, there are four recommendations to be made regarding (1) Improving the Role of Family as an Important Group for Subjective Norms, (2) Providing Clearer Information in the Package, (3) Diversifying the Green Product Categories and (4) Improving Non-Product Attribute of Green Products.