Environmentally Responsible Purchase Behaviour: A Test of a Consumer Model

A consumer model of environmentally responsible purchase behaviour was tested using covariance structural analysis. The model successfully predicted the purchase of environmentally responsible and non-responsible product alternatives. A hierarchical relationship from values (self-transcendence, conservation, and self-enhancement) to product specific attitudes to purchase intention to purchase behaviour was confirmed. Individual consequences, which take the personal implications of consumption into account, were found to be just as important in predicting intention as the environmental consequences of a product. The study empirically tested a values typology as a basis to explain attitude formation among 160 new mothers regarding choice of disposable vs. cloth diapers. Results support the hypotheses and confirm the theoretical relationships from abstract cognitions to specific behaviour, a values-attitudes-intentions-behaviour hierarchy.