Over the past couple of decades, environmental and social issues started to have a raising impact on corporate and marketing strategies. Fundamental changes in business environments like rising public awareness about environmental issues, tougher national and international regulations and foreseeable depletion of natural resources within the next few decades will sooner or later force the big players from all industries to rethink their strategies.
Thus, they need to evaluate innovative product solutions that save scarce natural resources and reduce energy consumption during the entire product life cycle. Taking corporate responsibility, developing sustainable value chains and moving away from oil-based resources will be of growing importance. Thus, incorporating sustainability into value chains increasingly becomes an issue across all industry sectors from automobiles to textiles.
The engagement in sustainability marketing is an opportunity, which helps to create a long-term competitive advantage. The challenge on the other hand is understanding the complexity of green consumerism and to implement the right strategic measures to overcome motivational issues to sell green products successfully. The fact that marketing should combine environmental, social and economic goals has also been realized in the fashion industry as the authors research and interviews with industry veterans proves.
This thesis is located at the interface between sustainability marketing and conservation psychology. The purpose of this publication is to further the understanding of green consumerism in the context of environmentally friendly clothing.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Motivation of the thesis
- Objectives of the thesis
- Theoretical background and definitions
- Approaches to profile and understand environmentally friendly consumers
- Rational and sociological explanations for sustainable consumer behavior
- Environmental attitudes and ethical obligation as psychological explanations for sustainable purchase intentions
- Motivational complexity of sustainable consumer behavior
- Issues with identifying the green consumer by demographic criteria
- Environmental identity as motivational basis for sustainable consumer behavior
- The Biophilia Hypothesis
- Environmental identity as source of green consumerism
- Sustainability marketing and product development options for eco-friendly clothing
- Definition and goals of sustainability marketing
- Market Situation and characteristic consumer behavior in the green apparel business
- Prospects and challenges for product development of sustainable clothing
- Research framework for the purchasing behavior of environmentally friendly clothing
- The modified Theory of Planned Behavior
- The original TPB framework by Ajzen and Fishbein
- Modification of the TPB model: the addition of self-identity and ethical obligation
- Hypothesis development for the modified TPB framework
- Adding a new self-identity measure: the Environmental Identity Scale
- Conjoint analysis as indirect measure of purchase intention for green product attributes
- Developing a psychographic profile of consumer groups preferring specific green product attributes
- Classification of environmental identity within the framework
- Empirical Research
- Methodology of quantitative research
- Structure of the questionnaire and operationalization of the variables
- Composition of the sample
- Results of quantitative research
- Preliminary analyses
- Psychological influences on specific green product attribute preferences
- Classification of environmental identity within the model
- Discussion of the results
- Critical reflection of quantitative research
- Analytical review on the effects of adding environmental identity
- Psychographic profile of consumers favoring green products
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis aims to assess the influence of environmental identity on consumer purchase intention for green products, specifically within the context of the outdoor apparel market. The study investigates the role of environmental identity as a key driver of sustainable consumption behavior and explores its implications for sustainable product development in the outdoor apparel industry.
- The role of environmental identity in shaping consumer preferences for eco-friendly products
- The influence of environmental identity on purchase intention for sustainable apparel
- The impact of environmental identity on consumer behavior in the outdoor apparel market
- The development of a psychographic profile of consumers favoring green products
- The implications of the findings for sustainable product development in the outdoor apparel industry
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The thesis begins by introducing the motivation and objectives of the study, outlining the importance of understanding the role of environmental identity in sustainable consumption. Chapter 2 provides a theoretical background, exploring various approaches to profiling environmentally friendly consumers, including rational, sociological, and psychological explanations. The chapter further delves into the concept of environmental identity and its relationship to green consumerism, emphasizing its potential as a motivational force driving sustainable purchasing behavior. Chapter 3 outlines the research framework, introducing a modified version of the Theory of Planned Behavior that incorporates environmental identity as a key construct. This chapter also explores the development of hypotheses and discusses the research methodology, which includes both quantitative and qualitative methods. Chapter 4 presents the findings of the empirical research, analyzing the influence of environmental identity on consumer purchase intention for green products in the outdoor apparel market. The chapter provides detailed insights into the relationships between various psychological influences and product attribute preferences, ultimately leading to a classification of consumer groups based on their environmental identities.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The central keywords and themes of this thesis include environmental identity, sustainable consumer behavior, green products, outdoor apparel market, purchase intention, sustainable product development, psychographic profiles, and Theory of Planned Behavior. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of how environmental identity shapes consumer preferences for eco-friendly products, particularly in the context of the outdoor apparel industry.
- Quote paper
- Andreas Jesda Jügelt (Author), 2010, Implications for sustainable product development in the outdoor apparel market, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1006259
