IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v15y2025i2p21582440251336836.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Trick Called “Eco†: An Analysis of the Antecedents of Eco-Friendly Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Yu Jin Chang
  • Jae Wook Yoo

Abstract

As the issue of greenwashing becomes more important, previous studies have not fully explained the various pathways and complex effects of greenwashing on consumer behaviors. To overcome these limitations, we present a model based on the theory of reasoned action for the relationship between consumers’ awareness of greenwashing and green purchase intention and the mediating effect of green trust and green word-of-mouth intention in this relationship. The results of analyzing the data of 306 respondents in the online survey in the third quarter of 2023 using structural equation modeling (SPSS 26.0, Amos 23.0) are as follows: The path of greenwashing awareness to green purchase intention through green trust and green word-of-mouth intention was significant. Specifically, greenwashing awareness had a negative effect on green trust and green word-of-mouth intention, which in turn had a negative effect on green purchase intention. In addition, green trust and green word-of-mouth intention had a positive effect on green purchase intention. The findings suggest that companies should adopt third-party certifications, improve supply chain transparency, and invest in sustainability initiatives. The responses also indicate a need to implement a standardized eco-labeling system and establish and utilize a stricter enforcement mechanism to curb greenwashing. Despite these implications, this study has a limitation in that the sample is restricted to Korean adults with experience in purchasing eco-friendly cosmetics. Follow-up studies on diverse products and consumer groups should be conducted to strengthen the generalizability of the findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu Jin Chang & Jae Wook Yoo, 2025. "A Trick Called “Eco†: An Analysis of the Antecedents of Eco-Friendly Behavior," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(2), pages 21582440251, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:2:p:21582440251336836
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440251336836
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440251336836
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/21582440251336836?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:2:p:21582440251336836. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.