In Brands that are Proclaimed Sustainable, Consumers do not trust

Abstract

Consumers’ environmental concern is increasing, and consumer attitudes towards sustainable consumption are mainly positive. However, behavioral patterns are not consistent with attitudes. The relationship between attitudes and purchase intentions and attitudes toward sustainable consumption are widely studied phenomena in the literature. There is a gap in the literature on how trust in brands proclaimed sustainable by manufacturers impacts the relationship between attitudes toward sustainable consumption and intention to purchase these products. This study investigates the presumed gap between favorable attitude towards sustainable consumption and intention to purchase sustainable products. The impact of trust in brands proclaimed as sustainable on the relationship between attitudes toward sustainable consumption and purchase intentions will be analyzed. The central theory of this study is based on the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein and Ajzen 1975). In this study, attitudes towards sustainable consumption, measured by environmental concern and price-value relationship perceptions, have been chosen as a subject matter. Sustainable consumption may contribute to the nature of the phenomena that theory of reasoned action attempts to understand, explain and predict. According to this theory, consumers’ intention to purchase sustainable products is determined by their attitudes toward actual sustainable product purchase behavior. Thus, we expect to find positive relationships between attitudes toward sustainable consumption and intention to purchase sustainable products. In examining the relationship between attitudes toward sustainable consumption and purchase intention of sustainable products, the role of trust in brands proclaimed sustainable on this relationship will be analyzed.