Consumers’ Environmental Concern and Green Consumerism: Do the Normative Environmental Roles of Stakeholders Matter?

Abstract

Consumers are increasingly valuing environmental concern and green consumerism to drive the positive roles of stakeholders. However, the intervening normative roles of regulatory bodies, companies, and distributors remain challenging, signalling for evidence-based investigation. This study examines normative environmental roles of stakeholders' effect on consumers environmental concern and green consumerism. A theoretical model is proposed that tests how normative environmental roles mediates between consumers' concern for environment and green consumerism. Using quasi-systematic sampling data of 202 consumers across China, the empirical findings of structural equations modelling proved the perceived environmental roles of regulatory bodies and intermediaries significantly mediate the relationship between consumers' concern for the environment and green consumerism. Consumers' environmental concern is also found to have substantial and direct effects on the normative environmental roles of stakeholders. However, contrary to the predicted model, the intervening normative roles of company CSR were found insignificant between ecological concerns and green behavior adoption. The findings reveal that normative environmental roles of the government and intermediaries, unlike the roles perceived by companies, effect green consumerism. Contributions to green consumerism theory, including the direct and intervening normative roles of environmental stakeholders, cited research roadmaps, and managerial implications. IJSB