Drivers of green consumption: Ethical ideologies and corporate social responsibility in sustainability awareness

Abstract

In this study, we examine the relationship between various ethical motivations and types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to better understand the drivers of green consumption behavior in the context of sustainability. The motivations behind green consumption and sustainability are rooted in distinct ethical and social responsibility considerations. We identified distinct ethical ideologies, derived from the two dimensions of the Ethical Position questionnaire—idealism and relativism—as proposed by Forsyth (1980). Data for the study were gathered using convenience sampling, with 1100 questionnaires distributed across China and Pakistan, ultimately yielding 476 valid responses from China and 503 from Pakistan after data cleaning. Our research is set in the contrasting contexts of Pakistan and China, both of which are undergoing significant sustainability transformations. The relevance of CSR initiatives in these settings makes them ideal for studying the dynamics of green consumption through the lens of CSR and ethical ideologies. The findings reveal that different ethical motivations and CSR approaches toward green consumption can significantly contribute to long‐term corporate sustainability. Corporate managers, aware of the growing importance of corporate sustainability, are increasingly focusing on promoting green consumption practices to maintain competitive advantage. Our study addresses how varying ethical ideologies and CSR strategies influence green consumption behavior in the specific cultural and economic contexts of China and Pakistan.