Green purchasing (GP) is an important part of sustainable consumption, which reduces the impact of society on the environment. As few studies of people's GP behaviours exist for China, this paper tries to close the gap by exploring GP behaviours of urban residents in Suzhou city, Jiangsu Province. A total of 336 valid samples in a questionnaire survey are used for the analysis. Nearly half of the respondents have seldom bought green products, confirming a low level of residential GP practices. The path analysis clarifies the cause and effect linkages between the predicting variables and GP behaviours. Environmental attitudes, especially perception of self‐responsibility, greatly influence intention of GP behaviours. The available information of green products significantly determines people's actual GP behaviours. This study addresses the importance of environmental education in enhancing the public's environmental responsibility in China. More information on green products should be distributed to assist in GP practices of consumers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.