The Role of Consumer Trust in Sustainability in Increasing Interest in Purchasing Environmentally Friendly Products
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55606/bijmt.v5i2.5194Keywords:
Behavior, Consumer, Greenwashing, Sustainability, TransparencyAbstract
This study explores the role of consumer trust in sustainability as a key factor influencing interest in purchasing environmentally friendly products. Despite increasing environmental awareness, many consumers remain hesitant to take action due to skepticism, perceived risk, and uncertainty about product authenticity. A systematic review of international literature (2020–2025) identifies five core trust dimensions: integrity, transparency, credibility, behavioral consistency, and long-term commitment. These dimensions shape consumers’ evaluations of green product claims and influence their willingness to engage in sustainable consumption. To explain the psychological mechanisms at work, the study integrates multiple theoretical perspectives: the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) emphasizes attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control; Trust Theory explains how reliability and honesty reduce perceived risks; Signaling Theory clarifies how credible environmental communication influences consumer belief; and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory connects personal values to pro-environmental actions. By synthesizing these frameworks, the analysis positions trust not merely as a mediating factor but as a foundational driver that enables the translation of positive environmental attitudes into actual green purchasing behavior. The findings underscore that businesses must move beyond superficial eco-friendly messaging to implement verifiable and consistent sustainability practices. This includes transparent reporting, third-party certification, and active stakeholder engagement. Policymakers also have a critical role in regulating misleading environmental claims and enforcing penalties for greenwashing, thereby protecting consumers and ensuring fair competition. Strengthening trust through these measures can help close the persistent gap between pro-environmental intentions and real-world purchasing actions. Overall, this study provides actionable insights for marketers, sustainability strategists, and regulators, highlighting that consumer trust is the cornerstone of sustainable market transformation. By cultivating trust, stakeholders can encourage environmentally responsible behavior at scale and contribute to long-term ecological well-being.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Boell, D., & Cecez-Kecmanovic, D. (2014). A hermeneutic approach for conducting literature reviews and literature searches. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 34(1), 257–286. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.03412
Chen, Y., & Chang, C. (2020). Environmental ethics, green purchase intentions, and the moderating role of green trust. Management Decision, 58(9), 1887–1907. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-10-2018-1084
de Jong, J., Huluba, S., & Beldad, S. (2021). Different shades of greenwashing: Consumers’ reactions to environmental lies, half-lies, and organizations taking credit for following legal obligations. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 35(1), 9–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1050651920959188
Grubor, S., & Milovanov, O. (2021). Brand strategies in the era of sustainability. Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, 19(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.7906/indecs.19.1.6
Khare, L. (2020). Influence of green values on green purchase behavior: A study on Indian consumers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102077
Lee, W., & Chow, D. (2021). How value–attitude–behavior affects green consumption: A moderation–mediation model. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 59, 102410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102410
Li, Y., Wang, X., & Huang, S. (2021). The influence of environmental concern and green trust on green purchase intention: The moderating effect of price sensitivity. Sustainability, 13(23), 13201. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313201
Martínez, L., Pérez, J., & Rodríguez del Bosque, B. (2019). Exploring the role of CSR in the organizational identity of hospitality firms: A qualitative approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 158, 1031–1048. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3745-2
Morgan, M. S., & Hunt, R. M. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252308
Nimse, S., & Kim, T. (2022). Understanding the role of eco-labels and green trust in promoting green purchase behavior. Sustainability, 14(3), 1469. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031469
Rahman, J., & Reynolds, M. (2021). Consumer trust and green advertising: Emerging insights. Sustainability, 13(9), 5053. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095053
Shin, H., Kang, M., & Hyun, H. (2022). How consumer perceived value affects behavior intention in eco-friendly apparel consumption: The mediating role of consumer trust. Fashion and Textiles, 9(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-021-00273-1
Singh, R., & Verma, P. (2020). Factors influencing Indian consumers’ actual buying behaviour towards organic food products. Journal of Cleaner Production, 251, 119700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119700
Snyder, M. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010
Stern, P. (2000). Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 407–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00175
Testa, G., Iraldo, F., Vaccari, M., & Ferrari, N. (2021). Why eco-labels can be effective marketing tools: Evidence from a study on Italian consumers. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(5), 2443–2456. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2754
Wang, H., Ma, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2021). Green consumption intention and behavior of Chinese consumers in the context of COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 6592. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126592
Zhang, W., Xu, L., & Wang, R. (2021). Exploring the relationship between trust and purchase intentions of green products. Journal of Cleaner Production, 319, 128821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128821
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Brilliant International Journal Of Management And Tourism
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
