MAKING FASHION SUSTAINABLE: A VALUE-ATTITUDE-BEHAVIOR FRAMEWORK PERSPECTIVE ON ECO-FRIENDLY APPAREL CHOICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Abstract

Growing environmental awareness and ecosystem conservation initiatives have attracted considerable attention from marketing scholars and practitioners, encouraging real-time research on green marketing strategies. Among these, green apparel brands emerge as particularly significant. Consumers’ interest in purchasing green apparel indicates their eagerness to support sustainable clothing companies out of respect for nature, culture, and humanity. This study examines the key factors influencing purchase intentions for eco-friendly apparel, focusing on green environmental awareness, green culture, green consumer cooperation, and green motivation, drawing insights from the Value–Attitude–Behavior (VAB) framework of consumer behavior. Quantitative data were collected from 240 consumers through a structured questionnaire. Demographic analysis was analyzed using SPSS, while SmartPLS was employed to test the hypotheses. The results reveal that environmental awareness and consumer cooperation directly enhance purchase intentions for green apparel brands, while green culture indirectly strengthens this relationship. Green culture has emerged as a strong mediator and appears significant as a component of sustainable consumer behavior. Green motivation enhanced the relationship between green culture and intentions to purchase suggesting that motivated consumers are likely to behave according to their sustainable values. The implications presented provide insight into consumer behavior with regard to sustainable fashion and provide empirical support for the Value–Attitude–Behavior framework. The research has important implications for future research and academic endeavors with respect to environmental and consumer behavior, and offers guidance for brand managers on how to promote these environmental values. It illustrates the importance of taking into consideration both cultural and motivational factors when promoting environmentally responsible consumption.