Sustainability across Borders: which factors influence sustainable footwear Choices? An empirical study on Italian and Dutch consumers

The fashion industry accounts for substantial negative environmental and social impacts, prompting the development of sustainable fashion products as a response to these issues. Despite increased interest in sustainable fashion, research on sustainable footwear remains limited. This study addresses this gap by investigating the determinants influencing sustainable footwear purchase intention within a novel theoretical framework. The Theory of Planned Behaviour model is extended including two additional constructs: Perceived Market Influence and Ascription of Responsibility. The study involves two European markets, collecting data from 724 consumers in Italy and the Netherlands. Structural Equation Modelling and Multigroup analysis are used for data analysis. The findings indicate that Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Ascription of Responsibility positively affect purchase intentions toward recycled footwear, while Perceived Behavioural Control has a negative effect. Ascription of Responsibility and Perceived Market Influence can enhance consumers' Attitudes toward sustainable footwear. The multigroup analysis reveals differences in consumer behaviour between the Italian and Dutch markets, highlighting that the determinants of consumers' intention to purchase sustainable footwear depend on the consumer's country. This research has important theoretical contributions related to sustainable consumer behaviour and provides valuable insights for marketers into the patterns and factors influencing sustainable footwear consumption in diverse contexts. • Sustainable footwear is crucial yet underexplored in sustainable fashion research. • This study provides a comparative analysis of two European markets, Italy and the Netherlands. • The TPB framework was extended with two constructs to study purchase intentions. • Findings reveal insights into sustainable consumption dynamics and key market differences.