Consumers’ Psychological and Behavioral Responses to Negative Environmental Information in Circular Fashion and the Role of Moral Licensing in Green Spillover Effects

As circular fashion has become an important pathway for sustainable consumption, controversies over its environmental performance and the spread of negative information have increasingly influenced consumer decision-making. However, existing research offers limited systematic explanations of how consumers integrate value-based, cognitive, and moral judgments under negative information conditions. To address this gap, this study highlights environmental self-identity and incorporates perceived risk and moral licensing to construct an analytical framework examining the mechanisms through which negative environmental information affects purchase intention toward circular fashion. A scenario-based survey method was employed, using mainstream media reports on environmental controversies surrounding circular fashion as stimulus materials. Data were collected from Chinese consumers via an online questionnaire (N = 235), and hypotheses were tested using PROCESS macro (Model 3). The results show that environmental self-identity continues to significantly promote purchase intention under negative information conditions, but its effect is weakened by perceived risk and strengthened by high moral licensing. This study extends the understanding of green consumption and negative green spillover effects in negative environmental information contexts. Moreover, it offers practical implications for risk communication and trust management strategies for circular fashion brands operating in contested information environments.