Recycling through the lens of ethnic identity: a social identity perspective

Purpose Using the theory on social identity, this study aims to investigate if ethnic identity influences recycling behavior of ethnic-inspired products. Further through the lens of theory of planned behavior and extended self-theory, this study examines the underlying mechanisms between ethnic identity, ethnic-inspired product consumption, ethnic-inspired product attachment and recycling behavior. In addition, the moderating role of personal identity trait like style vs fashion orientation is also examined. Design/methodology/approach Two quantitative studies were conducted where representative data from the USA was gathered using online Amazon Turk. Data from 369 participants was collected for Study 1 which focused on ethnic-inspired clothing. For Study 2, data from 371 participants was collected which focused on ethnic-inspired home décor and ethnic-inspired accessories as the product category. The hypotheses were analyzed using hierarchical regression and PROCESS (Hayes, 2013) procedure. Findings The findings across both the studies suggest that individuals with stronger ethnic identity are more likely to consume ethnic-inspired products, develop attachment to those ethnic-inspired products and consequently engage in higher recycling behaviors. The results further suggest a positive and stronger effect for style orientation as compared to fashion orientation. Research limitations/implications This study by examining the dynamic relationship among ethnic identity, ethnic-inspired product consumption, ethnic-inspired product attachment and personal identity traits, provides a detailed explanatory framework for understanding consumers’ recycling behavior for ethnic-inspired products. The results of this study contribute to the growing literature on recycling and consumer behavior, further providing implications for both marketing theory and practice. Originality/value This study’s data were collected solely in the USA; thus, cross-national research is needed to assess generalizability. Future studies should also examine other personal identity dimensions, such as cultural values (e.g. individualism–collectivism) and social network embeddedness.