Environmental concern as a mediator of sustainable purchase intention among urban consumers in India

Abstract The growing emphasis on sustainable consumption and responsible production has increased scholarly interest in understanding consumers’ sustainable purchase intentions (SPI). This study is based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) theory and aimed to explore the impact of Green Brand Perception (GBP), Eco-Friendly Packaging (EFP), Social Media Engagement (SME), and Perceived Consumer Effectiveness (PCE) on SPI, with the mediation of Environmental Concern (EC) as a construct. A structured questionnaire and purposive sampling technique were used to collect data from 392 urban consumers who are concerned about the environment among the metropolitan cities in India. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for the analysis of the proposed conceptual framework using the SmartPLS 4.0 software. To ensure methodological rigour, reliability and validity assessments, mmoodel fit, non-response and common method biases were performed. The results indicated that PCE is the best predictor of SPI, followed by EC, EFP, GBP and SME. Environmental Concern is a significant factor for the sustainable purchase intention but not significant between PCE and SPI. This study is a valuable addition to the sustainability marketing literature as it combines both TPB and VBN theory in an emerging-market environment and demonstrates the importance of psychological and Behavioural factors in influencing sustainable consumption. The study offers important implications for marketers, policymakers, and sustainability advocates in designing ESG-oriented communication strategies, environmentally responsible branding initiatives, and digital sustainability campaigns aimed at promoting sustainable consumer behaviour.