Journal of Sustainable Marketing

Recyclable Product and Purchasing Recyclable Products

Unsustainable consumption patterns lead to the depletion of scarce resources in nature and increasing climate problems (Khan, Sharif, Golpîra, & Kumar, 2019). Increasing green product purchases is a significant objective of sustainable consumption (Kumar & Yadav, 2021). Recyclable products are generally obtained from plastics, textiles, metals, fast-moving consumer goods (oil, paper, garbage, etc.), and durable products (furniture, electronics, etc.). Many consumers view recycled products as environmentally friendly and some are willing to pay more for these products (Mason, Pauluzzo, & Umar, 2022; Mobley, Painter, Untch, & Unnava, 1995). However, despite growing consumer intentions to purchase recyclable products, their actual purchasing behavior lags behind their intentions. Evidence suggests that greater health risk perceptions associated with recycled products may be limiting purchases of recycled products (Chen & Chang, 2013).

The perception of risk in relation to purchasing recycled products is particularly pronounced when it comes to food and beverage-related items (Magnier, Mugge, & Schoormans, 2019). (Magnier et al., 2019) found that consumers are willing to pay more for recycled plastic products. On the other hand, (Orset, Barret, & Lemaire, 2017) found that consumers avoid paying more for recycled products (plastic water bottles). According to (Grebitus, Roscoe, Loo, & Kula, 2020), the influence of information, specifically environmentally friendly promotions, plays a significant role in positively shaping consumers' willingness to pay a higher price for recycled products. Despite the theory of planned behavior being widely employed in numerous studies to investigate consumers’ purchasing behaviors and intentions (Yadav & Pathak, 2016), it has been used in a limited number of studies investigating the recyclable product purchasing behavior of Gen Z consumers. Given the role of this theory as a central focus of the current study, we now review theory of planned behavior in greater detail.

The Theory of Planned Behavior

The Theory of Reasoned Action was developed by (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). (Ajzen, 1991) developed the theory of planned behavior by extending theory of reasoned action. Theory of planned behavior is widely recognized and accepted as an important and valid approach for examining individuals' behavioral intentions.

The main purpose of the theory of planned behavior model is to measure the change in individuals’ behavior towards a product or service (Ajzen, 1991). Intentions are defined by the attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control included in the theory of planned behavior (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). While originally developed to predict individual behavior, the theory of planned behavior has established itself as a validated and commonly employed framework in the field of social sciences (Cohen & Hanno, 1993). The theory of planned behavior is frequently used in the current literature to study consumer behavior in different fields. Moreover, theory of planned behavior has been used in many studies to determine the green product purchasing behavior of consumers (Armutcu, Ramadani, Zeqiri, & Dana, 2023; Paul, Modi, & Patel, 2016; Yadav & Pathak, 2017; Yeh, Guan, Chiang, Ho, & Huan, 2021)).

In this study, theory of planned behavior in predicting Gen Z consumers’ intention to purchase recyclable products is tested for the first time in Türkiye. In addition, the current study includes a new construct alongside the original theory of planned behavior framework - receptivity to green advertising – as a potential separate antecedent to aid in the prediction of Gen Z consumer intentions to purchase recyclable products in Türkiye (see Figure 1). While existing literature recognizes the positive impacts of the theory of planned behavior model and receptivity to green advertising on green behavior, this study stands out as the first to apply both the theory of planned behavior model and receptivity to green advertising in combination in order to predict Gen Z consumer intentions to purchase recyclable products.

Hypotheses Development

Receptivity to green advertising and recyclable products

Consumer receptivity to green advertising differ from individual to individual. Bailey, Mishra, & Tiamiyu (2016, p. 334) define receptivity to green advertising as “the extent to which consumers pay attention to and are favorably responsive to advertising that uses green messages in the marketing of products or a company itself". (Paco, Shiel, & Alves, 2019) emphasize that there is a positive relationship between receptivity to green advertising and consumers’ product purchasing behavior of green products in general. (Tewari et al., 2022) provide empirical evidence confirming that receptivity to green advertising exerts a robust and positive influence on the green apparel purchasing behavior of young consumers. However, the impact of receptivity to green advertising on recyclable product attitudes and purchase intentions in particular remains unexplored in the existing literature (Paco et al., 2019). Including this construct as an antecedent in the model may be enhance understanding of predictors of recyclable product attitudes and purchase intentions (Lampe & Gazda, 1995; Pittman, Oeldorf-Hirsch, & Brannan, 2022). Based on more generalized relationships between receptivity to green advertising and green product attitudes and behaviors identified in the literature, our final hypothesis states:

H4. Receptivity to green advertising positively influences consumers’ purchase intention towards recyclable products.

In line with our literature review and study hypotheses, the model depicted in Figure 1 is proposed.

Setting and Data Collection

The objective of this study was to investigate the recyclable product purchasing behavior of Gen Z young consumers living in Iğdır, Türkiye. Detailed information about recyclable products was given to the participants before the survey. In this way, the awareness of the participants about what recyclable products are was increased. The participants were selected by using the convenience sampling method. A pilot study on 40 people was also conducted to reduce the effects of common-method bias.

 A structured questionnaire was sent online to Gen Z consumers in Iğdır, Türkiye (population: 203,594). The survey elicited information about their recyclable product purchasing behavior. Only those born between 1997 and 2012 (Gen Z) were included in the survey. A total of 300 questionnaires were sent online to potential participants and 200 were completed. Of these, 29 were incomplete and thus, were not included in the analysis. This resulted in a final sample size of 171 respondents.

With the method developed by (Soper, 2022) to calculate the sample size for a structural equation model, it was determined that 150 participants would be sufficient. The calculation method developed by (Soper, 2022) has been widely used in the relevant literature (Cohen, 1988; Westland, 2010). In order to obtain more accurate responses, the questionnaire (23 questions) was translated into Turkish from English. Smart PLS and IBM SPSS 26 were used to assess the measurement model and conduct structural equation modelling. The respondents were informed that the study would be used only for scientific purposes, and that the data would be kept secure. This study was carried out with the permission of the Ethics Committee.

Dependent and Independent Variables

Purchase intention, used as the dependent variable in the study, was measured by the four questions in Appendix A . In addition to demographic questions, four independent variables were measured: attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and receptivity to green advertising. The four items in the consumer attitude construct were adapted from (Ajzen, 1991), (Muça & Zeqiri, 2020), and (Wu & Chen, 2014). The five subjective norm items were adapted from (Ajzen, 1991; Wang, Wong, & Narayanan, 2020; Yazdanpanah & Forouzani, 2015). The five items in the perceived behavioral control construct were adapted from (Ajzen, 1991; Paul et al., 2016), and the five items in the receptivity to green advertising construct were adapted from (Bailey et al., 2016) and Tewari et al. (2022). Detailed information about the independent variables is included in Appendix A. The items underlying the constructs are provided in Appendix A.

Reliability and Validity

Internal consistency reliability and validity were evaluated by checking Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability and average variance extracted (AVE). As shown in Table 1, Cronbach’s alpha values range from 0.740 to 0.887, and all these values are above the threshold (0.60-0.70) accepted for research in social sciences (Hair, Sarstedt, Ringle, & Gudergan, 2017). Composite reliability values vary between 0.837 and 0.917 and these values are above the accepted threshold value (Hair et al., 2017). AVA values range from 0.562 to 0.708 and all of these values are above the 0.50 threshold recommended by (Fornell & Larcker, 1981).

In order to assess the convergent validity, external loadings and mean variance are evaluated (Muça & Zeqiri, 2020). In order to ensure a good fit model, the external loading should be above 0.708 and items with loadings between 0.4 and 0.7 should be removed (Hair et al., 2017). As described in Table 4 , the model has satisfactory internal consistency and reliability since the factor loadings vary between 0.696 and 0.878 and the minimum AVE values exceed 0.5. The discriminant validity test was used to assess how close the constructs were to each other in the model or how different they were in the model (Bagozzi, Yi, & Phillips, 1991). According to Table 4, the AVE values exceed the 0.5 loading threshold (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). In addition, (Hair et al., 2017) state that the correlation values in any construct should not exceed the AVE values in a single construct. The information in Table 2 indicates that all constructs exhibited have discriminant validity.

Descriptive Data

Participants’ demographic characteristics are presented in Table 3 below. Forty-five percent of the participants were female and 55% were male. Eighteen were high school graduates, 16 held an associate’s degree, 107 held a bachelor’s degree and 30 held master’s or doctoral degree. The majority of the participants (73.1%) had an average monthly income of 3001 TL and above. Finally, Table 3 shows that 80 of the respondents were managers and 43 are students.

Implications

This study makes important contributions to the existing literature on recyclable product purchasing behaviors of Gen Z young consumers. While multiple studies examining consumer attitudes and intentions toward green product purchasing have been published, empirical research that includes new constructs alongside the theory of planned behavior specifically to investigate intentions to purchase recyclable products is limited. In part, to help address this situation, the effect of receptivity to green advertising as an additional antecedent to aid in the prediction of Gen Z consumer intentions to purchase recyclable products was also investigated in the current study.

Moreover, given that research in this field predominantly reflects Western culture, this study, which focuses on the Eastern culture, stands as the first of its kind to explore attitudes and intentions towards recyclable products within this cultural context. Furthermore, the findings from this study not only unveiled factors influencing consumers' purchasing behaviors for recyclable products, but also provided valuable insights and guidance to businesses and policymakers by offering them important implications and a roadmap for action. In this context, government agencies can cooperate with businesses and advertising agencies to promote green advertisements targeting Gen Z consumers. These adverts can emphasise the benefits of recyclable products and the positive impact of sustainable choices on the environment. In particular businesses, that use green messages to target Gen Z consumers, perhaps in conjunction with government-sponsored promotions, seem likely to increase sales of recyclable products. In addition, policymakers can implement incentives and regulations that encourage businesses to adopt sustainable practices and offer recyclable products. This could include tax incentives for environmentally friendly companies, promoting sustainable packaging or providing grants for research and development of recyclable materials. In addition, incentives such as discounts or reward schemes may be offered to consumers who choose recyclable products. This could motivate Gen Z consumers to make more sustainable choices. To involve Gen Z consumers and youth organisations in environmental policy decision-making, it is crucial to actively engage with them. Their perspectives and opinions can be valuable in shaping effective strategies.

Limitations and Directions for Future Research

This study was conducted in Iğdır province, which has the most polluted air quality in Europe and Türkiye. The results of this study, which examines the recyclable product purchasing behavior of young consumers in Iğdır province, can contribute to our understanding of the recyclable product purchasing tendencies of young consumers in other Turkish provinces with similar demographic structures. Future researchers can expand the design of the study and conduct new studies in additional provinces and countries. This study is limited to better understanding recyclable product purchasing among Gen Z consumers. Future research could also extend the model to other age groups.