The consumption of food has a significant impact on the environment, individuals and public health. This study aims to investigate the integrative effects of consumers’ personal and situational factors on their attitude and purchase behavior of organic meat. The consumption of this product has been widely regarded as contributing towards sustainable food practices. The study was conducted in an emerging market economy, i.e., Vietnam. Data were collected using a customized and validated survey instrument from a sample of 609 organic meat consumers at four food outlets in Hanoi. The findings suggested that consumers’ concerns regarding the environment, health, food safety and their knowledge of organic food, all significantly impacted their attitude towards the purchase behavior of organic meat. Interestingly, their positive attitude did not necessarily translate into their actual purchase of organic meat. Additionally, food stores’ green marketing practices significantly enhanced consumers’ actual purchase behavior. Conversely, premium prices of organic meat were certainly a deterrent for the actual purchase of organic meat. The findings of this study have several important implications for organic food producers, retailers, policy makers and socio-environmental organizations that seek to develop intervention strategies aimed at increasing organic meat consumption in Vietnam.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of consumers’ collectivism and long-term orientation (LTO) cultural values on their purchase intention in relation to environment-friendly products. Design/methodology/approach: This research adopts a hypo-deductive research design. A unique conceptual model was developed by linking cultural values to key determinants of green purchase behaviour. This model was then tested using a quantitative survey of 682 shoppers in popular Vietnamese electrical appliance stores. Findings: Analysis using structural equation modelling reveals that consumers with greater adherence to collectivism and LTO tend to engage in green purchase behaviour owing to their positive environmental attitudes, strong subjective norms and tolerance of inconvenience associated with eco-friendly product purchase. Gender is found to moderate the relationship between the determinants and purchase intention. Practical implications: Marketers including manufacturers and policymakers must endeavour (change globally) to reduce or eliminate perceived inconvenience associated with green purchases. They should also effectively communicate messages stressing that eco-friendly product purchases are crucial for environmental protection and benefit consumer groups including family, peers and society in the long-run. Originality/value: This research is the first of its kind which links consumers’ cultural values at a personal level to all the elements of the theory of planned behaviour. This research also extends current knowledge about green purchase behaviour in emerging markets by focussing on Vietnam.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the formation of green brand image through customers’ perceptions of the functional and emotional benefits associated with green brands and the influence of green brand image on purchase behavioural response. Additionally, the influence of a moderating variable (green perceived risk) on this formation process is examined. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected using an online survey administered to a consumer panel in China. Structural equation modelling was used to test the conceptual model. Findings: The results demonstrate that the provision of utilitarian benefits and self-expressive benefits directly enhance the brand’s green image. Also, utilitarian benefits and green brand image have direct influences on green brand loyalty. Green perceived risk negatively moderates the relationship between utilitarian benefits and green brand image. Research limitations/implications: This study extends previous research by examining the development of green brand image and investigating the moderating role of green perceived risk in this process. Also, this study enriches research on green brand and corporate branding by investigating the relationship between green brand image and brand loyalty. Originality/value: Although previous research has examined how perceived benefits influence the development of corporate brand image, the issue has not been investigated from a green branding perspective. Moreover, the moderating role of green perceived risk in the formation of green brand image has not been explored, despite the concerns relating to greenwash which have been raised in several green brand studies. Finally, green brand image was found to be a strong antecedent of brand loyalty, besides the predominant elements of green trust and green satisfaction.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how consumers’ altruistic values influence their personal norms, environmental attitudes, subjective norms and perceived barriers, all of which in turn influence their pro-environmental behaviour (i.e. the purchase of energy efficient household appliances).Design/methodology/approach: This research follows a hypothetic-deductive approach. A unique conceptual model examines the role of consumers’ altruistic values in relation to their environmentally responsible purchase behaviour. Structured questionnaires were administered to randomly selected Vietnamese consumers who visited busy electronics and appliance specialist stores, which yielded 682 usable responses.Findings: Structural equation modelling revealed that consumers’ altruistic values tend to positively influence their personal norms, environmental attitudes, subjective norms and mitigate their perceived barriers in relation to the purchase of energy efficient appliances.Practical implications: Marketers, policymakers and sustainability campaigners should develop relevant communication and education programmes that emphasise the importance of purchasing energy efficient appliances for the environment and society, arousing consumers’ sense of moral obligation and societal responsibility to purchase such products. They should also provide a convenient and easily accessible shopping environment for consumers.Originality/value: This research makes an important contribution by presenting and testing a new altruistic-values-based model that seeks to understand consumers’ environmentally responsible purchase behaviour. This model could serve as a blueprint for future studies in the domain of pro-environmental behaviour, especially those in emerging markets.

This article aims to investigate the dimensions influencing consumers’ purchase intentions of organic food products in urban China. The conceptual model for this study was developed based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), consumer decision-making process (CDP) and the hierarchy of effects model. The original survey instrument comprised of 52 statements and data were collected in China in two stages, i.e. 200 valid online responses were collected for the purpose of the pilot study and later 960 paper-based responses were obtained from four major Chinese cities. Data analysis was performed using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings of this study revealed that Chinese consumers’ purchase of organic food products is influenced by the following dimensions: product, regulatory and lifestyle (variety seeking and self-indulgence). Additionally, the above-mentioned dimensions had a direct or indirect impact on pre-purchase evaluation and purchase intentions. Consumers’ beliefs and attitudes towards the purchase of organic food products influenced pre-purchase evaluation, and finally pre-purchase evaluation impacted on the behavioural intention of existing and potential consumers.

The consumer purchase of environmentally friendly products like organic food is essential to environmental sustainability. This study applies the unique food-related lifestyles (FRL) approach to segment organic food consumers in Vietnam, a country in which there is increasing concern about food safety and quality. The FRL model was intentionally selected because it enables better understanding of how consumers employ food and its culinary aspects to achieve certain values in their lives. Data were obtained from 203 organic food consumers, and a two-step cluster analysis established three identifiable market segments which we named “Conservatives”, “Trendsetters”, and “Unengaged”. The Conservatives were interested in the health aspects of food and preferred natural products. The Trendsetters were interested in healthy food, liked to cook, and held a positive attitude toward organic food and local food products. The Unengaged consumers were not concerned about food-related issues, and they reported the least consumption of organic food. The findings of this study have important academic and practical implications for marketers, policymakers, organizations dealing with food, and socio-environmental organizations that aim to promote organic food consumption. Importantly, marketing efforts should focus on enhancing consumers’ knowledge about organic food and their love of cooking, as well as ensuring adequate availability of organic food.