Impact of environmental knowledge and product quality on student attitude toward products with recycled/remanufactured content: Implications for environmental education and green manufacturing

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of environmental knowledge and perceived product quality on purchasing intention and purchasing behavior of recycled products: A4 paper, mobile phones and printers. The intent is to understand how to move future generations toward more sustainable behavior, as currently unsustainable amounts of waste are generated across the Far East. Expectancy value theory and the theory of reasoned action are applied to the purchase of products with recovered and/or recycled content (n = 215). The study indicates: (1) a significant positive relationship was found between both the intention to purchase and the purchase of recycled products; (2) the perception of recycled product risk has a significant negative impact on the perception of recycled product quality and the attitude toward environmental protection; (3) perceived quality of recycled product is positively related to attitude toward environmental protection; (4) perceived quality of recycled product and attitude to environmental protection are positively related to intention to purchase recycled products; and (5) surprisingly, knowledge regarding environmental damage and pollution is unrelated to attitude toward environmental protection. This study offers new insights into the impact of education on environmental protection, purchasing of greener products and the need for environmental education to move from a goal of understanding to that of action.

Promoting towel reuse behaviour in guests: A water conservation management and environmental policy in the hotel industry

“…This variable is often involved in social psychological theories/models as a considerable influence on one's decision‐making process and behaviour (Perugini & Bagozzi, ). This concept is also frequently employed when explicating one's eco‐friendly decision‐making and behaviour (Han, ; Jansson, ; Liao, ; Matthies, Selge, & Klöckner, ; Sun, The, & Linton, ). In the present study, attitude towards eco‐friendly behaviour at hotels refers to the degree to which guests have a positive/negative assessment/appraisal of environmentally responsible behaviour (e.g., towel reuse, water conservation) while staying at hotels.…”

Are green consumers really green? Exploring the factors behind the actual consumption of organic food products

“…Understanding the drivers of environmental purchasing behavior is a research topic addressed by hundreds of scholars, who have produced dozens of empirical academic papers (Boccia & Sarnacchiaro, ; Darnall, Ponting, & Vazquez‐Brust, ; Leire & Thidell, ; Moser, ; Peattie, ; Sun, Teh, & Linton, ; F. Testa, Iraldo, Vaccari, & Ferrari, ; Testa, Miroshnychenko, Barontini, & Frey, ; Thogersen, ; Young, Hwang, McDonald, & Oates, ). Within this broader category of green consumption, most of the existing research has focused on purchasing behaviors in relation to organic products (Aertsens, Verbeke, Mondelaers, & Van Huylenbroeck, ; Hughner, McDonagh, Prothero, Shultz, & Stanton, ; Nuttavuthisit & Thøgersen, ), mainly because the global organic market has expanded considerably in recent years, growing dramatically from $15.2 billion in 1999 to $80 billion in 2014, due primarily to organic sales in North America and European countries (Willer & Lernoud, ).…”

Consumer familiarity, ambiguity tolerance, and purchase behavior toward remanufactured products: The implications for remanufacturers

“…The lack of understanding about products will hinder the success and acceptance of the products among consumers. Most consumers are not familiar with remanufactured products in China, and they lack clear and unequivocal product information (Sun, Teh, & Linton, ). Consumers may feel uncertain about remanufactured products because they do not know how the products were used before and what steps were needed to remanufacture these products (Hatcher, Ijomah, & Windmill, ).…”