Understanding Environmentally Motivated Purchasing Intentions

In reviewing three research papers, one of which reports a study in which I collaborated, I shall examine some manifestations of environmentally motivated purchasing intentions and some antecedents thereof. I shall also refer to a salutary case example that has been widely reported in the media. The first paper reports that Machiavellianism (in students) is negatively associated with the perceived relevance of corporate ethics and social responsibility (PRESOR) as a partial mediator, and with environmentally-motivated purchasing intentions as an outcome variable. I follow with a brief analysis of the Volkswagen scandal, involving ‘defeat devices’ that fraudulently over-rode pollution controls, thereby enhancing other aspects of engine performance. The Volkswagen case alerts us to a major vulnerability of the ‘material green’ consumer, who relies on branding, labelling, or certification to inform purchasing decisions. The second paper that I review reports a qualitative study of the role of informal moral leaders in a Canadian community, who invoke stage 5 post-conventional moral reasoning with the aim of inspiring low-level or sustainable consumption by their peers and family members. The third paper contrasts consumption values in two Canadian neighbourhoods, and considers three possible causes: locational determinism, selection bias, and normative/cultural influences.