Driving sustainability in fashion: examining apparel purchasing behaviour in an emerging market

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors determining the green purchasing behaviour of sustainable apparel products. This study employed Stimulus–Organism–Behaviour–Consequences (SOBC) theory, in which green product attributes (stimulus), perceived effectiveness (organism), green labelling satisfaction (organism) and green purchase intention (behaviour) were used to predict green purchasing behaviour (consequences). A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the selected respondents. A total of 358 sets of questionnaires were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that green product attributes predicted perceived effectiveness and green labelling satisfaction. Both perceived effectiveness and green labelling satisfaction were predictors for green purchase intention. Green purchase behaviour was determined by green purchase intention. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of purchasing behaviour in the green context and recommends business strategies for practitioners.