Sustainable Marketing and Green Purchase Behaviour: Examining the Role of Consumer Trust, Environmental Awareness and Perceived Value

Abstract

Sustainable consumption has become increasingly relevant as consumers, businesses and policymakers recognize the environmental consequences associated with conventional patterns of production and consumption. The present study examined this issue from a consumer perspective by focusing on green purchase behaviour among consumers in Guwahati, Kamrup Metropolitan District, Assam. In particular, the study considered the role of environmental awareness, consumer trust and perceived value in influencing consumers' green purchasing decisions. The study proposes that environmental awareness provides an important foundation for sustainable consumption. Consumers who are conscious of environmental problems may be more receptive to environmentally responsible products and marketing messages. However, the analysis also indicates that awareness alone may not be sufficient to encourage green purchasing. This is consistent with the broader literature's recognition of the gap that can exist between environmental attitudes and actual consumer behaviour. Consumer trust emerged as another important dimension of sustainable marketing. Environmental claims need to be credible if they are to influence consumer decisions. In an environment where consumers may be concerned about greenwashing, businesses need to support sustainability communication with transparent information and credible evidence. The literature reviewed in the reference paper similarly emphasizes transparency, certification and measurable environmental performance as important mechanisms for establishing confidence in green claims. The study also highlights the importance of perceived value. Consumers are unlikely to evaluate green products solely on their environmental characteristics. They also consider quality, performance, price, usefulness and convenience. Therefore, sustainable marketing is likely to be more effective when environmental benefits are combined with a convincing overall value proposition. The illustrative regression analysis developed for the proposed sample of 200 consumers indicated that environmental awareness, consumer trust and perceived value collectively explained a substantial proportion of variation in green purchase behaviour, with perceived value emerging as the strongest predictor. This suggests that the movement toward sustainable consumption may be strengthened when consumers are not only environmentally aware but also trust the sustainability claims of businesses and perceive genuine value in green products. For businesses operating in Guwahati, the findings point towards the need for a more credible and consumer-focused approach to sustainable marketing. Rather than relying solely on environmental appeals, businesses can emphasize verifiable environmental benefits, transparent communication, product quality, durability and reasonable value. Such practices can potentially strengthen consumer confidence and encourage environmentally responsible purchasing. Sustainable marketing can play an important role in connecting environmental consciousness with consumer action. The central implication of the study is that encouraging green purchase behaviour requires more than creating environmental awareness; it requires an integrated approach in which awareness, trust and perceived value work together. This consumer-oriented perspective adds a localized dimension to the wider sustainable marketing literature and provides a basis for further research on sustainable consumption in Guwahati and Assam. However, the numerical results presented in this draft are simulated for methodological illustration. They must be replaced by genuine responses from 200 consumers before this paper is represented or submitted as an empirical research study.