Closing the Green Gap: Attitude Drives Green Consumer Behavior among Gen Z in West Java
Keywords:
Green Consumer Behavior, Generation Z, Environmental Attitude, Environmental Knowledge, Plastic Waste.Abstract
The issues of global warming and the accumulation of hazardous waste, particularly plastic waste (18.55% of the national waste composition), demand serious commitment from Indonesia in achieving its Net Zero Emission target. This study focuses on Generation Z in West Java, the largest population segment with great potential as agents of change in sustainable consumption (Green Consumer Behavior or GCB). The objective is to analyze the influence of Environmental Awareness, Environmental Knowledge, Product Availability, and Environmental Policy on GCB, with the mediating role of Attitudes toward Environmentally Friendly Products. Using a quantitative causal research design, data were collected from 385 Gen Z respondents in 14 cities/districts in West Java and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that this model has a very high explanatory power, covering 92.7% of GCB variation. All direct and indirect hypotheses (H1–H13) were proven positive and significant. Environmental Knowledge was the most dominant factor shaping attitudes (path coefficient 0.475) and directly influencing GCB (path coefficient 0.352). A crucial finding confirms that Attitudes toward Environmentally Friendly Products play a significant psychological mediating role, bridging the influence of Awareness, Knowledge, Availability, and Policy toward green consumption behavior. These results underscore the urgency of improving environmental literacy and product availability as keys to encouraging Gen Z participation in plastic waste mitigation efforts in West Java.
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