Abstract:

The effects of global warming and the changing climatic conditions have increased the need for environmentally friendly products. South Africa, as a developing nation, has not developed sufficient infrastructure for sustainable behaviour and for this reason its consumers have little exposure to sustainability practices compared to the developed countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the purchase intention of South African consumers towards environmentally friendly products using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among South African consumers and a total of 200 questionnaires were deemed legible (Comment to author: do you mean valid ?) for analysis. Factor analysis was used to identify the factors that influence purchase intention of environmentally friendly products. Correlation analysis was used to establish the relationship among variables. Regression analysis was used to investigate the predictive influence of independent variables on the dependent variable. A statistically significant correlation between the factors that influence purchase intention of environmentally friendly products and purchase intention was found. Regression analysis indicated that attitudes and subjective norms had an insignificant influence on the purchase intention of environmentally friendly products. Conversely, perceived behavioural control, environmental concern and environmental knowledge contributed significantly towards the intention to purchase environmentally friendly products. Tangible action is required to encourage everyone to know and understand the significance of purchasing environmentally friendly products.

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