INTRODUCTION

The relevance of sustainable and green marketing has grown as global awareness of sustainability,
the environment, and clean technologies has increased.

While marketing has historically been thought of as a practise that encourages consumerism,
sustainable marketing also considers economic and social issues (Belz, 2006). According to Gordon et
al. (2011), this phrase has changed over time to be known as "green marketing," which tries to strike
a balance between the need for profit (the inducement to consume) and the larger demands of the
environment and its preservation.

People are becoming increasingly conscious of and worried about the sustainability of the
environment, which is a result of the increased attention being paid to environmental issues. 2018
(Sun et al.). Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that consumer choices can have an impact on
the environmental balance of the planet (Papadopolous et al., 2010).

Some consumers, known as "green consumers," refrain from buying things that are harmful to the
environment because they are concerned about the environment. For instance, customers in
Portugal are becoming more environmentally conscious and aware of the finite nature of natural
resources (Paço & Raposo, 2010). Additionally, despite their propensity to favour pro-environment
legislation, Portuguese people frequently struggle to turn their concerns into actual actions (Paço &
Raposo, 2009).

Numerous authors have investigated the various predictors of green purchase behaviour (GPB)
(Arslan et al., 2012; Trivedi et al., 2018) as well as ecological concern (EC) (Hirsh, 2010). Additionally
crucial are attitudes towards the environment.

Customers have recently developed a greater knowledge of environmental issues and an interest in
taking action to address them as a result of the rise in particulate matters, recurrent episodes of
unusual weather, and recycling issues. The manufacturing and consumption of products that
contaminate the environment have historically received little attention from consumers, who
instead have concentrated primarily on eco-friendly initiatives like recycling to address
environmental issues. Today, though, they are actively highlighting the government's complacent
approach to environmental protection and opposing the production of products that destroy the
environment. They favour using ecologically friendly products and engaging in environmentally
beneficial behaviours [1].

As a result, numerous studies have looked into what influences people's decisions to buy eco-
friendly products, focusing mostly on their environmental beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and
awareness of things like product costs. According to Joshi and Rahman [7], consumers' high interest
in environmental and social issues induces eco-friendly purchasing behaviour and is regarded as the
main motivation. Roberts [6] argues that environmental awareness is crucial to closing the gap
between environmental issues and sustainable behaviour. Eco-friendly products are preferred by
customers who expressed an interest in environmental and ethical problems [8]. There is, however,
a dearth of research on the connection between environmental awareness among customers and
eco-friendly product purchasing patterns. Studies on environmental consciousness already in
existence concentrate on environmentally friendly behaviour, but consumer direct product purchase
has not been investigated.

The majority of environmentally conscious consumers generally favour eco-friendly items, although
this support rarely results in practical action [9]. based on the 2020In a poll conducted by Procter &
Gamble (P&G) in Korea of 4000 Korean customers, 82.2% of respondents said they would be
prepared to buy environmentally friendly items, but only 25.5% of respondents have actually done
so [10]. Based on the findings, it appears doubtful that mere willingness will result in actual eco-
friendly product purchases. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that consumers are hesitant to
buy ecologically friendly products while having good intentions in this regard. In other words, not
everyone who cares about the environment purchases and uses eco-friendly goods. The behavioural
aspect of buying eco-friendly products, however, has previously been evaluated as purchase
intention [11,12]. Studies on consumer behaviour have found that intentions are frequently the
same or very similar, if not identical. compared to the actual behaviour [13]. In previous literature,
there has been a great deal of research on the topic of gaps between customers' purchase intentions
and behaviours [1,5,7,14,15,16]. There is, however, still a disconnect between the intended
behaviour and the actual behaviour.

It is vital to close the gap between green consumer intentions and actual behaviour in order to
address this issue. Additionally, it has been suggested that more research be done on the disparity
between purchasing intention and behaviour [17]. There is, however, a dearth of research exploring
the moderating effects of the discrepancy between purchase intention and behaviour on the
consumption of green products. Kaur and Bhardwaj assessed how a substitute for an actual control
measure affected the decision to buy. The intention-action gap was demonstrated to have a
favourable moderating effect on the connection between purchasing intention and behaviour [16].
In their assessment of studies on situational factors as barriers between customers' purchasing
intentions and behaviour, Joshi and Rahman [7] emphasised the importance of continuing
situational factor research in the future. Grimmer et al. [18] found that the relationship between the
purchase intention and purchase behaviour of ethical products had both the mediating effect of
purchase intention and the moderating effect of situational factors. They recommended further
research on this relationship.

Therefore, by splitting environmental consciousness into environmental knowledge, environmental

We present our viewpoint and hypotheses in Section 2 of the paper. We then go on to explain the
research technique. Next, we describe the structural model and present the empirical findings. The
final section explores the implications and constraints of this study before offering recommendations
for further investigation.

The detrimental effects of human activity on the environment are clearly a cause for concern in the
modern world. Governments all across the world are working to reduce how much the environment
is impacted by humans. The environment is now a bigger issue for our society and for the
government. Businesses have started changing their behaviour and incorporating environmental
issues into organisational activities as a result of realising the new concerns of society. Green themes
have been incorporated into academic areas' literature.

This also applies to the marketing discipline, and the syllabus includes terminology like "Green
Marketing" and "Environmental Marketing." Governments from all around the world have made an
effort to control green marketing since they are so concerned about it.

Businesses are placing increasing emphasis on green marketing. Businesses are attemptingMost of
them are concentrating on green marketing in an effort to set their products apart from those of
their rivals by carving out a niche for themselves. Green marketing is the practise of advertising
goods and services with an eye towards the environment.

By promoting environmental core values, green marketing aims to go above and beyond standard
marketing in the hopes that customers would connect their beliefs to the firm or brand. Customers
are more concerned about the environment and are prepared to pay more for things that are
environmentally friendly, therefore businesses do well to promote these products.

Recently, a new client segment has emerged in the market that is more concerned with the
environment and feels that it is their job to make a contribution. with regard to the environment.

The manufacturing of goods and the provision of services have a significant impact on environmental
issues, thus there are numerous ways for businesses to promote their eco-friendly practises.
offerings. A product's ability to conserve water, cut greenhouse gas emissions, cut harmful
pollutants, improve indoor air quality, and/or be easily recyclable are just a few of the concerns that
green marketing can target. The more environmental marketing claims your product or service can
make in comparison to the competition, the more likely it is that the buyer will choose it, provided
the price point isn't significantly greater than the alternative.

Modern marketing that has evolved recently is known as "green marketing." However, marketing
takes a comprehensive approach to determining and meeting the needs and desires of current and
potential customers. Green marketing refers to the production and promotion of goods and services
that are produced using environmentally friendly methods. The American Marketing Association
defines "green marketing" as the promotion of items that are thought to be safe for the
environment. Thus, green marketing encompasses a variety of operations including product
modification, changes to the manufacturing process, packaging changes, advertising adjustments,
etc.

Environmental marketing and ecological marketing are other terms for "green marketing."
Therefore, green marketing is a comprehensive marketing concept where items and services are
produced, used, and disposed of in a way thatis less harmful to the environment as awareness rises.

Green marketing goes beyond simply using a green colour scheme for websites, packaging, or
product design. A company's overall efforts are focused on eliminating environmentally harmful
processes and using environmentally friendly procedures and packaging for the production and
presentation of the products. A company may have to spend a little bit more money up front, but
more sales will result in the long run. All corporations are now reporting financial results via email
channels due to changes in SEBI laws for corporate results compliance procedures, which has
significantly reduced the amount of paper and trees used.

The firms profited from lower costs. Such creative methods can cut costs, waste, and greenhouse
gas emissions. We all currently deal with several environmental issues, which is one of the causes of
the development of green marketing. Green marketing has now become one of www.ijcrt.org's
primary areas of interest. © 2021 Marketers may benefit from this competitive edge if they use
IJCRT | Volume 9, Issue 5 May 2021 | ISSN: 2320-2882 IJCRT2105520 International Journal of
Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT) www.ijcrt.org.Only a marketer who comprehends consumer
behaviour can successfully use green marketing. Therefore, it is crucial to do research on consumer
attitudes towards green products, their awareness of them, and the factors that affect their
purchasing decisions. The purpose of this survey is to determine the attitudes and levels of customer
awareness. purchase habits for environmentally friendly products.

The 1990s have been referred to as either the "Earth decade" (McDaniel and Rylander, 1993) or the
"decade of the environment" (Brown and Wahlers, 1998). The relevance of social and environmental
issues in consumer purchase decisions increased during this decade (Menon et al., 1999). Companies
that wanted to stay competitive and survive the market started to take these recently emerging
issues into account when making management and marketing decisions (Menon et al., 1999;
Straughan and Roberts, 1999; D'Souza et al., 2006; Rivera-Camino, 2007). The connection between
consumer behaviour, marketing, and the environment has recently received more attention.
Human consumption is linked to environmental issues, hence consumer consumption habits are
closely related to the conservation issue. Therefore, customers must act responsibly to lessen
environmental harm. by using goods that are environmentally friendly. This therefore has an effect
on consumer product marketing (Peattie, 1992, 1995, Ottman, 1998, Paladino, 2005, Abdul-Muhmin,
2007). This will have an impact on researchers and policy makers that work to change consumer
behaviour to solve environmental problems (Clark et al., 2003). Only when it can be proven that the
product has complied with the requirements are eco-labels often granted by government-supported
or private businesses (Hyvärinen, 1999). Even if a product satisfies all requirements for an eco-label
certification, a producer would only pursue such certification if customers are willing to purchase
eco-friendly products that might provide them with real benefits. To put it another way, an ecolabel,
like any other product, must merit acceptance. as well as market legitimacy (Knowledge Bank IIMM,
2008). According to D'Souza et al. (2007a), environmental labels get more respectability when they
are approved by independent labelling experts. The Government of India (GoI) Ministry of
Environment and Forests launched a programme in 1991 that essentially was a programme for
labelling eco-friendly products in order to increase awareness about the environmental implications
of products (Challa, 2008). This programme attempts to distinguish any product that is created,
used, or disposed of in a way that considerably lowers the negative impact on the environment by
the application of the "Eco-Mark." Environmental awareness affects how people make decisions
(Shen et al., 2005).

In order to meet the needs of ultimate customers for quality, quantity, optimal price, and service,
green marketing encompasses the notion of planning, developing, and promoting environmentally
friendly products or services without negatively affecting the usage or its users. It is a truth that both
customers and marketers are getting more and more conscious of the need to switch to green goods
and services. Although switching to green marketing may first seem pricey, it will unquestionably
turn out to be important, advantageous, and cost-effective in the long run. A green marketing plan
has many advantages, including increased sales, lower costs, the development of new products, risk
reduction, environmental protection, increased worldwide safety, and improved brand reputation.
Green Environmental problems that affect both the natural environment and human society must be
addressed through marketing.

There are several potential causes for this disparity. Demographic factors, such as age group,
gender, education level, income level, and the presence of children in the household, are one of the
causes. First off, age is one of the factors that will influence a consumer's purchase of organic goods.
When compared to young people, older people tend to purchase and consume more organic
products in various nations, including Japan and the United States. In addition, gender also has a
significant impact. Women tend to eat more organic products than males, according to numerous
surveys. This might be because women feel more accountable for the wellbeing of the family than
men do.

They feel that choosing organic products over conventional ones will benefit their family and make
them healthier. The consumers' degree of education would be the third consideration.

Generally speaking, the cost of organic items is higher. Therefore, only people with higher incomes
could afford the higher price and would have a tendency to buy more organic goods. Families with
children allegedly place a greater emphasis on health than other groups. The decision of consumers
to buy organic products is also influenced by non-demographic factors like desire to pay, taste,
nutritional value, environmental concern, and organic certification.

First off, one of the key elements influencing the adoption of organic products is willingness to pay.
Studies have shown that consumers are generally prepared to spendmore expensive if they learn
more about the offerings. This information covers the history, traits, and safety of the products,
among other things.

Finally, the primary elements influencing consumers' decision to purchase organic products were
discussed throughout this research.