Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Green as the New Status Symbol: Examining Green Signaling Effects Among Gen Z and Millennial Consumers

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Abstract

Green signaling refers to the notion that environment-friendly purchases signal consumers’ prosociality and willingness to pay more, thus enhancing their social status. This research investigated the green signaling effect among Gen Z and millennial consumers on social media by adopting the costly signaling theory. A series of experimental studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. A 2 (organic vs. non-organic) x 2 (luxury vs non-luxury) between-subjects design was conducted in Study 1 (150 participants) and a 2 (organic vs. non-organic) x 2 (high vs. low brand authenticity) between-subjects design was conducted in Study 2 (148 participants). The results from Study 1 and Study 2 confirmed the mediating role of perceived status between apparel greenness and purchase intention. However, there were no moderating influences of brand label and brand authenticity. The overall study findings confirmed the green signaling effect of organic apparel in the social media marketing context. This research contributes to the green consumption, and social media marketing literature as well as provides beneficial insights for fashion retailers by affirming the notion that organic apparel represents a status symbol.

Keywords: green singaling, sustainability, social media, organic apparel, status

How to Cite:

Huh, J. & Kim, N. L., (2022) “Green as the New Status Symbol: Examining Green Signaling Effects Among Gen Z and Millennial Consumers”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15929