Sustainability and Social Responsibility

The roles of values, environment self-identity, and social norms on personal norms and eco-friendly apparel purchasing behavior

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Abstract

This study empirically investigated relationships among values, identity, and personal norms. In addition, we analyzed the roles of environmental self-identity as a mediator between values and personal norms. The theory of normative suggests that descriptive and injunctive norms, that influence an individual's belief and behavior differently. Thus, we hypothesized that descriptive norms and injunctive norms are positively related to consumers' eco-friendly apparel purchasing behavior. Results of three regression analyses using a total of 292 US adult participants showed that bio-altruistic values and egoistic values are related to environmental self-identity. Moreover, we found that the relationship between bio-altruistic values and personal norm and between egoistic values and personal norms were fully mediated by environmental self-identity. This suggests that values need to be linked to self in order to be influential in apparel choices made by US consumers. Also, descriptive norms influenced personal norm, which in turn influenced eco-friendly apparel purchasing behavior.

How to Cite:

Kim, S. & Seock, Y., (2017) “The roles of values, environment self-identity, and social norms on personal norms and eco-friendly apparel purchasing behavior”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 74(1).