What drives generation Z's green purchases in Bangladesh? A multidimensional analysis of psychological and environmental factors

This study investigates the factors influencing Generation Z's green purchase decisions in Bangladesh, with a particular focus on the mediating role of green purchase attitude. It is among the first to focus exclusively on this demographic in an emerging market context. Drawing upon constructs such as green trust, subjective norms, hedonic value, environmental advertising, and environmental sustainability awareness, the research applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data collected from Generation Z respondents. The theoretical foundation integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior, Value–Belief–Norm framework, Stimulus–Organism–Response model, and Attitude–Behavior–Context theory. The results reveal that subjective norms, hedonic value, environmental advertising, and green purchase attitude significantly influence green purchase decisions, while green trust and environmental sustainability awareness do not exhibit a significant direct impact. Notably, green purchase attitude mediates only the relationship between hedonic value and green purchase decision. These findings offer valuable insights for marketers, policymakers, and sustainability advocates aiming to promote environmentally responsible consumption behaviors among young consumers in emerging markets, particularly by leveraging social influence, enhancing the experiential value of green products, and implementing trust-building mechanisms to overcome skepticism.