Young Brazilians' purchase intention towards jeans made of Tencel fibers

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the attitudes, perceptions and behavioral intentions of young Brazilian customers regarding the purchase of clothing made of environmentally sustainable fabrics, particularly denim produced with cotton and the addition of Tencel® in its composition.Method: A self-administered questionnaire was supplied to 252 undergraduate students of the course Applied Social Sciences from two universities. The data were analyzed using the statistical method of structural equation modeling.Findings: The results showed that the consumer knowledge, perceived effectiveness and personal relevance affect the attitude and subjective norm, to a greater or lesser degree. However, they do not affect the perceived behavioral control.Originality/value: The study shows a synthesis of elements that can assist academic researchers and marketing practitioners in decoding the factors that influence young Brazilian consumers towards the purchase of environmentally sustainable apparel and textiles.Theoretical contributions: This study contributes to understanding the complex relations among the variables such as consumer knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived personal relevance and, according to the TPB, the three independent determinants of behavioral intention, namely attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control.Practical contributions: These results point out that, in addition to the investment in environmental education made by educators and institutions, producers should invest in better communication strategies in order to enable these consumers to improve their knowledge of ecologically sustainable clothing options and thus increase their purchase intentions of such products, contributing to the preservation and improvement of the environment.