Consumption of Green Products as a Means of Expressing Green Behaviour in an Emerging Economy

From Environment and Urbanization ASIA

Environmental issues have advanced through different stages, and the concern for the challenges they present has doubled with each passing decade. Increasing awareness of environmental issues has led policymakers to promote ‘green behaviour’, a behaviour that has a meaningful impact on the environment, that will potentially reduce environmental impacts like waste reduction and behaving right or avoiding wrong,

An individual that is aware of his/her commitment to protecting the environment by carefully purchasing green products such as organic food, reusable products, or energy-efficient home items is referred to as a ‘green consumer’.

Environmental issues are now of global concern and are key considerations directing consumer preferences and policymaking. Some consumers are committed to becoming green, while others are resistive. In Malaysia, the promotion of green behaviour is viewed as a basic component of ecological education. Concerning an investigation that measures the performance of countries on Global Green Economy Index (GGEI), Malaysia is not listed among the best-performing countries on several levels, for example, in terms of leadership, climate change, overall efficiency and environment. Neighbouring countries like Singapore are ranked the highest in performance. Malaysia, like several countries in the Southeast Asian region, is encountering major environmental challenges. A recent study shows that 38,000 tonnes of consumer environmental waste have been generated per day in Malaysia, without considering the social and environmental cost. Malaysia imports half a million metric tonnes of environmental waste from the USA. A total of 9 per cent has been recycled, 12 per cent incinerated and 79 per cent end up in landfills, causing environmental and health hazards. Malaysia does not have an adequate system to deal with environmental hazards and has been ranked as the eighth biggest contributor to global environmental challenges (Greenpeace East Asia, 2019). This is the result of a lack of awareness and reluctance to adopt green behaviour, which would involve switching to goods and services that produce minimum environmental impacts. The impact of environmental awareness on green behaviour is very important because ecological education is the main instrument if consumers are to adopt and express green behaviour.

This article examines ‘green products’ as a means of expressing ‘green behaviour’ in an emerging economy. The empirical evidence focused on green awareness, behaviour and green culture as a contributing factor. The study suggested it is important to educate Malaysian citizens from grassroots about the significance of environmental education and put forward actions to improve green behaviour status and promote green marketing. Many experts and approaches have advocated the publicity of eco-school scheme (ESS) as a hands-on tool for improving environmental awareness. Awareness is one of the major outcomes of environmental education and can be fashioned through educational methods. At the time of the study, pro-environmental activism in Malaysia lacks motivation, and people have little awareness about how specific behaviours can be harmful to the environment.

The study has argued that embracing environmentally supportive behaviour (ESB), is the right thing to do, in order to set a good example for Malaysian citizens. The more individuals agree that buying green products is the best decision, the more they are encouraged towards adopting green behaviour. The attitude was found to have the highest impact on green behaviour.

In the Western context, people behave more independently, as part of which, Perceived behavioural control (PBC) influences their independent view. In contrast, in Malaysia, consumers behave in a more interdependent manner. This is true for a collectivist culture like Malaysia, where people based their value on the need of the society and community over the individual. PBC had a direct impact on green behaviour.

This study suggests an aggressive/consistent environmental education with a strong weight on green urbanization to be a component of green behaviour. While most urbanites in Malaysia may not have shown much concern for environmental activism, their views should not be dismissed but, rather, studied for the systematic gaps they reveal. Policymakers must be passionate about enhancing strict/fair communicative policies that are evidence-backed, in order to make consumers embrace green behaviour. In this case, policymakers must invest in green technology. They must work hand in hand with various NGOs to diffuse obsolete green practices and increase public awareness to include and educate all the people. This will help in various retail formats to understand better consumer action and build better green products to preserve the environment against damage. A clear example is the impact of clean air policies while making change to reduce pollution.

Article details:

Consumption of Green Product as a Means of Expressing Green Behaviour in an Emerging Economy: With the Case Study of Malaysia
Osarodion Ogiemwonyi, Amran Bin Harun
First Published August 23, 2020 Research Article
DOI: 10.1177/0975425320938538
Environment and Urbanization ASIA