Sustainability Meets Consumer Psychology: Linking Green Marketing, Purchase Intention and Purchase Decisions

Abstract

Background: Green marketing in FMCG promotes eco-friendly products, processes, and packaging, which can positively influence consumer buying decisions, though its impact depends on consumer awareness. Aims: This study seeks to assess the impact of green marketing on the purchasing decisions of FMCG products, utilizing purchase intention as a mediating variable. Study Design:  Quantitative descriptive. Place and Duration of Study: The study was undertaken in the Mamminasata region during a duration of three months, from January to March 2026. Methodology: The study population comprises Generation Z individuals in the Mamminasata region. Employing purposive sampling methods yielded a sample of 120 respondents. The data collecting strategy involved distributing questionnaires, which were subsequently processed and analyzed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique. Results: This study's findings suggest that green marketing exerts a positive though insignificant influence on the purchasing decisions of Gen Z in the Mamminasata region. In contrast, green marketing exerts a positive and substantial influence on purchase intention, which in turn positively and significantly affects purchasing decisions. Furthermore, purchase intention serves as a complete mediator, exerting a favorable and considerable impact on the relationship between green marketing and purchasing decisions. Conclusion: This research highlights the crucial function of purchase intention as a comprehensive mediator in the connection between green marketing tactics and real customer purchasing behaviour. Green marketing methods do not directly stimulate sales, rather they indirectly affect customer behaviour by enhancing purchase intentions among environmentally conscientious individuals. The study, utilising structural equation modelling, establishes full mediation, demonstrating a large indirect influence and an absence of a significant direct relationship between green marketing and purchasing behaviour. This mechanism illustrates how purchase intention influences the effectiveness of green programmes, connecting attitudinal changes on pro-environmental items with actual purchasing behaviour, especially in emerging markets such as Indonesia where sustainability awareness is increasing.