The effect of eco-friendly packaging on Generation Z green purchase behavior in fast-food takeaway consumption: The roles of attitude, purchase intention, and willingness to pay

Abstract

Green packaging has emerged as a crucial factor in the consumption of takeaway fast food since packaging factors tend to play a role in how young people consider the issue of environmental responsibility when making daily purchases. The research was carried out using participants of Generation Z in Padang City, Indonesia, to explore the effect of attitude and purchase intention as parallel mediation variables and willingness to pay as a moderating variable in determining green purchase performance. The study surveyed 400 Generation Z participants in Padang City and used SEM-PLS to understand the direct, indirect, and moderating effects among the variables proposed. The results show that the package made of environmentally friendly materials enhances consumer attitude and purchase intention. The positive relationship between purchase intention and green purchase behavior is significant and purchase intention is a significant mediator of the effect of eco-friendly packaging on green purchasing behavior in takeaway fast-food consumption of Generation Z, but not the effect of attitude. Intention to pay also arises to be an influential economic factor, as it is a direct foundation of green purchase behavior and is the main support to the correlation between purchase intention and green purchase behavior. This data indicates that behavioral intention with the backing of economic preparedness is a stronger determinant of green purchasing actions by Generation Z as opposed to the positive attitude, which is solely a determinant in urban takeaway fast-food consumption in which purchasing judgments are usually driven by convenience and perceived economic feasibility.