Impact of SDG-Oriented Green Marketing on Consumer Buying Preferences for Personal Care Products: Evidence from North India

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines how Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-oriented green marketing translates into consumer buying preferences for personal care products. SDG orientation is operationalized through environmental concern, green-product knowledge, perceived behavioural control and social norms, with purchase intention as the proximal mechanism leading to purchase behaviour. Design/methodology: The paper presents a transparent secondary analysis and theory-led reinterpretation of an openly archived survey of 505 valid green-cosmetics consumers from Delhi, Dehradun, Faridabad, Sonipat and Meerut. The source instrument comprised 29 five-point Likert items. Documented SPSS 23 exploratory factor analysis, reliability evidence and PLS-SEM outputs were evaluated using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Findings: Overall reliability was 0.950; construct alpha values ranged from 0.830 to 0.906, composite reliability from 0.887 to 0.927 and AVE from 0.663 to 0.748. Environmental concern did not significantly predict purchase intention, while perceived control and subjective norms were positive predictors in both gender groups. Purchase intention strongly predicted behaviour (β=0.575 female; β=0.590 male; p<0.001). Practical implications: SDG claims should be converted into credible labels, accessible prices, availability, peer endorsement and low-friction purchase opportunities. Originality/value: Rather than treating sustainability awareness as equivalent to buying, the study explains the SDG communication-to-action gap in Indian personal care and separates normative, capability and intention pathways.