The Impact of Generation Z’s Greenwashing Perception on Green Purchase Intention in the Context of Indonesian H&M Consumers
Abstract
This research project studies at the impact of greenwashing perception on green purchasing intention among Generation Z customers in Indonesia, specifically at the fast fashion brand H&M. Based on Perceived Risk Theory and adapted from Lu et al. (2022), the study incorporates financial perceived risk and green perceived risk as mediating variables, as well as the moderating influence of impulsive purchasing behavior. The study used a quantitative approach, collecting responses from 287 individuals via an online survey and analysing the data with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that greenwashing perceptions considerably raise financial and environmental risk. Furthermore, the idea of greenwashing harms green purchase intention, as does the perceived financial risk. However, green perceived risk has no significant impact on green purchasing intention, and impulsive buying has no significant moderating effect on the association between greenwashing perception and financial risk. These findings indicate that Generation Z customers in Indonesia are susceptible to greenwashing and that financial reasons weigh more heavily in purchasing decisions than environmental concerns. The findings have important implications for sustainable marketing tactics in the fast fashion industry.
Downloads
References
Akturan, U. (2018). How does greenwashing affect green branding equity and purchase intention? An empirical research. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 36(7), 809–824. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-12-2017-0339
Chen, Y. S., & Chang, C. H. (2012). Enhance green purchase intentions: The roles of green perceived value, green perceived risk, and green trust. Management Decision, 50(3), 502–520. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211216250
Chi, T., Gerard, J., Yu, Y., & Wang, Y. (2021). A study of U.S. consumers’ intention to purchase slow fashion apparel: understanding the key determinants. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 14(1), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2021.1872714
Debebe, E. (2015, July 29). UN Projects World Population to Reach 8.5 Billion by 2030, Driven by Growth in Developing Countries.
Ferris, T., Lawlor, J., & Ketterer, E. (2023, June 2). Guidance for “Sustainable” Claims After Dismissal of H&M “Greenwashing” Class Action. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/guidance-sustainable-claims-after- dismissal-hm-greenwashing-class-action-2023-06-02/
Hair, J. F., L.D.S. Gabriel, M., da Silva, D., & Braga Junior, S. (2019). Development and validation of attitudes measurement scales: fundamental and practical aspects. RAUSP Management Journal, 54(4), 490–507. https://doi.org/10.1108/RAUSP-05-2019-0098
Iyer, G. R., Blut, M., Xiao, S. H., & Grewal, D. (2020). Impulse buying: a meta-analytic review. In Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (Vol. 48, Issue 3, pp. 384–404). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00670-w
Kaniati, S. P., Sosianika, A., & Setiawati, L. (2024). Factors Driving Consumer Impulse Buying On Fashion Products at Tiktok Live. Journal of Marketing Innovation (JMI),N 4(1). https://doi.org/10.35313/jmi.v4i1.109
La Rosa, A., & Johnson Jorgensen, J. (2021). Influences on consumer engagement with sustainability and the purchase intention of apparel products. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910655
Lu, X., Sheng, T., Zhou, X., Shen, C., & Fang, B. (2022). How Does Young Consumers’ Greenwashing Perception Impact Their Green Purchase Intention in the Fast Fashion Industry? An Analysis from the Perspective of Perceived Risk Theory. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013473
Mohd Suki, N. (2016). Green product purchase intention: impact of green brands, attitude, and knowledge. British Food Journal, 118(12), 2893–2910. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2016-0295
MOHR, L. A., EROǦLU, D., & ELLEN, P. S. (1998). The Development and Testing of a Measure of Skepticism Toward Environmental Claims in Marketers’ Communications. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 32(1), 30–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745- 6606.1998.tb00399.x
Niinimäki, K. (2010). Eco‐clothing, consumer identity and ideology. Sustainable Development, 18(3), 150–162. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.455
PAYLAN, M. A., & KAVAS, Y. B. (2022). A Study on the Mediating Effect of Financial Literacy Between Personality Traits and Irrational Buying Behaviors. Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 23(3), 736–746. https://doi.org/10.37880/cumuiibf.1092137
Saleki, R., Quoquab, F., & Mohammad, J. (2019). What drives Malaysian consumers’ organic food purchase intention? The role of moral norm, self-identity, environmental concern and price consciousness. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, 9(5), 584–603. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-02-2019-0018
Sanny, L., Chandra, G. R., Chelles, K., & Santoso, L. A. (2023). The Impulse Buying of Gen Z When Using E-Wallet In Indonesia. Journal of Applied Engineering and Technological Science (JAETS), 5(1), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.37385/jaets.v5i1.2600
Shendruk, A. (2022, July 21). Quartz Investigation: H&M Showed Bogus Environmental Scores for Its Clothing. Quartz. https://qz.com/2180075/hm-showed-bogus- environmental-higg-index-scores-for-its-clothing
Shirvanimoghaddam, K., Motamed, B., Ramakrishna, S., & Naebe, M. (2020). Death by waste: Fashion and textile circular economy case. Science of the Total Environment, 718, 137317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137317
Walker, K., & Wan, F. (2012). The Harm of Symbolic Actions and Green-Washing: Corporate Actions and Communications on Environmental Performance and Their Financial Implications. Journal of Business Ethics, 109(2), 227–242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1122-4
Wei, C. F., Chiang, C. T., Kou, T. C., & Lee, B. C. Y. (2017). Toward Sustainable Livelihoods: Investigating the Drivers of Purchase Behavior for Green Products. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(5), 626–639. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1942
Xu, W., Li, M., & Xu, S. (2023). Unveiling the “Veil” of information disclosure: Sustainability reporting “greenwashing” and “shared value.” PLOS ONE, 18(1), e0279904. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279904
Yadav, R., & Pathak, G. S. (2016). Young consumers’ intention towards buying green products in a developing nation: Extending the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production, 135, 732–739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.120
Copyright (c) 2025 Luh Prascitta Putri Ariawan, Alldila Nadhira Ayu Setyaning

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.















