Green behaviour and switching intention towards remanufactured products in sustainable consumers as potential earlier adopters

Purpose: This study assesses how “green behaviour” influences the switching intention towards remanufactured products in sustainable consumers by introducing the possibility of an innovation diffusion approach for promotion efforts. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilises a mixed-method approach. First, a study with a non-experimental causal design was performed with 248 cell phone users characterised by exhibiting sustainable consumption behaviours. Subsequently, 13 in-depth interviews were conducted to obtain a better understanding of the switching intention. Findings: For sustainable consumers, green purchase behaviour and attitude towards remanufactured products have a significant effect on their switching intention. These results contrast with previous literature, where it was found that price differences, government incentives and environmental benefits were significant for consumers in general. Practical implications: Switching intention towards remanufactured products in sustainable consumers may be encouraged by influencing factors related to green behaviour, rather than factors related to the market (e.g. reducing price, specific labelling or governmental regulations). Moreover, sustainable consumers could be regarded as the first adopters of remanufactured products. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to introduce green purchase behaviour to predict sustainable consumers' switching intention towards remanufactured products.