Prioritizing factors determining environmental responsibility using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process : evidence from India

Purpose: From the last few decades, environmental issues have become a global concern. Consumption activities are given much attention in the marketing literature, whenever the question about protecting the environment arises. The responsibility of the consumer toward the environment is a major concern and the purpose of this study is to prioritize factors responsible for determining environmental responsibility among young consumers. This research will provide valuable insights to the marketers in targeting those particular areas which according to young consumers are highly ranked/prioritized for being environmentally responsible. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, data were collected from 400 young consumers from Punjab and Chandigarh. Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (F-AHP) was applied to prioritize or rank the factors on the basis of significance for being environmentally responsible. The primary factors considered for further analysis were knowledge and awareness, attitude, green consumer value, emotional affinity toward nature, willingness to act and environment-related past behavior. Findings: Results of the study depicted knowledge and awareness as the highest-ranked and prioritized factor for young consumers to become environmentally responsible, while environment-related past behavior emerged as the least important factor for consumers' environmental responsibility. Research limitations/implications: Data were collected from the young consumers of Punjab and Chandigarh only and only a few factors of consumers' environmental responsibility were considered for further analysis which depicts the limitation of the study. Practical implications: The research study is highly useful for the government and the business firms to target the highly prioritized factors of environmental responsibility which will promote green consumption practices and behavior among young consumers. Originality/value: Previous researches have explored the factors of environmental responsibility and modeled their relationships. However, the present study has employed the multi-criteria decision-making technique to provide valuable insights for marketers, academicians and practitioners about the drivers of consumers' environmental responsibility which adds value to the existing knowledge base.