To buy or not to buy? Green packaging, gender differences and the intention to purchase

Purpose This study aims to examine the gender differences in purchase intention towards green packaging product. The paper extended the theory of planned behaviour by unravelling the dynamics of quality, product attributes, and green packaging as part of strategic elements for the marketing mix. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional-survey-based questionnaire research design was used to collect data from a total of 212 adults from Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to assess the measurement and the proposed research model. Findings The results showed that perceived quality and product attributes had a positive relationship with attitude towards green packing products without significant difference between female and male groups. Interestingly, this study found a significant difference between males and females in terms of the attitude and subjective norms towards intention to purchase green packaging product. Subjective norms had a positive relationship with attitude while perceived behavioural control had a positive relationship with purchase intention without significant gender differences. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute to the limited body of knowledge in the area of purchasing green packaging products and provide useful information to industry practitioners about gender differences in purchasing green packaging products. Also, the current study provided new insights to the academician by looking into the dimension of green marketing mix elements which influence consumer behaviour. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2023-0249 .