12I 1112 Musova Et Al

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Zdenka Musova, Hussam Musa, ISSN 2071-789X

Veronika Matiova
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY
Musova, Z., Musa, H., & Matiova, V. (2021). Environmentally responsible

behaviour of consumers: Evidence from Slovakia. Economics and Sociology, 14(1),
178-198. doi:10.14254/2071-789X.2021/14-1/12
ENVIRONMENTALLY
RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR OF
CONSUMERS: EVIDENCE FROM
SLOVAKIA
Zdenka Musova ABSTRACT. Consumers give special importance to higher
Matej Bel University in Banska environmental responsibility which is expected to
Bystrica, Faculty of Economics, improve the environment quality. The aim of this paper is
Banska Bystrica, Slovakia to present the selected results of the examination focused
E-mail: [email protected] on Slovak consumers´ environmentally responsible
ORCID 0000-0002-1067-8291 behaviour. The frequency of implementing responsible
activities within the circular economy principles was
Hussam Musa investigated. The environmentally responsible consumer
Matej Bel University in Banska behaviour in the context of the selected demographic
Bystrica, Faculty of Economics, characteristics of consumers and approaches to
Banska Bystrica, Slovakia environmental issues were also studied. The paper
E-mail: [email protected] contains the results aimed at consumers´ perception and
ORCID 0000-0002-4492-8770 knowledge of eco-labels and the impact on purchasing
behaviour too. Secondary data analysis is supplemented
Veronika Matiova by the results of the primary research as of November and
Matej Bel University in Banska December 2018, which was conducted via an online
Bystrica, Faculty of Economics, questionnaire on the sample of 434 respondents from
Banska Bystrica, Slovakia Slovakia. The obtained data were evaluated by selected
E-mail: statistical methods (Chi-square test, Spearman´s
[email protected] correlation coefficient, ordinal regression, factor analysis).
Consumers pay an adequate amount of attention to
implementation of responsible activities, and this suggests
Received: January, 2020 positive changes in consumers´ perception and
1st Revision: July, 2020 approaches to environmental issues. Testing confirmed
Accepted: January, 2021 that statistically significant variables influencing
environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers are
age, gender, income, number of household members,
DOI: 10.14254/2071-
789X.2021/14-1/12 environmental attitudes and knowledge of eco-labels.
JEL Classification:M14, Keywords: environmental responsibility, consumer, circular

M30, M31 economy principles, environmental purchasing, eco-labels, Slovakia
Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

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Veronika Matiova
Introduction
In the context of current trends, the situation in the environment is increasingly

deteriorating. With growth of human capabilities in recent centuries, the environmental
equilibrium was disrupted (Esmaeilpour & Bahmiary, 2017). The environmental issue has
emerged as one of the critical societal priorities (Howard-Grenville et al., 2014; Potocan et al.,
2016) and as a new development strategy of organizations (Pham et al., 2019). Environmental
problems are deepening, and in many cases, are becoming global. According to Chion et al.
(2011), growing environmental problems caused by industrialization have increased the
environmental concerns of customers, communities and governments. Solving this negative
situation is becoming a challenge not only for governments of individual countries, but also for
market subjects – businesses and consumers – thus, all must be looking for solutions.
The period of growing negative climate and environmental changes creates a significant
area for more environmentally responsible behaviour of market subjects. Environmentally
responsible businesses implement environment-friendly strategies with the aim to contribute at
least partially to solving the problems in the environment. Many consumers act responsibly
towards the environment, their environmental awareness grows, and they emphasize their
environmental requirements while performing purchases. Environmentally responsible
behaviour of consumers is a reaction to socially responsible marketing, which highlights the
need to pay attention to social, ethical, legal, and environmental aspects of business activities
in relation to their stakeholders (Musova et al., 2018).
Braam et al. (2018) stated that more and more organizations (including NGOs) are
working in cooperation with state institutions on the transition of national economies on the
new economic model — circular economy (CE). According to Hankammer et al. (2019),
consumers play a significant and active role in the success of this CE model implementation. It
is not only about seeking environmentally friendly products, it is also about being a part of a
closed loop, about cooperating with other market players, buying products from companies that
are taking responsibility for their business, separating and recycling waste in accordance with
the principles of circular economy.
According to Special Eurobarometer 468 (EC, 2017), large majority of the Europeans
believe they can play a role in protecting the environment More than eight out of ten Europeans
(87%) agree that they can play a role; of these, 45% ‘totally agree’ with the statement, and 42%
‘tend to agree’. Only 11% of the surveyed disagree with this. These findings have been very
consistent over time since the 2007 survey, with the agreement ranging between 85% and 87%
over the ten-year period. The respondents in the Netherlands (97%), Sweden and Ireland (both
96%) are the most likely to agree that they can play a role in protecting the environment. The
lowest levels of agreement can be seen in Bulgaria (73%), Latvia (76%) and Estonia (77%).
The number of studies on environmentally responsible consumer behaviour during the
past decade has increased and contributed to the research conducted on environmental attitudes
and their effect on consumers´ behaviour. This change in consumer behaviour has helped the
beginning of the „green revolution” meant to avoid further harm to the environment (Juwaheer
et al., 2012). Thus, the issue of preserving our environment has caused consumers to reconsider
their choice of products. For the protection of the environment, many consumers are ready to
pay higher prices for products that comply with environmental standards (Newton et al., 2015).
The impact of this is seen when companies and organizations are turning more towards
environment-friendly products (Finisterra et al., 2009).
In this context, the paper focuses on the research of the selected aspects of
environmentally responsible behaviour among consumers in Slovakia. Consumer behaviour
while implementing selected environmentally responsible activities with regard to circular

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economy principles will be examined. Environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers

and its correlation with the selected demographic characteristics and eco-labels knowledge will
be investigated. Eco-label guarantees that the product affects the environment less than other
products with comparable quality attributes since its development, throughout the production,
up to its disposal after it has been consumed (Minarova et al., 2016).
The paper is organized as follows. After the introduction, the literature review is
provided in Section 1. Section 2 illustrates the applied methodology through research design,
sample size, data collection and data analysis. The paper presents and discusses the empirical
results in Section 3. The Conclusion sums up the most important research outcomes and
recommendations for future research.
1. Literature review
Environmentally responsible (pro-environmental) behaviour reflects behaviour that

harms the environment as little as possible or even benefits it (Steg & Vlek, 2009). Throughout
the years, this behaviour and “green” consumption have been defined in different ways. For
some people, "green" means an attitude. Environmentally responsible consumers see the
deterioration of current conditions in environment as a global security problem. Others, who
are less aware of environmental problems, believe that these problems will sort themselves out.
Many studies are focused on consumer behaviour from the point of their environmental impacts
and only certain stages of this behaviour are taken into account. Onel & Mukherjee (2016) state,
it is therefore very important to concentrate on broader context of consumer behaviour in
various stages, on their impact on the environment, as well as their contribution to limiting
environmental problems
In relation to environmental responsibility, the concept of sustainable consumption is
increasingly emerging. The main idea is to give preference to environmental products in
conjunction with the consumption of an adequate quantity of renewable natural resources and
products. Pajtinkova Bartakova & Gubiniova (2012) agree with the UN and OECD definition
according to which sustainable consumption is the use of goods and services that respond to
basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimising the use of natural resources,
toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life-cycle, so as not to jeopardise
the needs of future generations.
The aim of adopting such a behaviour is either to manifest a positive influence or to
reduce the negative impact on the environment. At an organizational/businesses level, it could
mean the production of goods that are environmentally friendly. At the level of consumer
behaviour, the definition highlights the way of reducing the negative influence of one person
on the environment. Roman et al. (2015) clarify, that the awareness of green consumption has
more of a social side, and the definition could be reformulated to reflect a more long-term focus
on the well-being of the individual and the society through the reduction of the negative impact
of a certain product.
Several studies (Paul & Rana, 2012; Fraj & Martinez, 2007) have shown, that the
consumers belonging to the environmentally responsible segment are characterized by their
self-fulfilment. These people always believe in self-improvement and take actions, which are
challenging. They are interested in ecological lifestyle, are environmentally conscious, they
carefully select and reject products and are volunteers in various events for environment
protection. This segment take interest in socially responsible firms which are committed to
environment protection and launch new “green” products.
The consumers in this segment when purchasing are interested in environmental
products, not merely because of healthier option but it also hopes in sustaining the environment

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for future generation. Different researchers explored the various features which contributed to
shape the nature of behaviour of environmental consumers. According to Mostafa (2007) the
influence of consumer environmental knowledge, concern and attitude on gender differences in
environmental purchase behaviour was confirmed. Environmental consumers are usually well-
educated, young adult women, who have more money to spend.
Overall, environmental concern indicates the degree to which people are aware of
problems regarding the environment and support efforts to solve them and or indicate the
willingness to contribute personally to their solution (Dunlap & Jones, 2002). This willingness
is connected with a certain form of motivation. The motivation to be environmentally
responsible is closely connected to consumers’ personal commitment to environmental
protection and their actions on an individual level to improve its quality. Consumers are aware
of the adverse effects of the environment on human and other living beings and understand their
individual responsibility to protect the environment (Gadenne et al., 2011). Environmental
concerns, compassion and belief in the existence of environmental problems lead consumers to
a more appropriate behaviour towards the environment (Kilborune & Pickett, 2008) and these
consumers start purchasing environmental products (Kumar & Ghodeswar, 2015).
Eckhardt et al. (2010) found in their research that among the reasons that prevent
consumers to conduct responsible consumption is economic rationality. Economic rationality
concerns consumers that want to get the most value for their money, regardless of their ethical
beliefs. The reasons for the limited "green" consumption were also reported in the studies of
Carrington et al. (2014), Gleim et al. (2013) and Bray et al. (2011). These were mainly the
unavailability of products, a narrow range, higher prices and lower quality of the environmental
brands. Research of Picket-Baker & Ozaki (2008) has demonstrated the problem of consumers
to identify environmental products. Other significant barriers according to Carrigan & Attalla
(2001) are scepticism and lack of information (Hamzaoui-Essoussi & Zahaf, 2009). Vokounova
et al. (2013) confirm the biggest obstacles to sustainable consumption – a poor financial
situation – worsened selection of economically weaker individuals, lack of information, lack of
knowledge to process the information, or concerns about the availability and quality of
products. To save our planet, to improve the current situation, it is necessary for the consumer
to at least do the ecological minimum, i.e., separate waste, minimalize use of plastics, save
water and energy and prefer green products when purchasing.
Consumers often consider the environmental aspect when purchasing products and
services. A segment of consumers exists, that do not make their purchase decision primarily
based on the price, but they take note of the „green” image of the company. As stated by Chen
(2010), green image of a company is mainly the perception of the brand in the mind of the
consumer, while the brand is noticeably connected to the fulfilment of environmental
commitments and environmental interests of the company. Companies react to the
environmental behaviour and expectations of consumers with their green products and services
(new or ecologically enhanced products), that bring environmental benefits. Green image can
help a company attract more customers, and it can even evidently improve consumer loyalty to
the company (Chang & Fong, 2010). Gundova (2019) expresses that the green image of a
company influences purchasing decisions, which increases the demand for green products.
Bartok (2018), Mura & Kljucnikov (2018) and Belas et al. (2019) confirm, that customers
purchase not only the products but also the image of the company. A combination of appropriate
factors can lead to purchase and the return of the customer as well (Pappas et al., 2017). A study
provided by Karaosmanoglu et al. (2016) shows that consumers may be positively affected by
CSR. Minarova (2014) suggest that a company has a moral obligation to serve society in a way
that is environmentally friendly.

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The purchasing decision process and factors (including environmental factors), that
influence consumer preferences, the purchase itself and the post-purchase evaluation of the
product’s usefulness are part of the consumer behaviour theory. Essentially, there are two
groups of factors that affect the decisions to purchase environmental products. One group is
natural for consumers, for example, it is their environmental responsibility, gaining knowledge
and information, own interest, willingness to act in order to conserve natural resources, and
limiting negative impact on the environment. The second group consists of factors related to
the social image of consumers and the product characteristics (quality, safety, performance,
price, impact on human health). The real behaviour is the result of regular consumer habits,
their product knowledge and the impact of situational factors (e.g. communication campaign)
(Kumar & Ghodeswar, 2015).
Environmental awareness has multiple dimensional expression and is described in
various ways in literature. Paul & Rana (2012) declare five dimensions of understanding
environmental awareness by Zsóka: environmental knowledge, environmental values,
environmental attitudes, willingness to act and actual action. According their study,
environmental awareness means the understanding of problems in/with environment.
Motivation to the consumer action is closely related to understanding of these factors.
The level of consumer environmental awareness and their approach to environmental
issues is also the starting point for market segmentation created by the Roper Organization and
S.C. Johnson & Sons. Consumers’ approaches to the environment range from enthusiastic to
complete indifference. In more developed countries, interest in environmental issues is
naturally higher. As stated by Musová et al. (2018) the five segments of consumers based on
their environmental attitudes were identified: True-blue greens are strongly involved in
environment protection, Greenback greens are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly
products. Sprouts are still “undecided” with a middling level of response. On the other side,
Grousers use to rationalize their lack of pro-environmental behaviour and Basic Browns believe
that individuals cannot make a difference in solving environmental problems. Members of
individual segments also show different activity when purchasing environmental products.
Hasprova (2017) consider environmental awareness of consumers as a fundamental step
in sustainable consumer behaviour. It is necessary for consumers to be aware of their influence
on the environment, the impact of their consumption on the planet, society, but also their health
and safety. Consumers increasingly prefer companies that act in a socially responsible manner
and reject products of companies with an indifferent approach towards the environment and a
negative environmental image. Environmental characteristics of a product are becoming a
significant factor when choosing a product, in addition to price and quality. Environmental
awareness and sustainable consumer behaviour are influenced by three groups of factors –
factors of environmental awareness (personal interest, perception, own responsibility, social
pressure), factors of environmental consumption (perception of product’s environmental
aspects, knowledge of the environment, legal and economic incentives), and purchasing
decision factors (consideration of price, quality, situational requirements, and barriers).
However, consumers usually lack the expertise to fully perceive the environmental
quality of products. Thus, eco-labels could be an effective tool to disclose the environmental
product quality. Fan et al. (2018) note that eco-labels inform consumers about the
environmental impacts during the all phases of product life cycle (production, consumption,
waste disposal) and allows consumers to differentiate between qualitatively similar products.
Czarnezki et al. (2014) take the view that eco-labelling is one tool being increasingly used to
deliver environmental information to consumers, however using this information is made
difficult, as the number of alternative eco-labelling schemes has steadily increased. According
to Ecolabel Index (2018) there are more than 464 eco-labels in existence.

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For example, more than a hundred eco-labels appeared on the German market over the
last twenty years. However, the majority of Germans do not believe them. They have expressed
that a large amount of the information provided is confusing, which generates distrust of the
labels importance (Blue Angel, 2011).
Despite this, in Horne´s (2009) view, eco-labels can affect consumer choice and play a
significant role in their consumption decisions and in promoting sustainable consumption
patterns too. Hence, eco-labelling is starting to show an impact on consumer’s behaviour
(Schumacher, 2010). Eco-labels influence consumer behaviour in two ways. First, they
introduce green as a considered attribute at the point of sale. Second, they enable consumers to
compare shop based on green.
Miklencicova (2015) in her research notes 79% of respondents (358 consumers in
Slovakia) claimed that the labelling system of environmental products in Slovakia is
insufficient. Merchants or sellers are of the opinion that the environmental awareness of
consumers in Slovakia is low. More than a half, 65% of respondents do not know, or have never
noticed environmental labelling on a product. Especially older consumers frequently do not
understand graphic labels and do not take it into account when purchasing. The positive finding
was, that about 75% of respondents were willing to learn more about environmental matters.
The similar study conducted in Poland (Witek, 2017) confirms that Polish consumers
have positive attitudes towards eco-labels. Almost half of respondents buy eco-labelled
products. Even 42% of research respondents believe that they have a high level of knowledge
about eco-labelling. They perceive labels as an important way to communicate information
about the different environmental characteristics of product.
In Hungary, primary research was carried out focused on the environmental awareness
of students at Hungarian universities (Nagypál et al., 2015). Research has confirmed that
students are environmentally conscious, have mature views and knowledge of sustainable
consumption. However, the results of this study could be according authors characterized as
"theoretical attitudes" in general. What was surprising about these results is, that knowledge
about specific environmental labels was weak - brands and names of eco-labels were by
students rather unknown. One of the reasons could be that consumers nowadays receive too
much information about product and it is difficult to filter the relevant and true information.
Secondly, in Hungary only a few eco-labelled products (especially ISO I type) are available,
which also reduces popularity of eco-labels and consumers interest in this topic.
2. Methodological approach
The paper deals with the environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers in

Slovakia. The main aim is to present the selected results of the primary research, which was
focused on the most frequent responsible activities of consumers in the area of environmental
protection in accordance with the principles of the circular economy. The environmentally
responsible consumer behaviour in the context of selected demographic characteristics of
consumers, approaches to environmental issues, and interest in environmental problems were
also studied. It also includes research into consumer perception, knowledge and eco-labelling
impact on purchasing behaviour.
In order to fulfil the main aim of the paper, the brief literature review have been carried
out to create baseline for primary research planning. The data were collected in November and
December 2018, mostly via online questionnaire survey. For senior respondents were
questionnaires distributed in paper form. (Online questionnaire was available at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VWZD5JfqxKgTIhjToNw2fahMenzjR7qX-
CWcgsrVets/edit).

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The questionnaire contained 15 questions in four sections. The first section was of a
general nature and mainly focused on consumers’ interest in environmental issues, displays of
environmental responsibility and perception of environmental problems. The second section
focused its attention on the implementation of environmentally responsible activities by
consumers. The content of the third section was consumer purchasing behaviour with regard to
the impact of various factors, including environmental factors. The last section consisted of
identification data of respondents. The questionnaire included various types of questions mainly
closed-ended questions (dual and multiple-choice response option) and Likert scale questions.
In the following part only selected results are presented with regard to its content focus.
In total, 434 respondents participated in the questionnaire survey. The basic sample
consisted of all active inhabitants of the Slovak Republic aged 18 to 62 years. In order to achieve
research sample representativeness, we chose quota sampling in the terms of selected
demographic criteria.
The sample representativeness according to gender and age by the Chi-square test was
verified. The condition concerned to the expected frequencies was met. In both cases based on
p-value (Asymp. Sig.) Table 1 and Table 2, the null hypothesis that the sample is representative
was not rejected on the level of significance 0.05.
Table 1. Test on Research Sample Representativeness (Gender)

Gender Observed N Expected N Residual
Female 214 215.1 -1.1
Male 220 218.9 1.1
Total 434
Test Statistics
Gender
Chi-Square .012a
df 1
Asymp. Sig. .913
Monte Carlo Sig. Sig. .928b
99 % Confidence Lower Bound .921
Interval
Upper Bound .935
a. 0 cells (0,0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 215.1.
b. Based on 10000 sampled tables with starting seed 2000000.
Source: own research and SPSS results
Table 2. Test on Research Sample Representativeness (Age)

Age Observed N Expected N Residual
18 – 26 years 76 76.4 -.4
27 – 46 years 202 203.4 -1.4
47 – 62 years 156 154.2 1.8
Total 434
Test Statistics
Age
Chi-Square .033a
df 2
Asymp. Sig. .984
Monte Carlo Sig. Sig. .987b
99 % Confidence Lower Bound .984
Interval
Upper Bound .980

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a. 0 cells (0,0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The minimum expected cell frequency is 76.4.
b. Based on 10000 sampled tables with starting seed 299883525
There were 220 (50.69%) men and 214 (49.31%) women in the research sample. The
least represented were respondents aged 18-26 (17.52%), both men and women in
approximately equal proportions. This group consisted mostly of students, young people
looking for a job, or people who recently started their productive work periods. The majority
of the respondents were between 27 and 46 years of age (46.54%), the so-called “full nests” –
people starting a family, raising children and working people. The third group consisted of
respondents from so-called “empty nests” (35.94%).
Considering highest level of education achieved, almost 50 % of respondents (49.54%)
had university education (bachelor´s or master´s degree), followed by respondents with high
school education (38%), and respondents with a secondary education but without GCE
examination (almost 10%). Regarding to number of household members, the most represented
were households with four members (40.1%), three-member households (21.40%), followed by
five and more members’ households (18.20%), households with two members (17.50%), and
the least represented were one-member households (2.80%). Other identifying data were net
monthly income of an individual (largest groups consisted of respondents with an income
between 600 and 799 EUR (27.65%), from 400 – 599 EUR (21.89%) and from 800 – 999 EUR
(17.97%). Concerning to the place of residence, the most represented were residents from the
Banska Bystrica region (33.64%), Zilina region (23.5%), and then the Presov region (20.28%).
The survey data were analysed by descriptive methods and various statistical analysis
tests. The representativeness of the sample according to the selected criteria was tested by the
Chi-square test. Next we utilized the model of ordinal regression and factor analysis in order to
research the connections of environmentally responsible consumer behaviour with their age,
gender, environmental approaches, and implementation of environmental actions and
knowledge of eco-labels.
In the first step, we defined environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers by the
following facts and activities: *environmentally responsible behaviour is influenced by
consumers´ attitudes to environmental issues; *implementing environmentally responsible
activities; *interest in the environment; *willingness to buy environmentally friendly products;
*monitoring information provided by businesses on the environmental characteristics of the
product (e.g. eco-labelling). Based on our “definition” of environmentally responsible
behaviour of consumers, we estimated the relationship model of environmentally responsible
behaviour and its relation to age, gender, household income and knowledge of eco-labelling
using ordinal logistic regression. The output of ordinal logistic regression is supported by
Hypothesis of significant improvement over the baseline intercept only model, Model fitting
information, Test goodness of fit as well as Pseudo R square.
Before running the ordinal logistic regression, it is necessary to detect input variables
by factor analysis. Through factor analysis we reduced the number of variables. Before
undertaking the factor analysis, it is recommended to calculate sampling adequacy. Factor
analysis requires the correlation of original input variables (Kral et al., 2009). It is possible to
run the KMO criterion to assess the dependence of the input variables. The adequacy of a
statistical sample can be determined when the resulting test value is greater than 0.6
(Kliestikova et al., 2019), but KMO value between 0.8 and 1 means the sampling is really
adequate, concretely, if the value is in the spread 0.80 to 0.89, adequacy is meritorious (Kaiser
& Rice, 1974). The correlation matrix is an identity matrix, which would indicate that variables
are unrelated, which is the null hypothesis of Bartlett’s test of Sphericity (Durana et al., 2019).
It is rejected the null hypothesis and it is accepted an alternative hypothesis; the correlation

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matrix is not an identity matrix based on a comparison of the significance level 0.05 and p-
value (Sig.) 0.000 in Table 3. The variables are related, and factor analysis is highly useful.
Table 3. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Test and Bartlett´s Test

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy .824
Bartlett´s Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 2100.291
df 91
Sig. .000
Assumption of correlation of eco-labels knowledge with gender, or the respondents’ age

were verified by the Chi-square tests and Spearman´s correlation coefficient. The null
hypotheses H0 and the alternative hypotheses H1A and H1B were tested at a significance level of
0,05.
H0: No significant dependency exists between eco-labels knowledge and chosen variable.
H1A: Significant dependency exists between eco-labels knowledge and gender.
H1B: Significant dependency exists between eco-labels knowledge and the age.
As stated by Kascakova and Nedelova (2010) Pearson´s Chi-square goodness of fit test
is based on a frequency table and tests the statistical hypothesis that the frequencies in each
category are equal to the expected (theoretical) frequencies.
3. Empirical results and discussion
Consumers´ environmental behaviour in the opinion of Peattie (2010) includes such

behaviour, that is concerned with the consumers´ approaches to environmental products and
their decision-making process takes into consideration the influence on the environment,
regarding purchasing, use, and post-use behaviour (disposal, recycling, or re-use). Today,
consumers are more informed, educated, and more demanding on how companies satisfy their
needs. Segments of environmentally oriented consumers expect from companies’ production
processes that will not harm the environment, products that are environmentally friendly, for
reasonable prices, distributed in such ways that have the least negative impact on the
environment. Using recycled products, minimalizing waste, waste separation, conserving
energy or reusing products are activities that correspond with the new economic model – the
circular economy, which is currently discussed more and more by both professional and lay
public.
We paid attention to the implementation of environmentally responsible activities of
consumers. From the results we present the activities that correspond with the principles of
circular economy.
Consumers pay an adequate amount of attention to waste minimization and separation.
More than half of the consumers asked in the research separate waste always. More than a third
of them answered that they separate waste sometimes, rather yes. As many as 75 % of the
respondents have stated that they conserve paper (they collect it in order to recycle it, or print
only essential documents etc.). We have observed approximately the same results in energy and
water conservation and the use of energy-efficient appliances. Consumers attribute less
importance to transport-related activities (ecological driving, use of public transport). In terms
of environmental purchasing behaviour, the situation is balanced when buying environmentally
friendly products (positive vs negative answers), but the purchase of bio products and organic
food lags behind significantly more.

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Table 4. Environmentally responsible activities – frequency

How often do you implement the environmentally
Exceptionally
Sometimes,
Sometimes,
responsible activities?
rather yes
rather not
Always
Never
(%)
RECYCLE
Waste separation 51.84 35.71 9.46 2.30 0.69
REDUCE
Paper conservation (collection for recycling, cutback 37.33 37.79 17.05 5.07 2.76
on printing)
Energy conservation (electrical, gas...) 41.94 43.55 11.75 1.61 1.15
Water conservation 47.93 38.94 9.45 2.76 0.92
Use of energy-efficient appliances 40.09 41.47 9.91 5.53 3.00
RETHINK - TRANSPORT
Ecological driving (electric cars, hybrids...) 5.53 7.14 11.75 18.66 56.92
Use of public transport 27.19 28.34 17.05 15.44 11.98
Use of bicycle transport 17.05 22.35 22.58 18.20 19.82
Walking 35.48 40.78 15.36 7.84 2.54
RETHINK - PURCHASING
I bring my own bag for shopping 51.38 28.57 11.52 5.53 3.00
I purchase environmentally friendly products 8.53 42.40 27.88 16.13 5.06
I purchase bio products and organic food 7.60 33.87 30.88 16.82 10.83
I purchase products in recyclable packaging 9.44 38.71 31.34 14.05 6.46
Source: own research
The results of Eurobarometer “Attitudes of European citizens towards the environment”

(EC, 2017) confirmed the most common environmental activity - the separation of waste for
recycling in 23 of the 28 Member States. For example, 63% of respondents in Portugal said
they have done this in the last six months, while just 32% have done the next most common
activity (reducing water consumption). Similar environmentally responsible behaviour was
observed in other countries, such as Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and
Slovenia. Waste separating is at least 25% more often carried out compared with other
environmental activities. In general, about two thirds (65%) of Europeans say they have
separated most of their waste for recycling, while the next reported activity was the purchase
of local products (43%). 35% of respondents reduced their energy consumption.
Consumers are most motivated towards environmentally responsible behaviour by (1)
internal belief (environmental responsibility is right) – 26.7% of respondents´ answers, (2) they
want to serve as an example for their children/surroundings – 24.6% (3) the belief that they
contribute to the preservation of non-renewable resources – 18%. A part of the consumers
considers environmentally appropriate behaviour as a current trend and a part does not believe
they can contribute to solving environmental problems through their behaviour (6.3%).
The barriers and obstacles of environmentally responsible behaviour were also
surveyed. Respondents were able to choose multiple responses (average of 2.85 responses).
Respondents considered lack of money as the biggest barrier (e.g. purchase of more expensive
environmentally friendly products, higher costs connected to environmentally responsible
behaviour) – 22.8% of responses; lack of information (15.7% of responses); lack of time to
carry out appropriate activities (e.g. separating, cleaning the environment, information
gathering) – 15.4% and consumers´ distrust towards cooperating organisations in protecting the
environment – 14.7% of responses.

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Studies on consumers´ environmental behaviour state that consumers who are aware of
their individual consumption impact on the environment and deterioration of its, generally act
environmentally more responsible and are interested in supporting of companies producing
environmental-friendly products. Consumers are trying to help sustain their environment by
demonstrating green purchasing behaviour (Dagher & Itani, 2014). According to Steg &Vlek
(2009), a change in purchasing behaviour is generally more beneficial than reusing or recycling
available products.
Based on examining theoretical background dealing with environmentally responsible
behaviour, we defined environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers by a few facts and
activities (for example attitudes to environmental issues, implementing environmentally
responsible activities, interest in the environment, willingness to buy environmental products,
monitoring information on the environmental product characteristics). The ordinal logistic
regression was used to model the relationship between the environmentally responsible
behaviour and socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, household income) and eco-
label knowledge. Three new factors (from 14 original questions) were labelled as follows:
Factor 1 – attitudes and approaches to environmental issues related to purchasing, seeking
information about environmental problems, incentives towards environmentally responsible
behaviour;
Factor 2 – carrying out the most significant environmental activities (saving water, saving
energy and sorting waste);
Factor 3 – interest in environmental issues. New variables and results of the factor analysis
shows Table 5. There is a rotated component matrix with all components made and all
coefficients of used questions sorted by size and high factor saturations were marked.
Table 5. Factor Analysis Results

New variables - factors
Original variables
1 2 3
I find it important that the products I purchase/use are as environmentally
.750 .262 -.061
friendlyas possible.
I search for information concerning environmental issues. .741 .035 -.184
I am willing to pay extra for products that are environmentally friendly. .729 .160 -.172
If I find out that a product has a negative impact on the environment, I stop
.726 .114 -.106
buying.
I motivate other family members and friends to be environmentally
.639 .227 -.302
responsible.
I am an active member of an environmental group/movement. .582 -.012 .375
I try to make my environmental behaviour contribute to preserving the
.558 .272 -.253
environment for future generations.
I do not have enough time to be personally involved in solving environmental
problems, but I financially support an environmental organization or
.507 -.001 .386
solution to an environmental problem.
Water conservation .069 .839 .028
Energy conservation (electrical energy, gas...) .081 .837 .010
Paper conservation (collection of old paper for recycling, printing of only
.247 .670 -.146
essential documents...)
Waste separation .163 .533 -.329
I am not interested in environmental issues at all. -.163 -.151 .793
I see no importance in engaging in environmentally responsible activities.
Industrial and agricultural businesses are primarily responsible for
-.189 -.048 .773
environmental pollution, so they should be addressed.

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Three factors were chosen based on principal component analysis as an extraction

method and Varimax as a rotation method with Kaiser normalisation. Ideally, for interpreting
any indicator should show saturation with just one factor. In practical situations, one indicator
has high factor saturation with several factors. It is rotated and tried again repeatedly to ensure
that each indicator has high saturation in one factor (Durana et al., 2019).
Originally correlated variables were replaced with new variables – factors that are
linearly independent and are suitable as input variables for ordinal regression. Through the
Goodness of Fit test, we have verified that our model is eligible to modelling the relationship
between purchasing environmentally acceptable products, the first factor (attitudes to
environmental issues), the second factor (implementation of environmental activities), the third
factor (interest in the environment), age, gender, income and number of household members.
Table 6 shows selected results of ordinal regression.
Table 6. Results of ordinal regression

Observed items of environmentally responsible behaviour Regression p-value
coefficient
F1 – attitudes to environmental issues 1.363 .000
F2 – carrying out environmental activities 1.024 .000
F3 – interest in environmental issues -.408 .000
Women .367 .080
Men 0a .
18 –26 years -.580 .090
27 – 45 years -.415 .061
46 – 62 years 0a .
Number of household members =1 .169 .781
Number of household members =5 0a .
Income = 0 – 199 € -.569 .231
Income = 200 – 399 € -.934 .030
Income = 400 – 599 € -.119 .713
Income = 600 – 799 € -.116 .705
Income = 800 – 999 € -.305 .356
Income = 1000 + 0a .
I am not interested in eco-labelling -.049 .938
I am not familiar with eco-labelling at all -1.748 .000
More likely not, I only know that some eco-labels exist -.801 .021
More likely yes, but I am unsure about their meaning -.591 .069
Certainly yes, I also know the meaning of eco-labels 0a .
Based on p-value in Table 7 null hypothesis was rejected and it was accepted alternative
hypothesis that the significant Chi-square statistic indicates that the model gives a significant
improvement over the baseline intercept-only model. Table 8 contains Pearson's chi-square
statistic for the model and another Chi-square statistic based on the deviance. If they are large,
we may say that the model is appropriate. Cox and Snell and Nagelkerke Pseudo-R squared
explains variance for 49.3 % or 52.7 %. McFadden's Pseudo-R square in range 0.2-0.4 indicate
extremely good fit (Table 9).

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Table 7. Model Fitting Information

Model -2 Log Chi-Square df Sig.
Likelihood
Intercept Only 1192.003
Final 997.928 294.075 19 .000
Link function: Logit.
Table 8. Test Goodnes-of-fit
Chi-Square df Sig.
Pearson 1666.071 1709 .767
Deviance 897.928 1709 1.000
Table 9. Pseudo R Square

Cox and Snell .493
Nagelkerke .527
McFadden .247
Based on the results we conclude that statistically significant variables that influence
environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers are age, gender, environmental attitudes,
carrying out environmental activities, interest in the environmental issues, income, number of
household members and knowledge of eco-labels. Under otherwise unchanged conditions, we
can say that positive environmental attitudes and carrying out environmental activities increase
the probability of environmentally responsible behaviour. On the contrary, lack of interest in
the environment decreases this probability. Women are more likely to act environmentally
responsible in comparison with men. Similar statements – that women are more
environmentally responsible in comparison with men – are also confirmed by studies by Lee et
al. (2013), Xiao & Hong (2010), and Vinz (2009). Research of Smerichevskyi et al. (2018)
emphasises that women are more active consumers of environmental goods and services and
are leaders in decision making to buy such goods. It is mainly influenced by the fact that they
purchase more and take care of the family health. In terms of the importance of eco-labels
knowledge, consumers with a lack of eco-labelling knowledge behave less responsibly.
Environmentally responsible purchasing behaviour is considered to be one of the areas
in which consumers are able to express their interest in environmental issues. Buying “green”
products is one of the most popular ways to reduce the (negative) impact of an individual on
the environment (Moser, 2016). Green purchasing also represents complex ethical decision-
making behaviour and is considered to be a type of socially responsible behaviour. A socially
responsible consumer takes into account the consequences of their consumption and tries to
utilize their purchasing behaviour to bring about change (Rahman & Joshi, 2016).
Environmentally responsible purchasing is important because unplanned purchases of goods
can cause harm to the environment. Grunert & Juhl (1995) found in their studies that purchasing
of consumers’ households is responsible for 40% of the damage to the environment. Based on
this we can establish that consumers are a major force and have the ability to prevent or reduce
damage to the environment by purchasing “green” products (Rahman & Joshi, 2016).
Barbarossa & Pastore (2015) define environmentally responsible consumers as
consumers who consider the environmental consequences of their private consumption or who

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attempt to use their consumption power to bring about environmental changes. With specific
reference to the purchasing, Peattie and Crane (2005) are of the opinion that “green” consumers
as those, who voluntarily purchase green products. They prefer environmentally friendly
products and therefore they have a positive attitude towards companies that offer these products.
Mala et al. (2017) acknowledge that while there is an increased interest in green products, the
real demand for them is low.
In our research we found that among the three most influential factors in purchasing
products were price (86.60% answers – 376 respondents), quality (82.30% answers – 357
respondents) and previous experience with the product (57.40% answers – 249 respondents).
Unfortunately, environmental factors were less significant for the respondents. Consumers most
often marked energy efficiency while utilizing the product (18% answers – 78 respondents) and
recyclable packaging (14.30% answers – 62 respondents). Among the least impactful
environmental factors were environmental characteristics of the product (12.70% answers – 55
respondents) and environmental image of the producer/retailer (2.30% answers – 10
respondents).
We were surprised to find that only a few consumers took into account the
environmental image of the producers/retailers and environmental characteristics of the product
when making their purchasing decision. We believe that these factors are not taken into account
by consumers due to the lack of information, insufficient presentation and communication from
the side of producers/retailers about environmental activities or more specifically about
products with environmental characteristics. Consumers’ lack of information is also confirmed
by the Flash Eurobarometer 367 (EC, 2013). According to it, as many as 62 % of respondents
in Slovakia do not feel sufficiently informed about responsible activities from the side of
businesses.
Across the EU, up to 80% of respondent at least sometimes buy environmentally
friendly products - about a quarter of them do so regularly, more than half of them occasionally.
Contrary to, 15% of EU citizens do not buy environmentally friendly products. The intention
to buy such products in the future was expressed mainly by respondents in Bulgaria (11%),
Romania (8 %), the Czech Republic (7 %) and Slovakia (7 %). The citizen of Austria, Germany
and Slovenia showed the smallest interest in the future (each 2 %). It can be assumed, that this
is mostly due to the high prevalence of the maintenance behaviour stage in these countries. In
fact, in these three countries the market for environmentally friendly products is more mature
and most people are already buying them (EC, 2013).
In identifying the environmental attitudes of consumers, the respondents should
comment on the following statement „I find it important that the products I purchase/use are as
environmentally friendly as possible “. More than 16% of the respondents expressed a complete
agreement, and almost 37% a partial agreement with the statement. 31% of the respondents had
a neutral point of view. We confronted the positive approach with the real purchase of
environmentally friendly products (we were verifying it while investigating environmental
activities of consumers). To determine the dependence, we used the Spearman coefficient of
correlation. We found a moderate correlation between the monitored variables (rs = 0.524, p-
value = 0.000). (Table 10). Based on the results we can state that respondents who expressed a
positive approach to the importance of the purchase, or using environmentally friendly
products, also actually buy them.

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Table 10. Environmental products purchasing – attitude vs real action

I find it important, that
the products Purchase of
I purchase/use are as environmentally
environmentally friendly products
friendly as possible.
Spearman's I find it important, that Correlation 1.000 .524**
rho the products Coefficient
I purchase/use are as Sig. (2-tailed) 0.000
environmentally N 434 434
friendly as possible
Purchase of Correlation .524** 1.000
environmentally Coefficient
friendly products Sig. (2-tailed) 0.000
N 434 434
The next factor that can influence purchasing decision-making of consumers is eco-
labelling, a universal concept, which is a part of strategies and policies of the environmental
protection, sustainable development, and social responsibility. For Minarova et al. (2016), it is
predominantly an optional tool of environmental management, focuses on the selected aspects
of environmental product. The main aim of eco-labelling is to inform consumers and producers
about the environmentally acceptable parameters of products, secondly to motivate them to use
or produce such products. It is assumed, that eco-labelled products have better characteristics
in terms of their impact on the environment in comparison with qualitatively comparable
products (Musova, 2013).
Approximately only 13% of respondents know of eco-labels, including their meaning.
39% more likely know them, but they are not sure about their meaning. Less than half of the
respondents has responded negatively in regard to knowledge of eco-labels (37 % only know,
that some eco-labels exists; 7 % have not observed any and 4 % have absolutely interested in
it. The structure of responds by gender and age shows Table 11.
In terms of eco-labels knowledge, respondents identified Slovak national eco-label
„Environmentally friendly product “, eco-label of the EU (European flower), the label „Bio
product”, German label „Blue Angel“ and the label „Not tested on animals“. Purchasing
behaviour of respondents would be influenced (definitely, or most likely would influence) by
the “Energy label” (40.09 %), the label „Not tested on animals“ (35.48%) and the label
„Bioproduct/product produced in ecological agriculture“ (28.11%).
Table 11. Knowledge of eco-labels in %

Age Gender
18-26 27-45 46-62 Women Men
Knowledge of eco-labelling years years years
Certainly yes, I also know their meaning 3.23 6.91 3.00 7.83 5.30
More likely yes, but I am unsure what it 20.51 18.43
means 10.60 17.51 10.83
More likely not (I only know that some
eco-labels exist) 3.22 15.90 17.74 17.97 18.89
Not at all, I have not observed any 0.23 3.69 3.46 2.53 4.84
I have absolutely no interest in it 0.23 2.53 0.92 0.46 3.23
Source: own research

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We were interested in whether the knowledge of eco-labels is related to the gender and
age of our respondents (hypothesis H0, H1A, H1B). We verified this relationship by a Chi-square
test. Based on the results (χ2 = 39.780; p-value 0.000), we accept our assumption about this
relation. Using cross tables, we compared individual answers between age categories. The
results show that respondents aged 27 – 45 have the best knowledge of eco-labelling, including
its meaning. Similarly, we also verified the assumption that there is a relationship knowledge
of eco-labelling and the gender of the consumer (χ2 = 15.009; p-value 0.005). In terms of
gender, women have better knowledge of eco-labels (Tables 12).
Table 12. Chi-square tests – Knowledge of eco-labels and gender/age

Statistical testing
GENDER AGE
Value df Asymp. Value df Asymp.
Sig. (2- Sig. (2-
sided) sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 15.009a 4 .005 39.780a 8 .000
Likelihood Ratio 16.201 4 .003 42.003 8 .000
Linear-by-Linear
12.372 1 .000 19.640 1 .000
Association
N of Valid Cases 434 434
a. 0 cells (0.0%) have expected count less than a. 1 cells (6.7%) have expected count less
5. The minimum expected count is 7.89. than 5. The minimum expected count is 2.80.
Our investigation related to the differences in gender are in line with studies of
Liobikienė et al. (2017) and Hojnik et al. (2019), which found that woman behave in a more
environmentally friendly way and are more consciousness of eco-labelled products than male
consumers. Green purchase behaviour is significantly related to environmentally friendly
behaviour. Study of Chekima et al. (2016) confirmed that environmental attitude and eco-label
significantly influence green purchase intention as well. The findings revealed that gender (and
education level) have positive moderation effect. This suggests that motivational factors for
green purchase are greater among highly educated individuals, especially with female
consumers.
In Special Eurobarometer 468 (EC, 2017) more than a quarter of respondent’s claim
having heard of the EU eco-label. Still there is a considerable variation in levels of awareness
of the EU eco-label among EU member states. In three countries, at least half of respondents
has seen or heard about the EU ecolabel: Luxembourg (62%), France (61%) and Denmark
(51%). However, in Romania (13 %), Bulgaria (14 %), the Czech Republic (16 %), the UK and
Italy (both 17 %) as well as in Slovakia (20 %) is the recognition of the EU eco-label the lowest.
Generally, around third of respondents declare ecolabels play an important role in their
purchasing decision. On the other hand, it is not major aspect while purchasing within a quarter
of respondents. Furthermore, another 39% expressed they never notice such labels when
choosing products.
Conclusion
Actions of several consumers towards environment are strongly responsible and their
environmental awareness grows. An increasing number of consumers tend to purchase and
consume environmentally-friendly products with the aim to protect and preserve the
environment for future generations.

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We have focused on finding out various aspects of environmentally responsible

behaviour of consumers in Slovakia in our primary research as well. In the first part we paid
attention on the implementation of selected environmentally responsible activities of consumers
carried out in the context of principles of the circular economy. We have recorded the best
results in waste separation (under the recycling principle), consumers act responsibly in
activities related to reducing consumption (energy, water, using energy-saving appliances).
Other activities also confirm positive changes in consumers´ perception and approaches to
environmental issues (rethink), although they are less pronounced (purchasing environmentally
friendly products, bio products and organic food). Statistical testing confirmed the moderate
correlation between positive attitudes to purchasing environmentally friendly products and real
purchases of consumers.
Based on the results of factor analysis and ordinal logistic regression, we conclude that
positive environmental attitudes and conducting environmental activities increase the
probability of environmentally responsible behaviour. On the contrary, lack of interest in the
environment decrease this probability. Statistically significant variables that influence
environmentally responsible consumer behaviour include age, gender, and income, number of
household members and knowledge of eco-labels.
It is precisely the knowledge of eco-labels that can be a significant factor impacting
environmentally responsible purchasing behaviour of consumers. Only average knowledge of
eco-labels resulted from the research under Slovak conditions, while the impact on purchasing
decision-making was confirmed and significant only in the case of selected eco-labels. The best
knowledge was found in respondents from so-called “full nests” (27-45 years). Based on
gender, women have better knowledge in comparison with men.
The research outcomes will be useful as a recourse for further, more detailed
examination into environmentally responsible behaviour of the market player in the circular
economy implementation. Researched issue is topical, dynamically developing and will evoke
intensive discussion about possibilities to improve quality of life and environment and
sustainability for future generations.
Acknowledgement
The authors are thankful to the Scientific Grant Agency of Slovak Republic under
project VEGA No.1/0705/19 “The responsibility of selected market entities as a significant
determinant for application of circular economy principles in Slovakia”.
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Zdenka Musova, Hussam Musa, ISSN 2071-789X

Musova, Z., Musa, H., & Matiova, V. (2021). Environmentally responsible

JEL Classification:M14, Keywords: environmental responsibility, consumer, circular

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

In the context of current trends, the situation in the environment is increasingly

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

economy principles will be examined. Environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers

Environmentally responsible (pro-environmental) behaviour reflects behaviour that

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

The paper deals with the environmentally responsible behaviour of consumers in

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Table 1. Test on Research Sample Representativeness (Gender)

Table 2. Test on Research Sample Representativeness (Age)

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Table 3. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Test and Bartlett´s Test

Assumption of correlation of eco-labels knowledge with gender, or the respondents’ age

3. Empirical results and discussion

Consumers´ environmental behaviour in the opinion of Peattie (2010) includes such

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Table 4. Environmentally responsible activities – frequency

The results of Eurobarometer “Attitudes of European citizens towards the environment”

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Table 5. Factor Analysis Results

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Three factors were chosen based on principal component analysis as an extraction

Table 6. Results of ordinal regression

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Table 7. Model Fitting Information

Table 9. Pseudo R Square

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Table 10. Environmental products purchasing – attitude vs real action

Table 11. Knowledge of eco-labels in %

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Table 12. Chi-square tests – Knowledge of eco-labels and gender/age

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

We have focused on finding out various aspects of environmentally responsible

ANON. (2015). Eco-labels Impact Consumer Behavior. Retrieved May 15,

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

Economics & Sociology, Vol. 14, No.1, 2021

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