Sustainable apparel consumption among the youth: moderating effects of anticipated guilt and green trust

Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors influencing sustainable apparel consumption among young Chinese consumers. In addition, the moderating roles of anticipated guilt and green trust in the relationships of personal norms and attitudes with sustainable apparel consumption are examined. Design/methodology/approach By incorporating the norm activation model and value attitude behavior model, we developed a research framework and validated it with the data from 912 young Chinese consumers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data. Findings The results highlighted that sustainable apparel consumption among Chinese youths was influenced by the environmental values, beliefs, personal characteristics and social factors. Furthermore, the results highlighted that anticipated guilt, and green trust moderated the effects of personal norms and attitudes on sustainable apparel consumption. Originality/value This study contributes to existing literature by integrating the norm activation model and value attitude behavior model, thus offering a novel perspective on sustainable apparel consumption. While previous research has mainly focused on external factors influencing the attitude-behavior gap, this study addresses a critical gap by highlighting the role of psychological factors, specifically anticipated guilt and green trust, in strengthening the attitude–behavior relationship.