Young millennials, environmental orientation, food company sustainability, and green word-of-mouth recommendations

Threats loom for the global food supply. Food companies are taking action, yet consumer awareness lags. A sustainability materiality (SM) index was created that asked young millennials if issues related to a food company’s environmental footprint, ethical governance, community engagement, and nutrition-related actions influenced their product purchasing decisions. In comparison to their peers, those who held new ecological paradigm-related values were more likely to report that the SM index issues influenced their purchasing decisions. They offered more green word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations to their friends. Regardless of their environmental orientation, those who purchase products consistent with the SM index are more likely to provide green WOM recommendations. Purchasing products consistent with SM index issues mediated the relationship between proenvironmental orientation and green WOM recommendations. Perceived personal ability was unrelated to green WOM recommendations. Educating and enlisting young consumers to offer green WOM recommendations will increasingly become a strategic business concern.