Abstract

This paper aims to ascertain whether there is correlation between the following constructs: ecological knowledge, ecological affection, ecological concern, subjective norms and green purchase behavior. Based on a convenience sample, the population was constituted by women over 18 years old from Ribeirão Preto, town located in Sao Paulo state in Brazil, since they represent potential consumers of cosmetic products. Regarding the data processing of 500 validated questionnaires, the use of Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha and multivariate exploratory technique of factor analysis were contemplated. A multiple regression model was tested to explain the behavior of buying ecological cosmetics. A stepwise model was chosen in order to include in the final model just those constructs which had significant influence on purchase behavior (dependent variable). The results produce evidence that subjective norms (SN), ecological affection (EA), ecological concern (EC) and ecological knowledge (EK) variables were considered statistically significant to explain the variations in purchase behavior of ecological cosmetics (PBEC). The results showed that although the respondents know little about green products, more than 95% have a high degree of ecological affection and also a high degree of ecological concern. It is believed that this may have influenced the fact that 52% have a high degree of ecological buying behavior. The results of this article offer additional insight about the factors that affect the purchase decision process.

Key words: Ecological knowledge, green purchases, consumer behavior.