Introduction:

 Due to the rapid increase of the population, a shift of the market to fast fashion, and the consumers' sensitivity to low prices; the clothing consumption patterns are considered unsustainable all over the world, including in advanced countries (Borusiak et al., 2020; MacArthur, 2017; McNeill & Venter, 2019; Shirvanimoghaddam et al., 2020; Yoon & Yoon, 2018). Human consumption is directly responsible for many of the environmental issues of today  (Fischer et al., 2021; Hosta & Zabkar, 2021; Vlastelica & Kosti, 2023). The world consumes 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year, and 73% of the clothes produced are estimated to end up in a landfill (Soyer & Dittrich, 2021). Driven by consumer demand and affordability, the clothing industry uses harmful chemicals, pesticides, and unethical manufacturing methods, resulting in soil erosion, water pollution, and severe health issues. Globally, cotton manufacturers consume $2.6 billion worth of pesticides annually (Muthukumarana et al., 2018). A similar study (Rausch & Kopplin, 2021) states around 2791 million tons of CO2 are emitted each year, while 118 billion cubic meters of water are consumed. The industry accounts for 35.6% of total worldwide energy consumption and is predicted to rise at an annual rate of 1.2%. The sector uses plastic packaging, which is then thrown on the earth, causing a significant negative impact on the ecology (Faza et al., 2024; Solekah et al., 2024). It creates 10% of the world's carbon emissions (Muthukumarana et al., 2018), and 20% of all water pollution (Sudhakara Reddy & Kumar Ray, 2011), making it the world's second most polluting sector.

The root cause of environmental issues is human consumption, and sustainable consumption is a proposed concept to address these issues by involving consumers' participation and ensuring their essential role in achieving sustainability (Rizkalla, 2018). In addition, consumers influence the industry through their product choices (Sheikh Qazzafi, 2019).  Now consumers use the sustainability attribute to some extent as an evaluation criterion for their purchasing decision in addition to the product attribute (Kumar et al., 2021). According to (Zheng & Chi, 2015) 66.5% of US Customers are accounting for SCB. A study conducted in the UK revealed that 30% of consumers are highly concerned, but struggle to convert this into purchases (Young et al., 2010). A study conducted in Kuwaiti  revealed that consumers have limited knowledge about the environmental impacts of the apparel and textile industry but have positive intentions to purchase sustainable apparel in the future (Albloushy & Hiller Connell, 2019). Indian consumers are well-informed about green apparel, possess a positive attitude, and exhibit responsible purchasing intentions (Amit Kumar, 2021).

Furthermore, solid wastes are constantly growing due to the nature of fast fashion and short-lived style (Liang & Xu, 2018). For instance Every year, Americans produce an average of 16 million tons of textile and clothing trash, with only 15% recycled  (Chi et al., 2021). In the UK clothing waste is estimated to be 2 million tons; of this, 63% (1.2 million tons) ends up in landfills (Hur & Cassidy, 2019). The increase in clothing and textile waste from 24 million tons in 2012 to 26.2 million tons in 2016 underscores the need for consumers to adopt sustainable consumption patterns. Fast fashion companies have invested in sustainability commitments to satisfy environmental concerns, but continue to promote over-consumption without altering their business model (Bick et al., 2018; Carol Cavender, 2018).  In 2021, sustainable clothing's share in global apparel sales was 3.9%, with a projected increase to 6.1% in 2026, according to market data (Vlastelica & Kosti, 2023). This is due to consumer engagement, so without truly consumers participating in the sustainability movement will not be achieved (Zheng & Chi, 2015). Understanding the purchase intention of environmentally-conscious consumers is crucial in the context of apparel purchasing; the study intended to answer; 

1. Do consumer consider sustainability attributes as an evaluation criteria for their purchasing decision?
2. Does an environmentally conscious purchasing intention matter to customers when purchasing apparel?
3. What factors influence Ethiopian customers' intentions and behaviors while purchasing environmentally responsible clothing products?

To answer those questions, this study investigates the consumer’s most important attribute that they employ when they make a purchasing decision and analyzes it by using mean value to answer the first question. To answer the second question, we looked at the relevance of potential environmentally friendly consumer concerns in the context of apparel purchasing in Ethiopia. Finally, an SEM was employed to investigate the significance of each factor to the sustainable purchasing intention and behavior for the third research question.

Numerous studies (Lewis et al., 2017; Moretto et al., 2018; H. G. Park & Lee, 2015; J. Park et al., 2017; Sandin & Peters, 2018) have been conducted on consumer perceptions and determinants of purchasing patterns for environmental sustainable apparels is limited, especially in developing countries. The existing literature mainly focuses on the cases of societies in developed countries (Chang & Watchravesringkan, 2018; Vlastelica & Kosti, 2023; Albloushy & Hiller Connell, 2019). Only limited studies have been conducted in Ethiopia. Moreover, studies related to the investigating of the actual buying behavior of the consumer and consumers' over-consumption are scarce (White et al., 2017). The study bridges this gap by exploring the consumer’s environmentally sustainable apparel purchasing intention by using the extended TPB model. The study also contributes to enhancing the explanatory power of the TPB in ESA product consumption by incorporating relevant variables. The structural equation model, supported by SPSS, was applied to assess the empirical strength of the relationship of the factors in the proposed hypotheses. The study aims to enhance consumer awareness and knowledge about environmentally sustainable lifestyles while also designing marketing policies for Ethiopian businesses utilizing ESAs in the market.

Literature Review
Theoretical review

Consumer behavior studies individuals' activities to satisfy needs, Lake (2009), by using various determinants to predict purchasing behavior (Minbale et al., 2024). This study uses TPB to design a theoretical framework and adds a relevant variable.

The TPB has been utilized in numerous studies to analyze consumer apparel purchasing behavior (Minbale et al., 2024). The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a theory that predicts consumer behavior, focusing on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control. This model is applied to various behaviors, including apparel purchase intention (Ajzen, 1991, 2002, 2020), this concept is primarily applicable to behaviors an individual has complete control over but does not consider their self-perception of their ability to perform the behavior (Az-Zahrah et al., 2025; Minbale & Seife, 2024). The study extends TPB by adding environmental concerns, perceived consumer effectiveness, information availability, and sustainable product availability, as well as price perception for sustainable products. The model is extended for better prediction of intention, which in consequence leads to actual behavior.

This research focuses on environmentally sustainable apparel, adding relevant variables to improve model accuracy and achieve the objective of predicting consumer behavior. An environmentally friendly product has a minimal environmental impact during manufacturing, use, or disposal, while an environmentally conscious consumer consumes green products (Islam & Khan, 2014). Sustainable consumption behavior refers to the reduction of natural resource consumption, lifestyle changes, and the consumption of environmentally friendly products (P. Wang et al., 2014). It addresses a wide range of concerns, including serving consumers' requirements sustainably, improving resource efficiency, improving quality of life, and minimizing waste (Fedrigo & Hontelez, 2010; P. Wang et al., 2014).  We extended the model to incorporate variables like environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness, information availability, the availability of sustainable products, and the perception of price for sustainable products. This was done based on the literature review and theoretical review, constructing an extended theory of planned behavior model to structure the study framework and research hypotheses (H).

1. Related work and hypotheses
2. Relationship between Environmental Concern with Consumers purchasing intention

Environmental concern refers to an individual's emotional attachment and concern for environmental issues, threats, and protection (Apaolaza et al., 2022; Rausch & Kopplin, 2021a). The individual's sense of responsibility and involvement in environmental protection is crucial (Kim & Choi, 2005; Roberts & Bacon, 1997). Research indicates that environmental concerns positively influence the purchase of eco-friendly apparel (Alam & Abunar, 2023; Gallo et al., 2023; Ghaffar & Islam, 2023; Rumaningsih et al., 2022; Zeng et al., 2023). However, according to (Hasbullah et al., 2022), environmental concerns have a diminishing effect on consumers purchasing decisions. Personal involvement and socio-demographic variables, such as gender, age, education, and profession, influence consumers' pro-environmental purchasing activities, leading to more sustainable consumer choices and behaviors. The hypothesis is proposed based on the provided information:

H1: Environmental Concerns significantly influence the willingness of consumers to environmentally responsible purchasing intention.

Relationship between consumers' attitude with consumers' purchasing intention

Attitude is a psychological path an individual consistently favors or disfavors, influencing their evaluation of potential costs and benefits in a given scenario (Lavuri, 2023). Attitude significantly influences consumer purchase intention (Khare, 2019; Paul et al., 2016).  Many previous researchers found that attitude is an essential variable while predicting consumers’ purchase intention (Lavuri, 2023; Zhang et al., 2019), and one of the strongest predictors of environmentally sustainable purchasing intention and behavior (Khare, 2019; Nayak et al., 2019). In the topic of green clothing, an environmental attitude has also been proven to have a substantial positive relationship with intentions to purchase green apparel (Hong et al., 2017; Jacobs, 2018; Lavuri, 2023; Nayak et al., 2019; Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). Consumer attitude significantly affects the consumer's tendency to buy sustainable apparel, and their intention to spend money on green products (Kaur et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2019). The attitude was found a positive antecedent for sustainable purchasing intention but does not have a positive outcome on SPB (Ceylan, 2019). Therefore, we theorize the following hypothesis

H2. Environmental attitude and consumers' intention to buy environmentally friendly clothing are positively correlated.

 Relationship between perceived consumer effectiveness with purchasing intention

Perceived consumer effectiveness refers to the belief that an individual's efforts can significantly impact a problem's solution (Ellen et al., 1991; Rizkalla, 2018). Studies (Chi et al., 2021; Kim & Oh, 2020; Kovacs & Keresztes, 2022; T. Lin et al., 2022; J. Wang & Hsu, 2019) indicates that perceived consumer effectiveness significantly influences the intentions of consumers to purchase sustainable clothing. The highly perceived consumer effectiveness group shows a consistent attitude-purchase intention relationship ( Kumar and, Singh 2022; L. Hannah et al., 2021). Overall, perceived consumer effectiveness emerges as a key determinant shaping individuals' intentions to engage in sustainable consumption practices. Studies have shown that the impact of PCE on behavior is influenced by attitudes (Kim & Choi, 2005). Therefore, we posit the following.

H3: Perceived consumer effectiveness positively influences environmentally responsible intention.

Relationship between subjective norms with consumers' purchasing intention

Subjective norm (SN) is described as the felt societal pressure on an individual to do or not perform a certain activity (Ajzen, 1991, 2020; Zhang et al., 2019), the impact of society on a specific behavior (Kim et al., 2010). Personal norms and social norms play crucial roles in influencing sustainable apparel purchasing intentions. Research indicates that personal norms, positively affect consumers' sustainable apparel purchasing intention (Hassan et al., 2022; Lavuri et al., 2023; C. Lin et al., 2023; Tandon et al., 2023; Xu et al., 2022). However, according to (Olbrich et al., 2011) Personal sustainability norms have no significant impact on willingness to behave. Additionally, social norms, shaped by cultural influences and social learning, significantly affect consumption patterns and sustainability choices within a society (Boson et al., 2023; P. Nguyen et al., 2022). Social norms positively affect consumers' sustainable apparel purchasing intention (Hassan et al., 2022; Lavuri, 2022; Niu et al., 2023; Xu et al., 2022). But other studies found that social norm has an insignificant effect on consumers purchasing intention (Varshneya et al., 2017; Okur and Saricam, 2019; Tabas, 2023). Also, other studies found that social norm has negative (Canova et al., 2022) and indirect effect (Carfora et al., 2022) on sustainable purchasing intention.  Studies emphasize that when individuals perceive a strong alignment between their personal values and social expectations regarding SCB, they are more likely to purchase green apparel, highlighting the interconnectedness of personal and social norms in driving sustainable purchasing behaviors. Therefore, we posit the following.

H4: Social norms significantly influence environmentally responsible purchasing intention.

H5: Personal norms significantly influence environmentally responsible purchasing intention.

Relationship between availability of information with consumers' purchasing intention

The availability of information plays a crucial role in influencing consumers' sustainable purchasing behavior (Debnath et al., 2023; Fischer et al., 2021; Fu et al., 2023; Saeed et al., 2019). Information about a product's and company's environmental impact and actions throughout its life-cycle is crucial for consumers' sustainable purchasing intention and behavior (Azzahro et al., 2022; Caferra et al., 2023; Kasim, 2022; O’Rourke & Ringer, 2016). Consumers lack a holistic understanding of sustainability due to limited information (Bui et al., 2022; Weniger et al., 2023). Consumers make trade-offs based on available information on clothing attributes (Blas et al., 2022), show a higher willingness to pay with sustainability information (Hwang et al., 2021), and consumers prioritize product and service quality over information availability (Gallo et al., 2023; Maciaszczyk et al., 2022). Ethical research often lacks information, despite being recognized as a common obstacle to responsible behavior, with exceptions in fair trade context research (Irene & Gil-saura, 2020; Rizkalla, 2018). Therefore, we posit the following.

H6: Information availability significantly influence consumer's environmentally responsible purchasing behavior.

Relationship between Ethical obligation with consumers Purchasing Intention

Ethical obligation plays a significant role in influencing sustainable purchasing intentions among consumers. Studies have shown that ethical obligation positively impacts consumers' purchase intentions toward sustainable products (Chen, 2020; Madar et al., 2013). Furthermore, ethical obligation has a significant effect on brand image, customer engagement, and sustainable purchase intentions (Anwar et al., 2019; Berki-Kiss D., 2022; Hussain and Dar, 2021). Understanding and promoting ethical obligation can thus be a crucial aspect of encouraging sustainable consumption behaviors and driving positive environmental impacts. Align with this the following hypothesis is extracted:

H7: A consumer’s ethical obligation towards sustainability has a significant effect on a consumer’s sustainable purchasing intention.

Relationship between perceived behavior control (PBC) with consumers' purchasing intention

Research indicates that PBC directly impacts green attitudes by measuring an individual's perception of how easy or challenging a behavior is (M. Hasan, 2022; T. Nguyen, 2023). PBC is the strongest forecaster followed by attitude and SN (Anastasia & Santoso, 2020; çivgin & kizanlikli, 2022; M. Hasan, 2022). Studies also found no positive impact of PBC (Astika Nithasyah et al., 2023; Lavuri et al., 2023). Perceived behavioral control (PBC) has a small impact on purchase intention but can be used as a substitute for actual control when given the right opportunities and resources. (Gonçalves et al., 2022; Chang & Watchravesringkan, 2018). Following on from the previous:

H8: Perceived behavioral control will positively influence consumers’ willingness to behave.

H9: Perceived behavioral control significantly influences consumers’ sustainable consumption.

The mediating effects of product availability with purchasing intention and behavior

The availability of sustainable products significantly influences consumers' sustainable purchasing behavior. Mummeries research indicates that there is limited product availability is a foremost factor hindering consumers from purchasing sustainable products (Gierszewska & Seretny, 2019; Pinkse & Bohnsack, 2021; Weniger et al., 2023). In addition product availability influences sustainable product purchase intention (Kaczorowska et al., 2019; Kasim, 2022; Maciaszczyk et al., 2022; Misron et al., 2023; Sargın and Dursun, 2023; Setyawan et al., 2018; Stoll et al., 2019; Tang & Bhamra, 2009; Weniger et al., 2023; Yi, 2019). Lack of availability hinders consumers from purchasing sustainable products(Arul et al., 2021). But according to (Tomkins et al., 2018; Orzan et al., 2018) consumers are not influenced by the availability of the product instead they are influenced by package information.  Also, there is limited empirical research on this relationship exists (Arul et al., 2021). Therefore, we posit the following.

H10: Sustainable product availability has a significant mediating role in consumers’ sustainable purchasing willingness and behavior.

The mediating effects of Price perception with purchasing intention and behavior

The relationship between price perception for sustainable products and consumers' sustainable purchasing behavior is a crucial aspect influenced by various factors. Studies have shown that price perceptions directly affect consumer attitudes and buying interest (Sutanto & Wulandari, 2023), while affordable prices have a significant role in driving sustainability behavior. Price perception significantly influences sustainable purchasing behavior (Anquez et al., 2022; Gallo et al., 2023; Kovacs & Keresztes, 2022; Misron et al., 2023; H. Park & Lin, 2018). In some circumstances, customers may be unwilling to pay for sustainable items (Gallo et al., 2023). Therefore, we posit the following.

H11: Consumer’s price perception towards sustainability has significantly mediated the effect of consumer’s sustainable purchasing willingness and behavior.

Sustainable consumption willingness to behave and purchasing behavior

Consumer purchasing intention is a consumer's willingness to make sacrifices for a specific product or condition (Raza et al., 2021; Ringle et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2019). Purchase intention is a decision-making process that investigates the consumer's motivation to purchase a specific brand (A. Hasan, 2024)). This is a key indication of consumer purchasing behavior  (Raza et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2019). Studies indicate that consumers who understand the importance of ESA are more likely to incorporate and accept sustainability concerns in their purchasing decisions (Chang & Watchravesringkan, 2018; Chi et al., 2021; Durrani et al., 2023; C. A. Lin et al., 2023; T. H. Nguyen, 2023). Therefore, we posit the following.

H12: The Consumer’s ESA product purchasing intention has a significant effect on the consumer’s sustainable purchasing behavior

Conceptual Frame Work of the Study

The study investigated the environmental factor of behavior using a variety of responsible behavior antecedents, including the most widely used TPB for understanding responsible consumer behavior  (Rizkalla, 2018). And for the sake of increasing the accuracy of predicting the actual consumption behavior of a consumer, a model was extended by adding relevant variables see Figure 1 below. In this study, the consumers' intention was substituted by willingness, as suggested by (Abdul-Muhmin, 2007) because there are fewer environmental amenities and sustainable product options available. The model's variables were derived from previous studies and qualitative research results and adapted for the sustainable consumption context.

Figure 1: The conceptual foundation of the study Adapted from  (Zheng et al., 2015)

The hypotheses of this study are as follows:

H1: Environmental Concerns significantly influence the willingness of consumers to environmentally responsible purchasing intention.

H2. Environmental attitude and consumers' intention to buy environmentally friendly clothing are positively correlated.

H3: Perceived consumer effectiveness positively influences environmentally responsible intention.

H4: Social norms significantly influence environmentally responsible purchasing intention.

H5: Personal norms significantly influence environmentally responsible purchasing intention.

H6: Information availability significantly influence consumer's environmentally responsible purchasing behavior.

H7: A consumer’s ethical obligation towards sustainability has a significant effect on a consumer’s sustainable purchasing intention.

H8: Perceived behavioral control will positively influence consumers’ willingness to behave.

H9: Perceived behavioral control significantly influences consumers’ sustainable consumption.

H10: Sustainable product availability has a significant mediating role in consumers’ sustainable purchasing willingness and behavior.

H11: Consumer’s price perception towards sustainability has significantly mediated the effect of consumer’s sustainable purchasing willingness and behavior.

H12: The Consumer’s ESA product purchasing intention has a significant effect on the consumer’s sustainable purchasing behavior

METHODOLOG

Research design

This investigation is a descriptive, explanatory, cross-sectional survey that employs both qualitative and quantitative techniques. A TPB has been used to construct a theoretical framework for a study. The study used both first-hand and second-hand data sources. The source of the data of this study was Ethiopian apparel consumers who lived in Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Hawassa, and Adama City.

Sample size determination

The study size is determined using an unknown population sample formula with a 95% confidence level, 0.5 standard deviation, and confidence interval of +/- 5%, based on a standard table Z- score of 1.96. The following is the formulation:

SS= (Z-score) ² * StdDev*(1-StdDev) / (margin of error) ² (Eng, 2003; Lenth, 2001)

Where SS stands for Sample size

The author uses this formula to get the sample size.

Therefore this study surveyed 578 consumers. A convenience sample technique with physically distributed questionnaires where employed to collect the primary data. For data gathering, the most populated retail locations in each city were determined. The data was filled out by voluntary customers who walked to the chosen clothing retail locations during business hours. A sample was selected based on the consumers’ willingness to participate in the survey. A total of 578 questionnaires were issued to respondents, with 523 complete and usable responses received, representing a 90.5 percent response rate. Each participant was instructed about the study, and their doubts were also cleared by the data collectors and researcher.

Data collection instruments

Measurement items of constructs were collected from different literature. Construct and measurement items that are most frequently used and tested by different literature are selected as a variable and metrics for this study. A study adopted a TPB model as a framework and extended it by adding relevant variables for the sake of increasing the accuracy of the prediction of a model. To collect data a systematic questionnaire was utilized by using a 7-point Likert scale (strongly agree = 7, strongly disagree = 1). There were three sections in the questionnaire. Table 1 summarizes the sources of selected constructs, while participants were asked to list other variables they considered while purchasing clothing.

Table 1: Measurements of constructs

Data collection

Data collection items were collected from different literature. Construct and measurement items that are most frequently used and tested by different literature are selected as a variable and metrics for this study. After the items were selected, a pilot test of 60 respondents was undertaken to ensure that the measuring items were comprehensive, understandable, clear, structured, and acceptable and then translated into Amharic Language. So, the finalized questionnaires are collected in the Amharic version, through a longitudinal data collection approach. For data gathering, the most populated retail locations in each city were determined. The data was filled out by voluntary customers who walked to the chosen clothing retail locations during business hours. The data were collected throughout three months, from February to April 2024.

Data Analysis

The reliability of measurement items was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, resulting in a score of 0.927, exceeding the 0.7 threshold (B. Byrne, 2013; Hair et al., 2021). The validity of a constructed questionnaire was assessed using the KMO test and the Bartlett test of sphericity. The KMO measure of sampling adequacy on the overall scale was 0.75, exceeding the suggested value of 0.60 (Williams et al., 2010). The sphericity test conducted by Bartlett was found to be significant [χ²  = 1164.40, df = 66, and p =.000] (Tobias & Carlson, 1969). 

Before a statistical test was applied to the collected data,  missing data, normality, and multi-collinearity tests were conducted. The study's missing values range from 0.1% to 0.3% per item, indicating that the values are within the acceptable threshold range (Edeh et al., 2023; Hair et al., 2021). So, using SPSS, missing data were replaced with the estimated mean. The skewness and kurtosis values were within normal bounds (±1 and ±3). The tolerance range values were between.62 and.97, and the variance inflation factor (VIF) ranged from 1.03 to 1.62, therefore they are in the acceptable range  (B. Byrne, 2011; Kline, 2015). The study found no significant correlation between any independent variables and any other exogenous variable, indicating no issue with high correlation among variables.

The study utilized maximum likelihood estimation methodology for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), which is superior for factor-based models and offers better model fit indices (Dash & Paul, 2021). This study evaluated model fit using CFI, GFI, RMSEA, χ2 values, and paired sample t-tests, comparing mean score differences between respondent variables.

RESULT
Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
Table 2 shows the respondent's descriptive statistics and attributes. Males account for 51.1% of the respondents, while females make up 48.9% of the sample. Regarding age, the majority of respondents are between the ages of 25 and 34, accounting for around 44.4% of the sample size. In terms of educational qualifications, the majority of research participants (73%) have completed their university degrees. The majority of responders (58.1%) had a first degree. The respondent's monthly income level is another factor assessed as part of the questionnaire. The bulk of respondents have an upper-middle level monthly income, accounting for 35.2%. Regarding the marital status of the respondents, 57.7% are unmarried, and 40% of respondents are married, and the rest 2.5% are divorced.

Table 2: shows the demographic variables' descriptive statistics.

Descriptive analysis

To know whether Ethiopian consumers consider the sustainability attribute while purchasing apparel, product attributes importance level was rated by the respondents. The attributes rated mean result indicates that Ethiopian consumers, use Extrinsic attributes [Brand of a product, Price, made-in label, approvals of others, and a like] (Mean = 5.84) as the most important attribute and there is low consideration of sustainability attributes as presented in Figure 2, based on 7-point Likert scale mean scale (Ahmad & Amin, 2012).

                 Figure 2: Importance level of product attributes

In addition, to investigate Ethiopian consumer’s environmental concerns and awareness levels, a comparison mean was conducted for each studied variable. According to (Ahmad & Amin, 2012) mean score results range from Very low (1.0 - 2.19), Low (2.20 - 3.39), Moderate (3.40 - 4.59), High (4.60 - 5.79) and (5.80 - 7.0) is Very High. As seen in Figure 3 the consumers' environmental concern (M=2.96), availability of information about sustainability (M=2.24), Price perception (M=3.00), sustainable Product Availability (M=2.56), and consumers' environmental sustainable apparel product purchasing behavior (M=2.77) are rated a low level see figure 3. The mean score of Consumer attitude, Perceived Behavioral Control, Perceived Behavioral effectiveness, Social norm, Personal Norm, and Ethical obligation are rated at a moderate level. The consumers' purchasing intention towards environmentally sustainable apparel is rated at a high level.

              Figure 3: Mean score of variables of the model

1. 3. Model validations and verifications

The validity and reliability of each item were evaluated in separate confirmatory factor models before assessing a research model. CFA is used to determine whether the sample data is compatible with the hypothesized model of the study or not (Byrne, 2013).

Final CFA model measurement scale

Average Variance Extracted (AVE) and Composite Reliability (CR) are used to assess the convergent validity of the measurement model (Alarcón et al., 2015). A summary of the model is presented in Table 3. The obtained AVE values support that all values are above the cut-off value, which means measurement items support the discriminate validity at p=0.001 (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Also, high reliability of the scales was found as the composite reliability (CR) of the constructs exceeded the threshold values(0.06) (Hair et al., 2021; Rožman et al., 2020). All values for each metric were significant. On the other hand, CR’s results are above 0.6, indicating that the CFA path model had a significant convergent validity. Discriminant validity is established when a latent variable significantly contributes to the variance in the associated indicator variables within the same model (B. Byrne, 2011; Henseler et al., 2015). The discriminant validity of a construct requires a correlation value lower than AVE^2 for all constructs (Hair Jr et al., 2010). The CFA model's testing results showed all factor correlation values were lower than the AVE^2, achieving the required thresholds for discriminant validity as seen in Figure 4.

Table 3: final CAF path analysis model statistical summary

              Figure 4: CFA Path Analysis

Structural model analysis (SEM)

A research model was tested using CB-SEM and AMOS version 26, estimating parameters and assessing model fit. Table 4 and Figure 5 present acceptable goodness fit indices for the measurement model, while factor analysis, convergent validity, and overall values for AVE, CR, and DV are also acceptable.

Table 4: Statistical summary of final SEM path analysis model

Figure 5: Full model SEM Path Analysis (standardized)

​​​​​​​Hypotheses Testing

The significance of the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable was evaluated using the p-value. From the model estimates, all constructs had a positive and significant effect on the dependent variables at p<0.05, which means all hypotheses are supported except the hypothesized path of personal norms with an environmentally responsible willingness to behave. The SEM analysis results are presented in Table 5.

Table 5:  Hypothesis testing results

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Content analysis for open-ended questions

In addition, respondents were provided with open-ended questions about environmentally sustainable apparel products. From the respondent’s responses to the open-ended question, we can conclude that Ethiopian consumers are unaware of environmentally sustainable apparel, even the impacts of the life cycle of the apparel product on the environment. They mentioned the lack of information about sustainability, lack of availability of sustainable products, lack of promotion, and price sensitivities of Ethiopian consumers as a drawback.

Discussions
Determinants of Sustainable consumption willingness to behave 
The massive production volume of clothing items leads to negative environmental impacts due to marketing and consumption. In this regard, the study anticipates the antecedents of a consumer’s willingness to behave in environmentally responsible apparel products.  Consumers’ willingness to behave means the consumers' tendency to favor a product and is a crucial tool to predict purchasing behavior. Different determinants of consumers’ willingness to behave were investigated. 

Environmental concern with consumers’ willingness to behave

Consumers' concern towards the environment means an individual's extent level of concern and emotional attachment toward environmental issues. The β std regression coefficient for the consumers' concern towards the environment → consumers’ Willingness to behave in an environmentally conscious way is 0.16 at a significance level of 0.05, which indicates a positive and significant linkage between environmental concern and consumers’ willingness to behave and hypotheses one (H1) is supported.  This is in line with other studies (Demirbaş, 2016; Gallo et al., 2023; Ghaffar & Islam, 2023; Zeng et al., 2023). This is due to Ethiopian consumers' positive emotional attachment to the environment. And that’s why millions of Ethiopians participate in planting a tree per year. However other studies find that this environmental concern has a mediating effect on purchasing intention (Hasbullah et al., 2022).

​​​​​​​Consumer Attitude with consumers’ willingness to behave

The β std regression coefficient for Consumer Attitude → consumers’ Willingness to behave in an environmentally conscious way is 0.17 at a significance level of 0.02, which indicates a positive and significant linkage between Consumer Attitude and consumers’ willingness to behave and hypotheses two (H2) is supported. The result is somehow similar (Nayak et al., 2019; Nguyen et al., 2019; Hong et al., 2017; Jacobs, 2018; Wiederhold & Martinez, 2018). Attitude not only has a positive and significant effect on purchasing intention but also affects their level of eco-consciousness (Lavuri, 2022; Rusyani et al., 2021), their propensity to buy sustainable apparel (Rausch & Kopplin, 2021b), and their willingness to spend money on green products (Kaur et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2019). In another way (Ceylan, 2019) found that attitude has a positive effect on sustainable purchasing intention but does not have a positive effect on sustainable purchasing behavior (Ceylan, 2019).

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Perceived consumer effectiveness with consumers’ willingness to behave

The β std regression coefficient for Perceived consumer effectiveness → consumers’ Willingness to behave in an environmentally conscious way is 0.22 at a significance level of 0.01, which indicates a positive and significant linkage between Perceived consumer effectiveness and consumers’ willingness to behave in environmentally responsible apparel product and H3 is supported. The result is in sync with (Chi et al., 2021; Kim & Oh, 2020; Kovacs & Keresztes, 2022; T. Lin et al., 2022; J. Wang & Hsu, 2019).

1. 1. 4. Subjective norm with consumers’ willingness to behave

The β std regression coefficient for Personal norm and social norm → environmentally responsible willingness to behave is 0.03, and 0.16 at a significance level of .714, and .022, which indicates that a personal norm has an insignificant effect with environmentally responsible willingness to behave, sync with (Olbrich et al., 2011), it is because of that Ethiopian consumers mainly consider price as an important attribute to their purchasing decision (Minbale et al., 2024). Social norm was found as a positive and significant predictor of consumers’ willingness to behave with environmentally responsible apparel products, sync with (Hassan et al., 2022; Lavuri, 2022; Niu et al., 2023; Xu et al., 2022). In this scenario H4 is unsupported and H5 is supported.

​​​​​​​Availability of information with consumers’ willingness to behave

The β std regression coefficient for the availability of information → environmentally responsible willingness to behave is 0.12, at a significance level of .05, which indicates a positive and significant effect on environmentally responsible willingness to behave, sync with (Saeed et al., 2019; Fu et al., 2023; Siraj et al., 2022). However, the quality of available information highly affects the purchasing intention. So, H6 is supported. As we seen the mean value of the availability of information is 2.24, which means the availability of information is too low in the Ethiopian scenario.

​​​​​​​Ethical obligation with consumers’ willingness to behave

The β std regression coefficient for Ethical obligation → environmentally responsible willingness to behave is 0.17, at a significance level of .05, which indicates a positive and significant effect on environmentally responsible willingness to behave, sync with (Chen, 2020; Floriano & de Matos, 2022; R. Kumar et al., 2023). And H7 is supported.

1. 1. 7. Perceived behavior control with consumers’ willingness to behave

The β std regression coefficient for PBC → environmentally responsible willingness to behave is 0.11 at a significance level of 0.01. This would indicate a positive and significant path between PBC and environmentally responsible willingness to behave and support H8. This is in line with (M. Hasan, 2022; T. Nguyen, 2023). The study also found that perceived consumer effectiveness is the most influential predictor of Ethiopian consumers’ environmentally responsible willingness to behave followed by attitude and ethical obligation, environmental concern and social norms, availability of information, perceived behavioral control, and personal norms respectively. Personal norm is found as insignificant predicators.

​​​​​​​The mediating effects of product availability and price perception

This study uses sustainable product availability and consumers' Price perception towards sustainable apparel products as mediating variables. The SEM result also showed that both product availability and price perception significantly and positively affect the sustainable purchasing intention and behavior of consumers. The total effects, direct effects, and indirect effects are 4.38, .315, and .125 respectively at a p-value of .001. This indicates the mediating effects of price perception and product availability on purchasing intention and behavior are significant and positive. Hence, H10 and H11 are supported.

​​​​​​​Determinants of sustainable consumption behavior

This study uses consumers’ willingness to behave and perceived behavioral control as a direct predictor of sustainable consumption behavior. The β std regression coefficient for the path perceived behavioral, and environmentally responsible willingness to behave → sustainable consumption behavior are .15, and .29 respectively at a significance level of .01, which indicates a positive and significant effect on sustainable consumption behavior, and H9 and H12 are supported. The finding is in sync with  (Koszewska, 2016). From the determinate factors of sustainable consumption behavior, the outcome of the research indicated that the consumers’ willingness to behave environmentally responsible apparel products has the highest impact on sustainable consumption behavior.  The result sync with (Rausch & Kopplin, 2021). PBC was found as a lower effect on the prediction of consumers' sustainable consumption behavior, agreed with other studies (Giantari et.al, 2013; Valaei et.al, 2017).

Promoting sustainable consumption is a crucial aspect of sustainable development (Sesini & Castiglioni, 2020), and a critical force that leads to sustainable production (Borovskikh & Albareda, 2020). Money consumers have a positive attitude toward sustainable products; but their attitude did not change in purchasing (Khare, 2019. In recent decades, the consumer's consumption habits have changed rapidly (Testa et al., 2020). Now sustainability attributes play a significant effect on consumers' purchasing decisions (Testa et al., 2020). Improving sustainable behavior in the context of apparel consumption demands changing consumers’ mindsets away from overconsumption of fashion-trend-related clothes to investing in ecologically produced clothes and items that aim to last longer. However, consumers’ knowledge and attitudes do not always translate into actual behavior due to different internal and external barriers to those behaviors. Therefore, to better understand clothing consumption behavior—and, thus, to identify methods to promote behavioral modifications—it is necessary to identify how and why consumers engage in a particular behavior and which factors influence that (Vlastelica & Kosti, 2023).

​​​​​​​Managerial and Practical Implications

Research on sustainable consumption behavior has important implications for policymakers, businesses, and individuals, by highlighting the importance of providing accurate information on the environmental impact of products, creating a culture of sustainability, and considering the whole life cycle of products. These findings can help promote sustainable consumption behaviors and reduce negative environmental impacts. Moreover, this research may be used to understand Ethiopian consumers’ sustainable buying behaviors and investigate their intentions regarding purchasing sustainable products. The findings could be helpful to environmentally friendly product manufacturers, marketers, and distributors; they can establish strategies based on the findings by assisting and identifying the levels of buying intention. The results also reveal that extrinsic attributes like price play a vital role in consumers’ ability to purchase sustainable products. The possibility is reduced since the price is higher. As a result, businesses need to develop pricing strategies that consider the financial circumstances of the consumers who fall into this demographic. This study provides the environmentally sustainable apparel manufacturing industry with information that can be used to build marketing strategies that promote awareness among consumers regarding the impact of price and availability on the consumption of green products. These findings provide valuable insights for brand managers, marketers, and policymakers in Ethiopia to develop initiatives that encourage environmentally-conscious apparel purchasing behavior among consumers.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Theoretical implications

This research makes various theoretical implications to the extant literature in multiple ways. First, this research broadens the past literature by empirically testing and validating the underlying mechanism through environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness, ethical obligation, and information availability, influencing sustainable behavior intention toward sustainable consumption. Second, our study examined the sustainable product availability and price perception (PP) for sustainable apparel of moderating the effect between sustainable behavior intention and sustainable consumption and contributing to the past literature on sustainable consumption behavior. Third, this research advances the literature on sustainable consumption behavior in the developing countries context, particularly in the case of Ethiopia. Finally, this study shades a literature gap in developing countries.

​​​​​​​Limitation

The research contains important limitations. First, only selected predictors were included; thus, there is room for future researchers to consider more predictors of purchasing behavior, such as product packaging, government policies, cultural acceptability, personality, lifestyle, religion, and social media influencers. Second, the findings may only apply to the specific population studied and may not represent the larger population or other demographic groups. The study may only examine sustainable consumption patterns in a limited context. The third limitation is that the unit study used a generic apparel product; the results may differ if a specific apparel product is used. Fourth, the study investigated pre-purchasing consumers' apparel evaluation intentions and purchasing behaviors toward environmentally sustainable apparel, leaving room for future researchers to incorporate consumer post-purchasing behavior. Fifth, the majority of the respondents were below 50 years of age, and the elderly and seniors were not captured in the sample. 

​​​​​​​Future research

There is space for the forthcoming researchers to look into the various factors influencing a consumer’s intention to make a green purchase, particularly emphasizing financial, social, and cultural factors’ role in defining consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviors. There is also room for a wider study to investigate pre-purchasing, purchasing, and post-purchasing behaviors in evaluating consumers' sustainable apparel intentions in Ethiopia. More personal, cultural, social, psychological, and marketing factors may also be incorporated as predictors of purchasing behavior to evaluate consumers' sustainable apparel purchasing intentions. In future studies, the age groups may also be expanded to include the elderly and senior citizens to provide more insights and new marketing options for this segment of sustainable apparel consumption.

Conclusion 

In line with the above discussion, it can be concluded that there is a low level of awareness about the impact of clothing consumption and disposal on the environment by Ethiopian consumers. In addition, the consideration of sustainability attributes while making a purchasing decision is low. The sustainability attributes were found the least important factor for Ethiopian consumers purchasing decisions with a mean value of 2.94. According to the (Ahmad & Amin, 2012) mean score scale, the importance level of the sustainability attribute for Ethiopian consumers is low and insignificant. The study found that consumer willingness to purchase sustainable apparel is significantly influenced by environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness, social norms, ethical obligation, perceived behavioral control, and information availability, but the personal norms were found insignificant at the p-value of <0.05. Perceived behavioral effectiveness was found the most significant effect at a magnitude of .22. The extended TPB model successfully incorporates these additional variables, highlighting that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are crucial in predicting sustainable purchasing behaviors. Moreover, sustainable consumption behavior is significantly influenced by perceived behavioral control, and willingness to behave at a p-value of 0.05, and the consumers’ willingness to behave was found as the most significant effect at a magnitude of .29.  Moreover, the availability and affordability of sustainable products play mediating roles in transforming purchase intentions into actual behaviors. The findings suggest that enhancing the supply and affordability of sustainable apparel, along with targeted educational and marketing strategies, can significantly promote sustainable consumption among Ethiopian consumers. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and businesses aiming to foster sustainable practices in the apparel industry.

Recommendation

Based on the discussions and conclusions of this study, the following recommendations were given for better integration of sustainable apparel product producers with consumers in the emerging market. Therefore,

• Enhance the availability and affordability of environmentally sustainable apparel through promotion and subsidies.
• Increase consumer awareness about the environmental impact of their purchasing decisions.
• Reinforce ethical obligations of purchasing environmentally friendly products through educational programs and targeted marketing.
• Improve the availability of information regarding the environmental impact of products through labels and certifications.
• Support policy interventions encouraging sustainable practices, including environmental regulations, incentives for green businesses, and penalties for non-compliance.
• Enhance sustainable apparel purchasing behavior by focusing on micro-sensitive factors, shared responsibilities, repositioning sustainable fashion, positioning conscious fashion, and adopting a unified approach.

9. Note:

The terms "environmentally sustainable apparel product" and "green apparel product" are used interchangeably in this study.

The terms “willingness to behave” and “purchasing intention” are used interchangeably in this study.