Lina Krisnawati

Eco-Consumerism in the Green Economy Era: A Systematic Literature Review of Drivers, Barriers, and Emerging Patterns

Introduction

Eco-consumerism in the green economy era: a systematic literature review of drivers, barriers, and emerging patterns. Explore eco-consumerism in the green economy era. A systematic review details drivers, barriers like greenwashing fatigue, and strategies for businesses & policymakers to foster green purchasing.

Abstract

The transition toward a green economy has repositioned consumers as central agents of environmental change, giving rise to the phenomenon widely termed eco-consumerism. This conceptual, literature-based study examines how eco-consumerism manifests within the green economy era by synthesizing evidence from twenty-five peer-reviewed studies published between 2021 and 2026. Using a systematic literature review approach, the study traces the evolution of green purchase intention, eco-label trust, greenwashing skepticism, and digital-era green marketing strategies across diverse geographic and sectoral contexts. The findings indicate that eco-consumerism is shaped by an interaction of psychological antecedents such as environmental concern and perceived consumer effectiveness, social antecedents such as subjective norms and cultural orientation, and structural antecedents such as eco-label credibility and digital platform transparency. A persistent attitude-behavior gap remains evident despite rising environmental awareness, driven by price sensitivity, greenwashing fatigue, and inconsistent labeling standards. The novelty of this study lies in integrating three previously fragmented streams of literature, namely behavioral, marketing, and circular economy perspectives, into a unified framework that explains eco-consumerism under conditions of green economic transformation. Practical implications suggest that businesses and policymakers must move beyond promotional green claims toward verifiable and standardized sustainability communication to convert environmental concern into consistent green purchasing behavior. The article contributes a synthesized conceptual model intended to guide future empirical testing of eco-consumerism drivers in emerging green economies.

Review

The article, "Eco-Consumerism in the Green Economy Era: A Systematic Literature Review of Drivers, Barriers, and Emerging Patterns," presents a highly relevant and timely examination of eco-consumerism within the evolving landscape of the green economy. Employing a rigorous systematic literature review methodology, the study effectively synthesizes insights from twenty-five peer-reviewed articles published between 2021 and 2026, offering a contemporary and forward-looking perspective on this critical phenomenon. The authors skillfully navigate key aspects such as green purchase intention, eco-label trust, greenwashing skepticism, and digital-era green marketing strategies across diverse geographical and sectoral contexts. This broad scope and the ambition to integrate previously fragmented behavioral, marketing, and circular economy perspectives immediately establish the study's significant conceptual contribution to the field. The review meticulously identifies that eco-consumerism is shaped by a complex interplay of psychological (environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness), social (subjective norms, cultural orientation), and structural (eco-label credibility, digital platform transparency) antecedents. Crucially, the study also highlights the persistent attitude-behavior gap, attributing it to factors such as price sensitivity, greenwashing fatigue, and inconsistent labeling standards, despite rising environmental awareness. The core novelty and strength of this work lie in its success in unifying these diverse theoretical streams into a cohesive framework, providing a much-needed comprehensive understanding of eco-consumerism under conditions of green economic transformation. The resulting synthesized conceptual model is a particularly valuable output, offering a structured foundation for subsequent empirical investigations. From a practical standpoint, the article offers clear and actionable directives for stakeholders. It strongly advocates for businesses and policymakers to transcend superficial green claims, urging a fundamental shift toward verifiable and standardized sustainability communication to effectively convert environmental concern into consistent green purchasing behavior. While primarily a conceptual contribution, the study's robust synthesis and proposed framework lay essential groundwork for future research, particularly in emerging green economies, by guiding empirical testing of the identified drivers. This systematic review is an insightful and foundational piece, significantly advancing our theoretical understanding of eco-consumerism and providing a compelling agenda for both academic inquiry and real-world application.

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