Environmental self accountability mediates the influence of eco anxiety and purchase guilt on sustainable packaging preferences

Abstract

This study examines how eco-anxiety and purchase guilt influence consumer preference for sustainable packaging, with environmental self-accountability as a mediating mechanism. While prior research has largely focused on cognitive determinants of sustainable consumption, limited attention has been given to how emotional factors translate into behavioural outcomes, particularly in the FMCG packaging context. Data were collected from consumers in Karnataka, India, using a cross-sectional survey and analysed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings indicate that eco-anxiety and purchase guilt significantly influence sustainable packaging preferences both directly and indirectly through environmental self-accountability. Consumers experiencing emotional discomfort related to environmental harm are more likely to internalize personal responsibility, which in turn shapes their consumption choices. The study contributes to the literature by providing a focused explanation of how emotional responses are transformed into behaviour through self-accountability in an emerging market context. Practically, the findings suggest that policymakers and marketers should promote sustainable behaviour through ethically grounded strategies that enhance consumer awareness and responsibility without relying on manipulative emotional appeals.