Title: Exploring the relationship between Maslow's needs theory and green purchase behaviour of Indian millennials: a structural equation modelling approach

Authors: Amanpreet Kaur Mishra; Rahela Farooqi

Addresses: Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India ' Department of Management Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India

Abstract: The research paper intends to integrate motivations and intentions to substantiate an intended green purchase behaviour in FMCG category. An amalgamation of Maslow's hierarchy of needs (HoN) theory and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) studies the green purchasing behaviour of Indian millennials. A survey of 651 millennial consumers across Indian metropolitan cities is used; the study examines the link between green purchasing intention and behaviour based on intrinsic motivation and validates it with a PLS-SEM model. The results suggest that millennials prioritise environmental responsibility and are motivated by self-actualisation, personal safety, and social norms when making green purchasing decisions of FMCG products. The findings provide insights and suggest implications for the marketers to appeal to the actualisation, safety and societal values and motivations of millennial consumers to drive sustainable consumption. The study highlights the significance of individual motives in understanding consumer behaviour and the potential for Maslow's HoN theory to form sustainable marketing strategies.

Keywords: green consumerism; green products; green purchase behaviour; Maslow's hierarchy of needs; HoN; fast moving consumer goods; FMCG; theory of planned behaviour; TPB; partial least squares; PLS.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2026.153123

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2026 Vol.17 No.3, pp.376 - 397

Received: 24 Feb 2023
Accepted: 05 Jun 2023
Published online: 23 Apr 2026 *

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