Investigating consumers’ perceptions of recycled jeans through a stimulus-organism-response approach

Abstract

This study investigated consumer purchase intentions toward jeans made from recycled post-consumer textile waste (PCTW), examining key psychological factors such as perceived trust in third-party certification labels (TPCL), perceived risks (functional, social, and psychological), and perceived consumer effectiveness. Grounded in Mehrabian and Russell's (1974) Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, the research analyzed how perceived trust in TPCL influences consumer perceptions, specifically perceived risk and perceived consumer effectiveness, which influence purchase intentions. The primary objective was to investigate how perceived risks and perceived consumer effectiveness interrelate with perceived trust in TPCL to influence purchase intention toward recycled PCTW jeans. Data were collected through an online survey with 231 participants, utilizing representative sampling. The results revealed that trust in TPCL positively influenced purchase intentions by reducing functional risks and enhancing perceived consumer effectiveness, while psycho-social risk has a weaker mediating effect. Additionally, the study identified key consumer concerns, including cost, negative perceptions of recycled products, and general disinterest, which significantly influenced purchase intentions. These findings provide insights into the psychological drivers of sustainable fashion consumption and offer practical implications for marketers seeking to promote recycled products such as jeans. By highlighting the pivotal role of perceived trust in certification labels as a psychological catalyst that not only shapes consumer attitudes but also subtly drives sustainable purchase intentions, offering nuanced insights with broad implications for both theory and practice in green fashion marketing.