Environment, Development and Sustainability

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-01191-1

Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’

consumption in Tunisia

Zohra Zinoubi Ghali1,2

Received: 30 May 2020 / Accepted: 21 December 2020

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature 2021

Abstract
Consuming ethical products has become a fundamental behavior for the protection of peo-
ple’s lives and the environment, discussions on ethical consumption have become more
common, and ethical issues are the subject of several academic studies that seek to enhance
our understanding of consumers’ ethical behavior and their motives for making buying
choices. This paper is developed in this context. It aims to study some of the motives for
ethical consumption. The focus is mainly on environmental concerns, social value and,
lasting involvement in ethical products. For the empirical study, this paper utilized a sur-
vey of 320 Tunisian consumers of ethical products. Data were analyzed using the Struc-
tural Equation Modeling method to test the reliability and validities of constructs, as well
as model fit and the structural model. The findings indicate that Tunisian consumers pur-
chased ethical products, first because they were concerned about protecting their health,
second because they wanted to participate in the preservation of their environment, and
finally because they sought higher social status. This study seems relevant because it is
among the earliest of its kind to be developed in a developing market (Tunisia), where the
market for ethical products is still in its nascent stage. It is also one of the rare studies that
contribute to knowledge of the relationship between the consumers’ social status and ethi-
cal consumption. Additionally, its findings may provide significant insights for marketers
in developing countries to formulate effective communication strategies aiming to enhance
ethical consumption while focusing on its benefits for the health, environment, and social
status of consumers.

Keywords Ethical consumption · Ethical products · Lasting involvement · Environmental

concern · Social value · Tunisian market

* Zohra Zinoubi Ghali

zohragh@yahoo.fr
1
Department of Business Administration, College of Administrative and Financial Sciences, Saudi
Electronic University (SEU), PB. 11147, Abha 61321, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2
Higher Institute of Management, University of Tunis, Le Bardo, Tunisia

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 Z. Z. Ghali

1 Introduction

In recent years, calls for the preservation of the planet and the conservation of its flora and
fauna have continued to grow. In these challenging times, ecological concerns have been
at the heart of several research studies (Dunalp and Jones 2002, Griskevicius et al. 2010,
Saeednia and Valahzaghard 2012, Suki and Suki 2014, Moser 2015). Earth summits, inter-
national meetings, and environmental movements have been organized to fight misuse of
natural resources and seek to reduce environmental disasters and degradation. Since the
1970s, theorists as well as practitioners have attempted to participate in this effort. They
have tried, indeed, to develop a global culture of respect for the environment, ecological
constraints, and sustainable development (Kinnear et al. 1974; Webster 1975).
Nowadays, discussions on consumers’ awareness of purchasing ethical products have
become increasingly important for researchers and managers (Leonidou et al. 2010, Wahid
et al. 2011, Saeednia and Valahzaghard 2012, Igoe 2013, Dagher and Itani 2014, Dagher
et al. 2015, Varshneya et al. 2017). As a result, ethical consumption has expanded and is
increasingly present in the daily lives of many consumers. These latter are becoming more
demanding as to what they buy and what they consume. Indeed, they are increasingly tak-
ing into account multiple qualitative ethical attributes in their purchases such as product
packaging, geographical origins, conformity with standards, traceability, expiry dates, and
labeling (Baccouche and Zghal 2008; Moulins and Toti 2015; Zafari et al. 2015). Con-
sumers have multiple means to express their feelings, convictions, and values. Through
ethical consumption, they seek to show responsible behaviors that are more respectful of
the environment, humans, and nature (Dunlap and Jones 2002; Lavorata 2008; Leonidou
et al. 2010; Irandust and Bamdad 2014). Dealing with certain determinants of consumption
of ethical products requires much more attention on the part of academics. They need to
analyze individual decision-making processes, as long as the planet needs special atten-
tion and intense protection, to make healthy and sustainable development possible. Sev-
eral studies have been elaborated in different markets that aim to highlight the motives of
ethical consumers (Lu and Lu 2010 in Indonesia, Igoe 2013 in USA, Juscius and Sneide-
riene 2013 in Lithuania, Vazifehdoust et al. 2013 in Iran, Dagher and Itani 2014 in Leban,
Toti and Moulins 2015 in France). However, further contributions are needed since these
motives are multiple and vary from one market to another (Juscius and Sneideriene 2013).
The present paper is developed in this direction. It aims to examine more motives of ethi-
cal consumption in a developing market such as that in Tunisia. The study is theoretically
interesting because it aims to enhance our understanding of more predictors of ethical con-
sumption, which is essential for the preservation of people’s lives and the environment. It
is also among the few research works to focus on the association between the social status
of consumers and the consumption of ethical products. Additionally, it is among the earli-
est of its kind to be developed in this market and aims to test Tunisian consumers’ behavior
toward ethical products. From a managerial perspective, the findings of this study may pro-
vide significant insights for marketers in developing countries to formulate effective com-
munication strategies aiming to develop ethical consumption while focusing on its benefits
for the health, environment, and social status of consumers.
The choice of Tunisia was made for two reasons: first, Tunisia is an emerging country
at a particular conjuncture. Indeed, for the last few years, the Tunisian market has been
in transition on several planes characterized by a deep economic crisis, social unrest,
and a decrease in consumer purchasing power. In the midst of these circumstances, the
motivation of Tunisians to consume ethically does not constitute a priority and is not a

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center of interest for the government or opinion-leaders in the country. However, the offer
and demand for this product category, which may be more expensive than conventional
products, continue to grow (Ghali and Hamdi 2015; Ghali and Toukabri 2017). Second,
although the concept of ethical consumption is not recent and is the object of several stud-
ies in different contexts, it has not yet been addressed by any study in marketing, to our
knowledge, in the Tunisian context. These reasons lead us to investigate the major motives
to consume ethically despite the difficult circumstances in which Tunisian consumers find
themselves.
The remainder of the paper is structured as follows: Sect. 2 provides a literature review
of the ethical consumption and its determinants. The third section describes the methodol-
ogy of the research. The fourth section presents the findings of the study. The fifth section
provides a discussion of the results. The sixth section presents the implications, limitations
and directions for future research studies. The last section presents the conclusion of the
study.

2 Literature review

2.1 Ethical consumption: definitions and dimensions

The marketing literature has produced a multiplicity of definitions of "ethical consump-

tion". For Cornish (2013), considering environmental issues makes ethical consumption a
deliberate form of consumption. He considered it as consumption driven by values, norms,
and ethics. In the same vein, Davies and Gutshe (2015) and Guid et al. (2010) presented
ethical consumption as a conscious and deliberate decision-making process. It is based
on personal beliefs and values associated with aspects such as child labor, contempt for
employees, animal experimentation, and the deterioration of fauna and flora during the
production and distribution of goods and services. According to Oh and Yoon (2014), in
the postmodern era, ethics find their place and are inscribed as a key value of post-moder-
nity. In this case, the authors defined ethical consumption as conscientious consumption
that takes into account health, society and the natural environment based on personal moral
beliefs. As noted by Canto-Sperber and Ogien (2010) cited by Toti and Moulins (2015),
ethics refer to universal rules, common principles, and shared references that form a strong
and collective basis for judgments and evaluations. In this context, we notice that interna-
tional regulations have still not given a clear and unique definition of ethical consumption.
The marketing field proposes many definitions of this concept but it is still ambiguous.
In this study, it will be used in its broadest sense as consumption in favor of the products
respectful of people’s health, the environment, and social equity on the basis of the moral
beliefs and personal values of consumers.
According to Toti and Moulins (2015), three main dimensions characterize ethical
consumption—the political, social, and environmental dimensions. The social dimension
focuses on solidarity, sharing, and the interests of others. This dimension can be expressed
through fair trade, the use of shared products, and purchasing from small and local farm-
ers. To promote this dimension, solidarity should be put at the heart of exchanges between
individuals (Toti and Moulins 2015, p. 52). The political dimension expresses the willing-
ness of consumers to be active in public affairs and to change things. It is based on more
equality and fairness between all human beings. Several behaviors can express this dimen-
sion, such as donating to an ethical association, purchasing fair trade products in order to

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 Z. Z. Ghali

improve the living conditions of producers, or conversely, boycotting certain brands that
are considered not to be consistent with the value systems of consumers (Toti and Moulins
2015). Lastly, the environmental/ecological dimension focuses on consumers’ concern for
the environment and uncertainty about the future of human life on the planet. This dimen-
sion is often applied by consumers searching for simplicity in their lives, renewable energy,
green products, or organic agriculture.
Ethical consumption is only possible if companies offer ethical products (Toti and Mou-
lins 2015). To be ethical, a product has to respond to a set of environmental and social
criteria, which are inherent to sustainable development and to the social responsibility of
companies (Cabrera and Williams 2012; Cornish 2013). For these authors, the term “eth-
ics” is usually used in two ways: globally and universally as in the definition above, or in
a way a more targeted at only the human/behavioral aspects. In the present investigation,
the term "ethical product" is used in its widest sense as a product which respects human
health, the environment, and society through its production processes, its commercializa-
tion and its consumption.
While dealing with this topic, we are inevitably led to define the profile of ethical con-
sumers. Ethical consumers are those who favor certain criteria other than price and qual-
ity in their choice and purchase process (Newholm and Shaw 2007). For Baccouche and
Zghal (2008), ethical consumers are those who are concerned by ethical attributes and
consider them intangible characteristics of the product, such as its production conditions,
ergonomics, geographical origin, life cycle, social and environmental impacts, and busi-
ness processes.

2.2 Motives of ethical consumption

2.2.1 Lasting involvement (LI)

Involvement is a concept that is deeply rooted in the history of research in social psychol-
ogy (Ben Miled-Cherif 2001). Since the 1980s, this notion has been the focus of several
studies in marketing and more particularly in consumer behavior (Valette-Florence 1989).
Different definitions of this concept have stressed the consumer’s interest in the purchase
act. Laurent et al. (1985) reasoned that involvement is a state of motivation, excitement, or
interest. It is created by a specific object or situation and leads to particular types of behav-
ior: certain forms of product research, information processing, and decision-making. As
for Trabelsi Trigui and Giraud (2005) and Laurent and Kapferer (1985), involvement is an
unobservable state raised in a person by a given product, which reflects that person’s inter-
est, excitement, or emotional attachment.
The literature distinguishes several categories of consumer involvement. These are
mainly affective/emotional involvement versus cognitive/utilitarian involvement, and situ-
ational/temporary involvement versus lasting involvement (Zaiem and Najjar 2007). This
last category, which we focus on in this study, refers to the intrinsic and persistent relation-
ship of consumers with a given type of product. It expresses a long-term interest in a cat-
egory of products independently of context or situation (Ben Miled-Cherif 2001).
Several authors (Newholm and Shaw 2007; Moser 2015 and Varshneya et al. 2017,
Webb et al. 2008) have shown the relationship between lasting involvement and the politi-
cal dimension of ethical consumption. Indeed, these authors considered that consumers
who have a durable interest in their health and their environment prefer, generally, to con-
sume products produced with sustainable materials, or from companies that have social

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Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’…

responsibility programs. Toti and Moulins (2015) added the interest of consumers to pur-
chase from stores which promote green products and encourage fair trade. Additional stud-
ies (McGregor 2000; Varshneya et al. 2017) have considered that those involved in ethi-
cal consumption are those who buy products in order to express their solidarity with the
producers—such as local producers—or buy products sold within a framework of social
actions. Based on the above discussions, the following hypothesis is constructed:

H.1.1 Lasting involvement has a positive effect on the political dimension of ethical
consumption.

According to Toti and Moulins (2015), ethical consumers are those who favor the pur-
chase of products that bear an eco-label (such as foods, cosmetics, and clothing). They also
prefer to purchase from companies that respect the ethics in all steps of the production and
commercialization process of products (Dunlap and Jones 2002; Leonidou et al. 2010; Ben
Alaya et al. 2012; Akehurst et al. 2012; Cabrera and Williams 2012; Ono and Ono 2015;
Seo et al. 2015). In other words, they do not accept, generally, to buy from companies
that do not follow labor regulations or that profit from the unfavorable economic situation
of their employees, or make children work (Toti and Moulins 2015). To all these aspects
of involvement, we add the consumption of local products, as an expression of regional
belonging of consumers (Megicks et al. 2012; Pernin and Petitprêtre 2013). In light of this,
the following hypothesis is developed:

H.1.2 Lasting involvement has a positive effect on the social dimension of ethical
consumption.

The link between lasting involvement and the environmental dimension of ethical con-
sumption has been demonstrated by some previous researches such as Muncy and Vitell
(1992), Lu and Lu (2010) and Mezghenni and Zouari (2016). These authors considered
that consumers could express their interest in their health and environment through their
daily gestures, their behaviors when they buy only what they need and what is not harm-
ful to the environment or has ecological labels. Accordingly, the hypothesis is proposed as
follows:

H.1.3 Lasting involvement has a positive effect on the environmental dimension of ethical
consumption.

2.2.2 Environmental concern (EC)

Environmental concern is not a recent research concept (Dagher et al. 2015). Indeed, it
has been the focus of several investigations since the 1970s (Kinnear et al. 1974; Web-
ster 1975). It initially referred to the social responsibility of individuals (Webster 1975),
whereby consumers with a strong social conscience go beyond their personal satisfaction
to rely on their purchasing power in an attempt to induce social change. Kinnear, et al.
(1974) defined the environmentally concerned consumer as an individual who must adopt
a buying behavior that is consistent with the conservation of ecosystems. From then on,
the conceptualization of EC has expanded, focusing at the same time on the consequences
of the object it sought to identify as well as on the object itself (Dagher et al. 2015; Moser
2015; Kirmani and Khan 2016).

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 Z. Z. Ghali

Overall, multiple previous studies (Webster 1975; Dunlap and Jones 2002; Zaiem and
Najjar 2007; Sweeney and Soutar 2001; Suki and Suki 2014, Seo et al. 2015) have shown
the relationship between environmental concern as an attitude, and the ethical behavior of
consumers as expressed by “ethical consumption.” These studies showed that EC encour-
ages consumers to engage in ethical behavior by opting for environment friendly products
such as glass bottles, organic or labeled products, and ecological bags. Thus, the more pos-
itive consumers’ attitude toward the environment is, the more ethical their behaviors are
considered (Muncy and Vitell 1992; Leonidou et al. 2010; Irandust and Bamdad 2014; Toti
and Moulins 2015; Kirmani and Khan 2016). In total, for these researchers, consumers
who have a great interest in their environment are consumers of ecological labels and green
products purchased from companies or stores that encourage fair trade and have social
responsibility programs. Based on this aforementioned evidence, the following hypothesis
is proposed:

H.2.1 Environmental concern has a positive effect on the political dimension of ethical
consumption.

Consumers’ concern for the environment is also expressed through the preservation
of the rights of people to live in a healthy, clean, balanced, and convivial environment
(Cabrera and Williams 2012). This requires solidarity at the heart of exchanges between
individuals, altruistic behaviors of people, and respect for human rights, including employ-
ees’ rights (Francois-Lecmpte and Valette-Florence 2006). Regarding environmentally
friendly consumers’ behavior, it can be expressed by purchasing from stores which sup-
port fair trade, avoiding products which do not respect employees’ rights during their pro-
duction or commercialization, and supporting local and small farmers (Costa et al. 2014).
Based on what is said, the following hypothesis is arranged:

H.2.2 Environmental concern has a positive effect on the social dimension of ethical
consumption.

Ben Miled-Cherif (2001) stated that there are diverse reasons to be concerned by envi-
ronmental issues. Among these reasons, we cite the examples of awareness about ecologi-
cal disasters, awareness of overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and several dis-
eases caused by certain forms of consumption. Therefore, consumers are requested to be
more ethical through their daily gestures and consumption. Consuming ethical products,
respectful of the environment and human life, becomes mandatory behavior (Obberseder
et al. 2011). To acquire such products, customers are generally willing to pay higher prices
in return for higher quality and safety (Akehurst et al. 2012; Kirmani and Khan 2016; Ben
Ayed and Bouslama 2016). Based on the above discussions, the following hypotheses are
developed.

H.2.3 Environmental concern has a positive effect on the environmental dimension of ethi-
cal consumption.

2.2.3 Social value (SV)

For a long time, sociological studies on consumption, initiated by Veblen in 1899, have
considered that consumption is not only an economic and psychological process, but also

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Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’…

a social one (Costa et al. 2014; Gonzalez et al. 2009; Toulouse 2009). The authors of these
studies have stated that objects are never consumed for their own sake, that is to say in their
use value, but are rather manipulated in the broadest sense as distinction signs. Juscius and
Sneideriene (2013) defined the social value of consumption as being the status and esteem
that consumers seek through their purchases. Cabrera and Williams (2012) stated that the
social value of consumers refers to the objectives of interaction and social belonging as
well as to the improvement of their perceived self-image through consuming a product or
visiting a store.
Gonzalez et al. (2009) considered that the perceived value of purchasing ethical prod-
ucts is among the functions of the consumption social representations that should influence
behavior. By studying the meanings and purposes of consumption, Kalboussi and Ghali
(2015) intended to show that it bears an essential dimension of classification since con-
sumers use the object to position themselves in relation to others. For François-Lecompte
Valette-Florence (2006) and Griskevicius et al. (2010), the acquisition of products, in the
era of superabundance, is no longer an end in itself, but is rather a way for consumers to
build self-esteem, create a social bond, assert themselves, and give a social dimension to
their consumption.
In sum, the search for self, for social valorization, and the desire to make a good impres-
sion on one’s reference group are some reasons for adopting ethical consumption behavior
(Kim and Choi 2005; Lu and Lu 2010; Griskevicius et al. 2010; Jägel et al. 2012; Vazife-
hdoust et al. 2013). Generally, for several researchers in marketing (Akehurst et al. 2012;
Ben Alaya et al. 2012; Cabrera and Williams 2012; Igoe 2013; Costa et al. 2014, Ono and
Ono 2015, Zafari et al. 2015), the consumers who desire to maintain good social value are
those who consume ethically through buying ecological and green products. They are also
those who prefer to purchase their products from stores that encourage fair trade (Toti and
Moulins 2015) or from stores which adopt social responsibility programs. On the basis of
this, the following hypothesis is suggested:

H.3.1 Social value has a positive effect on the political dimension of ethical consumption.

Through ethical consumption, consumers are looking for a real self, a sense of authen-
ticity or an identity that valorizes them, or distinguishes them from others (McGregor
2000, Toulouse 2009; Caberera and Williams 2012, Akehurst et al. 2012, Suki and Suki
2014, Moser 2015). They seek to value themselves by belonging to a non-conformist
minority which is ahead of the rest of society. Social valorization through ethical consump-
tion is expressed in several other forms. Megickset al. (2012) and Varshneya et al. (2017)
cited, for example, the case of consumers who purchase ethical products to express their
social affiliation. There are also those who avoid purchasing from companies that do not
respect the rights of their employees. Additionally, Toti and Mounlins (2015) stated that
consumers seek to distinguish themselves through their engagement in the responsibility
of promoting their regions through purchasing from local or small farmers and enhancing
the solidarity at the heart of exchanges between individuals. In light of this, the following
hypothesis is developed:

H.3.2 Social value has a positive effect on the social dimension of ethical consumption.

Several authors (Toti and Moulins 2015; Cabrera and Williams 2012) have shown
an association between the social status that consumers desire to have and ethical

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 Z. Z. Ghali

consumption. Indeed, to have good social value, consumers should limit their consump-
tion of what they really need and differentiate their consumption through their gestures or
responsible behaviors. These consumers should show that they are different through their
environmentally friendly behavior and their interest in the well-being of society and the
welfare of the environment. They are also those who are engaged in environmentalism
behaviors. Consequently, the following hypothesis is developed:

H.3.3 Social value has a positive effect on the environmental dimension of ethical
consumption.

Based on the comprehensive literature review and proposed hypotheses, research model
that links LI, EC, SV and the different dimensions of the ethical consumption (political,
social and environmental) is depicted in Fig. 1.

3 Research methodology

3.1 Data collection and sample characteristics

To check the different hypotheses of the conceptual model, a self-administrated question-

naire was used. The respondents were met at several points of sales in Tunisia such as
supermarkets (Carrefour, Magasin Général) and other retailing areas (Yves Rochet stores,
farmer markets, cafés, grocery stores).
The questionnaires targeted people who have already consumed at least one ethical
product. Therefore, at the beginning of every interview, we tried to explain the term "ethi-
cal product" to each respondent and give him/her some examples when needed. We have
preceded the interview once the respondent identified at least one ethical product (e.g.,
energy-saving lamps; organic products, green products; products commercialized by asso-
ciations of disabled; local products, and products commercialized by small farmers). In
total, we have approached 480 potential participants, but only 320 met the requirements.
For the rest, who did not yet consume at least one ethical product, we concluded the

Lasting
involvement
H1.1
Ethical consumption
H1.2 dimensions:
H1.3
Political D
H2.1
Environmental
Concern H2.2
Social D
H2.3

H3.1 Environmental D
H3.2
H3.3
Social Value

Fig.1  Conceptual model of the research

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Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’…

interview by a question about the reasons for this behavior. These latter were discussed in
the implications’ section.
The questionnaires were delivered face to face to a convenience sample, with some dis-
persion in terms of gender (Over 44% were male and 56% were female), age (from 20 to
71-year-olds), income and, occupation. It is important to mention that the sample included
customers who have over the age of 20 years because, as stated by Teng and Lu (2016), this
sample group was able to make ethical decisions. The sociodemographic proprieties of the
sample are summarized in Table 1.
The survey was conducted on two separate samples. The first sample, which was
observed in the exploratory phase, intended to purify the measurement scales. It involved
50 individuals. The second sample, devoted to the confirmatory phase, intended to test the
hypotheses of the research. It consisted of 320 individuals. The data collected were pro-
cessed using data analysis software (SPSS 20.0 and LISREL.11.0), and were subjected to
exploratory and confirmatory analyses. In the present study, the Structural Equation Mod-
eling (SEM) method was used.

3.2 Measurement scales

The operationalization of the constructs was based on the use of measurement scales
already created and tested in previous marketing studies. To measure ethical consump-
tion, the three-dimensional scale of Toti and Moulins (2015) was used. This scale is com-
posed of 11 items covering the different dimensions of ethical consumption. The political

Table 1  Sociodemographic Variables/criteria N Frequency (%)

characteristics of the sample
Gender
Male 141 44
Female 179 56
Age (years)
20–35 98 30.61
36–45 113 35.31
46–60 88 27.51
Older than 61 21 6.56
Income (TD)*
500–750 74 23.12
751–1000 128 40
1001–1500 82 25.63
More than 15,001 36 11.25
Occupation
Students 48 15
Labors 36 11.25
Artisans 72 22.5
Employees 97 30.31
Senior managers 58 18.12
Pensioners 9 2.82

*TD Tunisian Dinar; 1TD 0.37 USD in August 2020

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 Z. Z. Ghali

dimension is based on five items, the social dimension is composed of 3 items and, the
environmental dimension includes three items. For the variable lasting involvement, the
scale of Strazzieri (1994) was used, which adapted to the organic field by Zaiem and Najjar
(2007). It is a one-dimensional scale that includes 6 items. For the variable environmental
concern, the scale of Kim and Choi (2005) was used. It is a one-dimensional scale, which
includes 5 items. Lastly, for the variable social value that is part of the perceived overall
value of consumer experience, the one-dimensional scale of Sweeney and Soutar (2001)
was used, which includes 4 items.
The measurement scales of these different variables are available in the Table of
“Appendix.” Each of the measurement indicators for all variables was rated according to
the 5-point Likert scale, extending from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

4 Findings

4.1 Psychometric analyses of the measurement scales

The results of the Principal Component Analyses (PCA) allowed to detect the latent varia-
bles and to purify the measurement scales of different constructs (ethical consumption with
its 3 dimensions -political, social, and environmental; lasting involvement; environmental
concern and, social value) of the conceptual model (Fig. 1). To ensure the dimensionality
of each of these scales, the PCA was performed. This latter was conducted to check the
representational quality and reliability of the different scales. Cronbachs’ Alpha, Bartlett’s
test of sphericity, % of variance explained and, Eigen-values were used to test the dimen-
sionality of the different scales of measurement (Roussel et al. 2002).
The three-dimensional scale of ethical consumption was purified at the exploratory level
by eliminating two items, namely PD4 (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.13) and ED3 (Cronbach’s
alpha = 0.09). After purification and Varimax rotation of the axes, the 3 dimensions of the
scale were kept with a total of 9 items and the average Cronbach’s Alpha equals 0.725
for the political dimension, 0.721 for the social dimension and, 0.720 for the environmen-
tal dimension. Regarding the measurement scale of lasting involvement (one-dimensional
with 6 items), the purification led to eliminate the item LI6 The mere fact of inquiring me
about the product X is a pleasure for lack of coherence (After Varimax rotation) with other
items, Cronbach’s alpha = 0.11). This result can be interpreted by the fact that this item
deals with a sense of pleasure and emotion arising from an interest in an ethical product. In
other words, it expresses a new facet of involvement. It is the emotional component, which
constitutes the subject of another categorization of the involvement dimensions (Zaiem
and Najjar 2007). Then, the purification of the 5 items of the EC measurement scale (one-
dimensional) led to keep all the items of this scale for their good coherence (average Cron-
bach’s alpha equals 0.821). Lastly, for social value, the scale is one-dimensional, composed
of 4 items. The PCA test led to eliminate the item SV4 because of its poor consistency with
the other items (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.17). After purification, the average Cronbach’s alpha
for the remaining 3 items becomes 0.842.
On the whole, the results showed that all the values of (α) exceeded 0.7 for the obtained
dimensions (Table 2). Similarly, the PCA indicated high representational qualities of the
various measurement indicators (more than 70%). The KMOs for all items were superior
to 0.6, which implied that there was an acceptable factorial solution for the scales involved.
Therefore, the measurement scales of all latent variables of the conceptual model were

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Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’…

Table 2  Summary of the results of the exploratory study

Constructs N. items Eigen-values % of variance Bartlett’s test of α of Cron-
explained sphericity bach (aver-
age)
KMO Signi

Political dimension 4 2.833 83.666 0.722 0.000 0.725

Social dimension 3 2.391 79.233 0.715 0.000 0.721
Environmental dimension 2 2.111 81.231 0.720 0.000 0.720
Lasting involvement 5 3.026 86.524 0.712 0.000 0.702
Environmental concern 5 2.223 79.542 0.823 0.000 0.821
Social value 3 3.046 82.865 0.745 0.000 0.842

reliable and had good internal coherences (Roussel et al. 2002). The results of this explora-
tory study are summarized in Table 2.

4.2 Results of the confirmatory analyses

4.2.1 Reliability and validities’ tests

The measurement model was assessed through confirmatory analyses, using the Structural
Equation Modeling (SEM) method. As shown in Table 3, all variables present satisfied
representational qualities, KMO Bartlett and % of variance explained (superior to 0.5). In
other hand, the Cronbach’s alpha (α) and the Joreskog Rhô (ρ) assigned to the measure-
ment scales of model’s constructs exceeded 0.8 as shown in Table 4. Thus, these reliability
indices for each construct were within acceptability standards (Roussel et al. 2002). There-
fore, the reliability of every construct was confirmed.
In addition, the Rhôs of convergent validity exceeded 0.8 for each construct and indi-
cated satisfactory values (superior to 0.7) (Hair et al. 2013). This allowed to confirm the
convergent validity for every dimension of the research model as shown in Table 4.
To confirm the discriminant validity, the square roots of Rhôs of convergent validity of
each construct must be larger than the correlation between constructs (Hair et al. 2013).

Table 3  Summary of the results of the confirmatory analyses of the scales

Variable Ethical consumption LI EC SV
PD SD ED

N of items 4 3 2 5 5 3
Representational quality (average) 0.755 0.738 0.774 0.707 0.773 0.722
Estimate (average) 0.839 0.769 0.765 0.817 0.847 0.858
Eigen-value 1.84 1.860 1.78 2.48 1.890 3.280
KMO Bartlett 0.82 0.75 0.81 0.78 0.85 0.83
% Variance Explained 62.21 58.48 17.65 43.85 12.9 22.20

PD political dimension; SD social dimension; ED environmental dimension; LI Lasting involvement; EC

environmental concern; SV Social value

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 Z. Z. Ghali

Table 4  Summary of the analyses of reliability and convergent validity

Construct N of items Cronbach’s Rhô of Rhôs of con-
alpha (α) Jöreskog (ρ) vergent validity
(ρvc)

Politic dimension (PD) 4 0.84 0.86 0.82

Social dimension (SD) 3 0.93 0.94 0.89
Environmental dimension (ED) 2 0.87 0.89 0.84
Lasting involvement (LI) 5 0.88 0.91 0.86
Environmental concern (EC) 5 0.88 0.89 0.85
Social value (SV) 3 0.95 0.96 0.92

This criterion was met, indicating good discriminant validity for every construct of the
conceptual model. The details of discriminant validity are outlined in Table 5.

4.2.2 Structural model

In this stage of analyses, the linear relations between the dependent variables were ana-
lyzed in a unidirectional way through the assessment of adjustment of the global model,
the significance of Student t tests and the strength of relationships between latent variables
(direct effects) (Roussel et al. 2002).

4.2.2.1 The global model adjustment The indices listed below were checked in order to
evaluate the fit quality of the research model. The LISREL software yielded the results
illustrated in Table 6.
The different reached values showed that the absolute, incremental and parsimonious
indexes met the sufficient thresholds in a significant way. In the light of these results, the
causality model presented a good fit.

4.2.2.2 Checking the causal model hypotheses: student t tests and direct effects
between latent variables The acceptance or rejection of a hypothesis is dependent on the
Student t test value: The hypothesis is accepted if the Student t test is superior to the theo-
retical one which equal 1.96 (Roussel et al. 2002). For this study, all Student t tests calcu-

Table 5  Correlation matrix for Constructs 1 2 3 4 5 6

discriminant validity
ρvc 0.82 0.89 0.84 0.86 0.85 0.92
νρvc 0.90 0.94 0.91 0.92 0.92 0.95
Political dimension 1
Social dimension 0.18 1
Environmental dimension 0.32 0.45 1
Lasting involvement 0.27 0.27 0.35 1
Environmental concern 0.30 0.33 0.34 0.18 1
Social value 0.26 0.28 0.32 0.22 0.18 1

ρ vc: rhô (ρ) of convergent validity

√ ρ vc : square root of rhô (ρ) of convergent validity

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Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’…

Table 6  Assessment of adjustment of the global model

Index Absolute index Incremental index Parsimony index
Ch2/ddl GFI AGFI RMSEA CFI PNFI

Acceptability Between 1 and 5 ≥ 0.9 ≥ 0.9 < 0.08 ≥ 0.9 The max possible
thresholds
Value 2.63 0.931 0.912 0.029 0.914 0.245

lated are above the 1.96 threshold. They are, therefore, significant at the 5% threshold. In
addition, the strength of the relationships (direct effects) between the different dimensions of
the ethical consumption and the independent variables (lasting involvement, environmental
concern and, social value) are positive and significant (Roussel et al. 2002). These findings
allowed to confirm all the hypotheses proposed in the present study. These results are sum-
marized in Table 7.
The results of measurement and structural analyses are summarized in Fig. 2.

5 Discussion

The research findings support all the research hypotheses. This means that the lasting
involvement of consumers, their social value as well as their environmental concerns con-
stituted drivers of ethical consumption. This latter was measured through the political,
social, and environmental dimensions. The research hypotheses were tested in the Tunisian
context.
Lasting involvement in ethical products was found to have a positive and significant
relationship with the political dimension of ethical consumption (H1.1). This finding is in
line with those of Megicks et al. (2012), Saeednia and Valahzaghard (2012) and Vazife-
hdoust et al. (2013). It means that the more that consumers have an interest in consum-
ing products respectful of the environment and people, the more they have an interest in

Table 7  Checking the direct Hypothesis Direct effect Estimate Test t P Test of hypotheses
effects between variables
H1.1 LIPD .171 5.036 ** confirmed
H1.2 LI SD .183 3.125 ** confirmed
H1.3 LI ED .654 17.235 * confirmed
H2.1 EC PD .433 12.369 * confirmed
H2.2 EC SD .377 5.015 * confirmed
H2.3 EC ED .284 2.235 * confirmed
H3.1 SV PD .311 3.256 * confirmed
H3.2 SV SD .233 3.694 * confirmed
H3.3 SV ED .213 3.457 * confirmed

PD political dimension; SD social dimension; ED environmental

dimension; LI Lasting involvement; EC environmental concern; SV
Social value
*p ≤ 0.01; **p ≤ 0.05

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 Z. Z. Ghali

Fig. 2  Hypothesized conceptual model

purchasing ecologically labeled products, from stores which encourage fair trade, or from
those which commercialize products within the framework of social actions. Hypothesis
H1.2 is about the relationship between lasting involvement and the social dimension of
ethical consumption. The findings confirmed that this relationship is positive and signifi-
cant. This is in line with those of Megicks et al. (2012) and Pernin and Petitprêtre (2013).
This result means that consuming ethical products is a behavior used by some consumers
to express their solidarity with companies that respect the rights of their employees and the
ethics in all steps of the production and distribution process of their products. Hypothesis
H1.3, which was about the relationship between lasting involvement and the environmental
dimension of ethical consumption, is also found positive and significant. This finding is in
line with those of Muncy and Vitell (1992), Lu and Lu (2010) and Mezghenni and Zouari
(2016). This means that long-term involvement in the consumption of ethical products,
which are safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly, is a way of expressing interest in the
environment.
Environmental concern was also found to have a positive and significant relationship
with the political dimension of ethical consumption (H2.1). This finding is in line with
those of Xiao and Dunal (2007), Leonidou et al. (2010), and Irandust and Bamdad (2014).
This means that consumers who are more interested in the environment are those who pur-
chase products with ecological labels and green products, and from stores that support fair
trade and have social responsibility programs. The relationship between environmental
concern and the social dimension of ethical consumption (H2.2) was also found positive
and significant. This leads to say that consumers who are more concerned with their envi-
ronment are those who take into account the consequences of their purchases on society
and the environment. These consumers are engaged in supporting sustainable development,

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Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’…

fighting pollution, increasing awareness of environmental problems and ecological disas-

ters, and taking actions to save resources. The results we reached in the Tunisian context
confirmed the findings of Dunlap and Jones (2002) and Suki and Suki (2014). Finally, the
relationship between environmental concerns and the environmental dimension of ethical
consumption (H2.3) was positive and significant. These findings are in line with those of
Akehurst et al. (2012), Kirmani and Khan (2016) and Ben Ayed and Bouslama (2016).
This means that the more that consumers are concerned by their environment, the more
they take into account the consequences of their purchases on their environment. There-
fore, ethical consumers are more likely to purchase environmentally friendly products.
The social value of consumers was also found to have a positive and significant impact
on the political dimension of ethical consumption (H3.1). This finding is in line with those
of McGregor (2000), Juscius and Sneideriene (2013), Kalboussi and Ghali (2015) and Var-
shneya et al. (2017). This means that as consumption is more a social dimension than it
is an economic or psychological one, its value can be expressed through the purchase of
products respectful of the environment and society (e.g., green or ecological products).
Additionally, social value was found to have a positive and significant influence on the
social dimension of ethical consumption (H3.2). This finding is consistent with that of
Cabrera and Williams (2012) and Jagel et al. (2012) who stated that consumers who seek
to express their belonging and self-esteem, put solidarity at the heart of exchange between
individuals and show that they are more respectful of others and the environment. Finally,
the influence of the social value of consumers was found to have a positive and significant
influence on the environmental dimension of ethical consumption (H3.3). These results are
consistent with those of Toti and Moulins (2015). This means that Tunisian consumers
seek to stand out from their own group and to belong to a group of higher status through
their daily gestures that are more respectful of the environment and make less contribution
to damage such as climate change.

6 Implications, limitations and future research perspectives

From a theoretical perspective, this study makes several important contributions. First, the
concept of ethical consumption is not recent and has been the subject of several previous
studies in different contexts. However, this study is among the few which have been con-
ducted in developing countries and, to our knowledge, is the first of its kind to be devel-
oped in the Tunisian context, where the ethical consumption is still in its nascent stage.
Hence, it seems relevant to lead an investigation in more countries since the ethical issue,
mandatory to protect the environment and people’s lives, is a global issue. Second, this
paper is among the few focused on the relationship between consumers’ social status and
ethical consumption. Third, this study confirmed the validities of the three-dimensional
scale of ethical consumption in an additional context. This scale was originally created
and tested in a developed country (France) by Toti and Moulins (2015) and, to our knowl-
edge, this study is the first to adopt it in a developing country (Tunisia) and confirm its
validities.

13
 Z. Z. Ghali

From a managerial perspective, the findings of this study lead to several recommenda-
tions that retailers can use to encourage the consumption of ethical products. First, in a
developing country (Tunisia), where ethical consumption is still in its nascent stage (Ghali
2020), several consumers interviewed mentioned that they were not yet well familiarized
with ethical products or did not have the willingness to pay for them. Indeed, almost one-
third of the population surveyed did not yet have an adequate idea of ethical products’
value for health and the environment or did not have a sufficient budget to buy them. That
is why such products are not integrated in these consumers’ choices and purchase strate-
gies. This should urge producers and distributors of ethical products to improve, on the
one hand, their communication of these products and, on the other hand, to adapt their
prices to the purchasing power of their customers in this developing country. This would
be possible through information and awareness campaigns to bring the ethical concept
closer to consumers and also through better control over the costs of this category of prod-
ucts. Second, the current study has shown that the consumers who buy ethical products
have an ethical sensitivity and an ability to appropriate both their environment and their
health although unfavorable market circumstances (economic crisis, inflation, decreasing
purchasing power, absence of sensitization campaigns, degradation of citizens’ well-being,
and increasing unemployment). This should encourage professionals to set practices that
enhance the ethical aspect of the products they are offering. There is, indeed, a wide panel
of solutions that could differentiate such a company, express its commitment to ethics, and
improve its image among its customers. Among these practices, we can mention for exam-
ples: offering products with environmental and social labeling (organic products, ecologi-
cal products, certified products, local products, responsible products, and green products),
setting up codes of conduct, participating in social actions, implementing rules of rigor-
ous management of the environment, adopting an eco-construction and eco-management
approach, valuing users’ comfort and health as well as waste management inside buildings
and ecotourism. Third, in Tunisia, there is a growing demand for ethical products (Ghali
2020). This should encourage the authorities and social actors (investors, associations,
decision-makers, civil society, and government agencies) to promote this category of prod-
uct and make it more available, better known, and accessible to all. In this perspective,
decision-makers are called upon to adopt and improve legal and economic mechanisms for
the benefit of the environment.
Despite the several contributions of this study, it has, however, some limitations,
which suggest opportunities for further research in marketing. First, only 320 respond-
ents took part in the survey, which is a relatively small and unrepresentative sample
of the target population. This restriction was due to two facts: first, time constraints
in carrying out the data collection, and second, the choice of the respondents, which
was conditioned by the consumption of at least one ethical product. Second, this study
focused only on few antecedents of ethical consumption, while a literature review on
the topic of ethical marketing proved the existence of a multiplicity and a variety of
variables in relation to this category of consumption. The desire for quality, fear of
disease, the selfishness of individuals, ethical sensitivity, and the price level of ethi-
cal products are only a few examples of such variables that could be made the subjects
of further studies. Third, ethical consumption is considered responsible or committed

13
Motives of ethical consumption: a study of ethical products’…

consumption. However, readings about these concepts lead to the conclusion that these
concepts are close but still bear some distinctions, especially in terms of the types
of product consumed and the practices adopted by the consumer (Ben Alaya et al.
2012). Future research should focus on the conceptualization of every concept while
underlining the differences between them. Fourth, this study examined some predic-
tors of ethical consumption without considering the respondents’ demographic char-
acteristics, which may have considerable influence on the ethical behavior of consum-
ers. Segmenting consumers based on sociodemographic criteria (gender, age, income,
and, education) may lead to better understanding of the profile of the ethical consumer.
Finally, comparison between the findings of this study and other studies carried out
internationally may constitute a future path for research. It would also be useful to con-
duct longitudinal studies to deepen the understanding of consumers’ behavior toward
ethical products.

7 Conclusion

This study makes it clear that the surveyed Tunisian consumers have great concern for such
variables as health, the environment, and social status. They are aware of the obstacles to
sustainable development and ecological practices, despite the fact that a culture of ethics is
newly established in consumer habits and business practices in this country (Ghali 2020).
On the whole, the findings of this study showed that intrinsic as well as extrinsic evidence
accounts for the purchase and consumption of ethical products, which are generally more
expensive than their conventional counterparts, especially in developing countries like
Tunisia (Ghali and Toukabri 2019). Intrinsic evidence is essentially related to consumers’
deep interest in their health and well-being in an industrialized economy with massive use
of chemicals. As for extrinsic evidence, it is mainly reflected in consumers’ concern for
the environment. Indeed, consumers are putting pressure on companies and urging them
to develop products that meet the requirements of sustainable development. The refusal
to buy products manufactured through unethical processes, the boycott of companies
responsible for ecological or economic scandals, and the choice of products from fair trade
sources or locally, are for consumers some ways to express their concern about social and
environmental issues. An additional predictor for ethical behavior is social value. It can be
considered as a link between intrinsic and extrinsic justifications because consumers seek
to stand apart from others (society, community, their reference group) through what they
consume. It is then the reflection and the image of consumers as perceived by their com-
munity, based on their choices and behaviors.

Appendix

See Table 8

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 Z. Z. Ghali

Table 8  Measurement scales of the constructs

Construct Items

Ethical consumption
Political dimension
PD1 I favor the purchase of product having an ecological label
PD2 I prefer to purchase in the stores that promote the green products
PD3 I prefer to purchase in the stores, which enhance the fair trade
PD4 I buy products of the fair trade by solidarity to the producers
PD5 I buy products sold within the framework of social actions
Social dimension
SD1 I avoid the brands/products which take advantage of the poverty of their
employees
SD2 I avoid products or brands that make the children work even indirectly
SD3 I avoid products stemming from companies that do not respect the right of their
employees
Environmental dimension
ED1 I limit my consumption in what I really need
ED2 I contribute to the environmental protection by daily gestures
ED3 To reduce my contribution to the global warming, I consume differently
Lasting involvement
LI1 The product X is a product which really matters for me
LI2 The product X is to which I grant a particular value
LI3 I like speaking about the product X
LI4 We can say that the product X is a product which interests me
LI5 I feel particularly attracted by the product X
LI6 The mere fact of inquiring me about the product X is a pleasure
Environmental concern
EC1 I am extremely worried by the state of the environment and what it means for
my future
EC2 The humanity seriously deceives the environment
EC3 When the human beings interfere with the nature, he often produces disastrous
consequences
EC4 The balance of the nature is very delicate and easily upsets
EC5 The man has to live in accordance with the nature to survive
Social value
SV1 The fact of buying this product allows me to have a good impression to my
circle of acquaintances
SV2 The purchase of this product improves the way by which I am socially collected
SV3 The fact of buying this product allows me to have a social pride
SV4 The fact of buying this product helps me to become integrated and to forge links
with others

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