Consumer driven corporate environmentalism: fact or fiction?

Abstract

Over the last three decades, environmental concerns have moved from being a fringe issue to becoming a major socio-economic issue. While the role of factors such as regulatory and societal pressures, in driving organizations to be environmentally responsive, is now well understood, the role of consumers remains debated. It is however, important to understand the role that consumers play because they can be the crucial pull factor for organizations. This paper re-examines the role of consumers in driving business organizations to be environmentally responsive. Our findings lead us to conclude that, despite the hype surrounding green consumerism, it has not yet matured to the stage where it can influence organizations into being environmentally responsive.