Work

From corporate responsibility to green loyalty: How CSR initiatives shape sustainable choices among banking consumers in China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Climate change and environmental degradation demand sustainable corporate responses. In the Chinese banking sector, CSR is increasingly recognized as a driver of green customer loyalty. This study fills a gap by employing a dual mediation-moderation model grounded in Social Identity Theory. Our model reveals that CSR directly influences loyalty (β = 0.11, p < 0.001; 32.2 % variance explained) and indirectly affects loyalty through enhanced customer communal relationships (β = 0.194, p < 0.001) and pro-environmental self-identity (β = 0.352, p < 0.001). Moreover, higher environmental knowledge amplifies these effects. The findings advance theory by demonstrating that CSR fosters a shared identity between banks and consumers, strengthening emotional bonds and driving sustainable loyalty. Practically, our results suggest that banks should integrate CSR into core operations through green financial products and adopt segmented CSR communication strategies, detailed sustainability reports for environmentally savvy customers, and educational content for others. These targeted measures can enhance customer loyalty and support the transition to sustainable banking practices.

Source: Acta Psychologica

DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104944

Authors: Xiao Han, Sarminah Samad, Wansoo Kim, Feiqiong Wei

Institutions: Lyceum of the Philippines University – Batangas, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Gachon University, Nanjing Tech University

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Sustainability in Business

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,670

Funder: Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University