Work

The licensing effect of green luxury: Investigating the influence of green marketing on consumer purchase intentions for luxury products

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Luxury brands increasingly adopt sustainability messages to enhance ethical legitimacy, yet such initiatives often serve symbolic rather than transformational purposes. This research examines how green marketing in luxury branding paradoxically increases consumers’ willingness to purchase non-sustainable luxury products. Across four experiments, Study 1 confirmed the main effect of green marketing on non-sustainable purchase intention. Study 2 showed that this effect is mediated by brand moral image. Study 3 and Study 4 identified two boundary conditions: the effect occurs only for luxury brands and is strengthened when consumers trust the brand’s motives but reversed under high green skepticism. These findings extend moral licensing effect to the luxury context, revealing how symbolic sustainability cues can legitimize indulgent, non-sustainable consumption. The study contributes to research on moral licensing, luxury consumption, and CSR communication, emphasizing that green marketing can strengthen brand legitimacy but may also backfire ethically if perceived as insincere.

Source: Sustainable Futures

DOI: 10.1016/j.sftr.2026.101655

Authors: Zhijun Li, Jiuling Xiao, Xu Zhang, Chunqu Xiao, Qingyi Li

Institutions: Nanjing University, Shaoxing University, Nanjing Audit 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: $2,340

Funders: Major Program of National Fund of Philosophy and Social Science of China, National Social Science Fund of China