Vanshika Tewari, Poonam Singh, Preeti Singh, Manish Kumar and N.R. Meena
Abstract
Green purchase intention reflects the degree to which consumers are willing to prioritize eco- friendly products serves as an important psychological precursor to sustainable consumption behavior. However, a significant green purchase gap persists where positive environmental attitudes fail to translate into actual buying behavior due to a series of complex structural and perceptual barriers. The present study examines the green purchase gap by identifying major barriers to sustainable consumption among 350 working professionals and students in Ayodhya. The study employed a descriptive research design and statistical analysis using SPSS to evaluate eleven specific barriers affecting eco-friendly purchasing decisions. The findings reveal that green washing and deceptive marketing claims are the most significant barriers for working professionals whereas the students are primarily hindered by confusion arising from multiple eco-labels and lack of standardized environmental certifications. Significantly, both groups reported that the extra cost of green products was one of the least impactful barriers. The study concludes that improving transparency, standardizing eco-labels and increasing the local availability of green products are essential to bridge the gap between environmental intent and actual purchasing behavior.