With the advent of technology, companies have started being concerned about things such as pollution prevention, waste reduction and energy efficiency. Marketers realised that environmental concerns can improve the top line through innovation, new markets, and new business prospects, in addition to the bottom line. Companies today are primarily concerned with the S-word, sustainability, which refers to the three-legged stool of people, profit, and the planet. Many consumers today express their environmental concerns explicitly by selecting products that meet a minimum threshold for social and/or environmental responsibility. Consumers, stockholders and local communities are increasingly demanding assurances that commodities are produced in accordance with minimal social and environmental norms. Ethical buying is a way for customers to communicate their dissatisfaction with a company's ethical actions. As a result, most companies are now adopting multiple labels and communicating diverse techniques to notify consumers that their products are environmentally friendly and organic, animal and plant friendly, and that their manufacturing processes and employees are eco-friendly. Consumers have become increasingly concerned about the environment as a result of the modern world, and this worry has begun to show in their buying patterns. Companies must understand their consumers' environmental preferences, including what they are willing to pay for and what they are not willing to pay for, as well as what their competitors are doing in the green space. The relationship between consumer behaviour, marketing, and the environment has received more attention lately, and this attention has manifested itself in two ways: first is: public awareness of environmental issues has increased, and on the other hand, evidence of environmental responsibility or green marketing activities has increased. Talking about food and beverages industry, consumers have become more aware about products as well as the manufacturing process. People have adopted an ethical buying behaviour. Example: Buying products that are plant based and free from animal cruelty.

The aim of this study is to analyze the perception of the meaning of sustainability in the food sector. A sample of 268 University students belonging to the Millennial generation was identified and a survey was carried out to assess the interaction between this kind of Millennials and food sustainability. Collected data were explored with descriptive statistics, followed by multivariate statistical techniques to get an integrated vision of relationships among the variables. Outcomes evidence four groups of Millennials with specific peculiarities, i.e., “Socio-Nature Sensitives”, characterized by a high level of attention for the socio-economic dimension and sustainable ways of food production; “Info-Supporter”, very sensitive to labeling and warranty systems; “Proactive-Oriented”, interested in innovative activities; “Indifferent Millennials”, assigning the issue in general a low level of importance. Results provide useful information and some contribution to public institutions and...

Sustainability entails meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It has become a major norm of behaviour of various societal groups in recent years and it is an increasingly prominent topic of academic research, public policy making and marketing practice. The core idea of sustainability is based on the rethinking of consumption. Numerous researchers emphasize that consumption patterns are seen as a major contributor to the current environmental and social problems. On the one hand, companies recognize stakeholders' expectations and respond to them by committing to more sustainable activities, while on the other hand, consumers are also expected to behave sustainably and in doing so contribute to sustainable development. This expectation has led to seeing consumers as 'agents of social change'.Sustainability entails meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to...

Millennials are the most ethical generation, yet their evaluations of ethical practice remain unexplored in academic literature. Recently, the field of corporate social responsibility is moving closer to the forefront of corporate concerns as it climbs the hierarchy of consumer needs. Millennials are more aware of company activity than any other generation and so this presents a crucial opportunity for marketers to explore the gap between consumer attitudes and consumer purchasing behaviour by improving their understanding of this unique generation. This study explores how millennials evaluate corporate social responsibility (CSR), how authenticity perceptions are structured within CSR and what factors are most important to their ethical behaviour. In order to capture these antecedents with adequate depth, 15 qualitative interviews were conducted and analysed iteratively and rigorously using thematic analysis. According to the findings, millennials evaluate company activity through ...

Before, price and quality completely dominate the buying decision of consumers, but in this era, where consumers are mostly millennials who are more careful and cautious with what they buy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is now considered as a purchase criterion. This study further examined the role of the five dimensions of CSR (economic, legal, ethical, philanthropic, and environmental) as a predictor of consumer buying behaviour of millennials in the Philippines. The relationship between CSR and consumer buying behaviour was measured in a cross-sectional study design. Both quantitative (online survey) and qualitative (in-depth interview) research methods were adopted by the researcher. For quantitative data, 150 respondents were chosen using non-probability sampling technique. The respondents answered an online questionnaire regarding their knowledge level on CSR, CSR and stakeholders’ expectations in businesses, and CSR and buying behaviour. For the qualitative data, six in-depth interview participants were randomly selected from the Business Administration (BA) students of Southville International School Affiliated with Foreign Universities (SISFU). The researcher used the semi-structured interview guide from Geokhaji’s (2015) study. Through multiple linear regression, significant relationship was found between philanthropic responsibility and consumer buying behaviour, showing that millennials in the Philippines would buy more from companies engaging in philanthropic activities. The qualitative results also showed that millennials consider philanthropic responsibility as the most important CSR dimension. However, huge regard on environmental responsibility was also demonstrated by the in-depth interview participants. Difference in methodology can shine light on this contradicting findings. It is hypothesized that the open-ended questions for in-depth interview, allowed the participants to specifically state their favoured environmental activities that are not given in the online survey. Nonetheless, consistency of quantitative and qualitative results that millennials in the Philippines consider philanthropic responsibility the most was evident.

As Malaysia strives to achieve the developed nation status in 2020, the society is naturally becoming more sophisticated. They have become more conscious and concerned about what they consume as well as social responsibility of companies. This may be more prevalent in Generation Y (individuals born between 1978 and 1995) who are generally more privileged and trendy than the generation before them. The study investigates the relationship between personal values, brand trust, concern about the environment, society and heath with ethical branding. The study found that only concern for the environment and brand trust had a significant positive relationship with ethical branding. Ethical branding also appeals more to females rather than males. The findings of this study have implications on how ethical branding awareness can be promoted among young adults. It is suggested that companies that intend to explore ethical branding more closely align their brand values to consumers’ personal v...