Abstract
Sustainable consumption is increasingly prioritized worldwide, yet in emerging markets such as Vietnam, the adoption of green purchasing, especially based on recyclable packaging, remains inconsistent. This study examines how three information-processing factors, recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge, shape young consumers’ attitudes, and how these attitudes subsequently influence purchase intention and positive emotions. A structured survey of 400 retail shoppers in Can Tho City was conducted and analysed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results show that all three antecedents significantly and positively affect attitudes, which in turn exert strong effects on both purchase intention and emotional response. Notably, semiotic knowledge, the ability to decode environmental symbols – emerges as an important and previously underexplored predictor, extending the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) framework by incorporating a symbolic–emotional pathway. The findings offer theoretical insight by integrating TRA with Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to explain both cognitive and affective mechanisms in green consumption. Practically, the study highlights the need for clearer recycling communication, standardised eco-labeling, and packaging designs that combine credible arguments with interpretable visual cues to enhance trust and drive sustainable purchasing behaviour.
Plain Language Summary
Sustainable consumption is gaining global attention, but in emerging markets like Vietnam, green purchasing based on recyclable packaging is still inconsistent. This study examines how three factors — recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge — influence young consumers’ attitudes, and how these attitudes lead to purchase intention and positive emotions. Data were collected from 400 shoppers in Can Tho City using a structured survey and analysed with structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that all three factors significantly improve attitudes, which then strongly predict both purchase intention and emotional responses. Semiotic knowledge — the ability to understand environmental symbols — emerges as a key and previously underexplored predictor, extending the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) by adding a symbolic–emotional pathway. The findings integrate TRA with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to explain both cognitive and emotional mechanisms in green decision-making. In practice, the study suggests that clearer recycling communication, standardised eco-labels, and packaging designs that combine credible claims with readable visual cues can build trust and encourage sustainable purchasing behaviour.
Keywords
Introduction
Sustainable consumption has become a global strategic priority in response to climate change, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation (United Nations Environment Programme (2020)). In advanced economies such as Germany, Sweden, and Japan, green consumption is strongly promoted, with recycled packaging playing a key role in influencing consumers’ purchasing behaviour (Dehio et al., 2023; Lim et al., 2019; Williams et al., 2018). These international developments highlight how sustainability has evolved from a niche concern into a mainstream expectation, pressuring businesses to redesign both communication strategies and product packaging.
While this transition has advanced in developed economies, its diffusion in emerging markets such as Vietnam remains uneven. One of the key drivers of sustainable consumption is consumers’ tendency to choose products with recyclable packaging, often referred to as recycling shopping behaviour, where recyclability is considered before purchase (Biswas et al., 2000). Although environmental campaigns have been strengthened, this behaviour remains limited, partly due to unclear or poorly processed information and inconsistencies in the attitude-intention pathway (Nguyen & D’Souza, 2025). In Vietnam, urban waste remains a major challenge. Despite the implementation of waste-sorting campaigns at the source, many city areas are still filled with uncollected household waste and disposable packaging. This points to a lack not only in sorting behaviour but also in conscious product selection. Overall, this situation reveals a paradox: while public awareness of environmental issues has increased, transforming that awareness into consistent pro-environmental actions remains limited, particularly at the individual and household levels.
Promoting green consumer behaviour does not stop at delivering environmental messages but also depends on the quality of information and consumers’ ability to process and evaluate that information. Many studies show that consumers often misunderstand or doubt the authenticity of recycling symbols and messages on packaging if they are not clearly explained (Magnier & Crié, 2015; Seo & Scammon, 2017). The inconsistency in consumer responses after receiving information about recycled packaging raises questions about which factors truly shape attitudes and the intention to make green purchases (Sekki et al., 2023; Steenis et al., 2017). This inconsistency suggests that both cognitive and affective information-processing routes may influence green decision-making, highlighting the need to integrate dual-process theories such as the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) into behavioural studies.
In this context, the research focuses on clarifying the factors that influence consumers' attitudes, purchase intentions, and emotion towards products with recycled packaging. The factors incorporated into the model include: recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge. In particular, the study emphasises the mediating role of consumers’ attitudes, as well as the sequential impact on behavioural purchase intention and emotional response. Accordingly, this study aims to examine how recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge shape consumers’ attitudes, which subsequently influence purchase intention and emotion in the Vietnamese retail context.
Theoretically, this study is based on the TRA by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980), which posits that behaviour is predicted by behavioural intention, with attitude playing a central role. Factors such as recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge can be conceptualised as behavioural beliefs, shaping attitudes and subsequently leading to intentions and emotions related to the behaviour. Whereas the ELM distinguishes between central and peripheral cues, empirical studies indicate that, in practice, multiple cues may operate simultaneously in shaping consumer evaluations.
The theoretical contributions of this research are demonstrated through three main points. First, this study advances understanding of how recycling consideration can operate as a cognitive driver of green purchasing behaviour in the Vietnamese retail context. While prior studies have shown that consumers respond both cognitively and affectively to recycling cues on packaging (Nguyen & D’Souza, 2025), the present findings further demonstrate that such consideration translates into attitudinal formation and downstream purchase intention. Second, by incorporating argument quality and semiotic knowledge into the model, the research extends the TRA by integrating elements of information processing, an aspect that has been underexplored in green consumption studies. Finally, by combining TRA and the ELM, the study reveals how central and peripheral message processing jointly influence consumers’ attitudes and emotions, thereby bridging rational and affective mechanisms in sustainable decision-making.
Despite increasing scholarly attention to sustainable consumption, limited research has examined how consumers cognitively and emotionally process sustainability cues on recyclable packaging, especially in emerging markets such as Vietnam. To fill this gap, this study integrates the TRA and the ELM to explain how recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge shape consumers’ attitudes, which in turn influence purchase intention and emotion. Theoretically, the research bridges message-processing and behavioural intention models, while practically, it provides actionable insights for marketers to design clearer and more persuasive green packaging communication.
Theoretical Background and Hypotheses
Theoretical Background
Based on the integration of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), this study develops a conceptual framework that explains how consumers process and respond to recyclable packaging. The ELM proposed by Petty and Cacioppo (1986) provides a persuasive communication framework explaining how individuals process information and form attitudes through two distinct cognitive routes: the central and peripheral pathways. Under the central route, individuals engage in thoughtful and analytical evaluation of message content when the topic is relevant and they possess sufficient motivation and ability. In contrast, the peripheral route relies on heuristic cues such as visuals, symbols, or emotional tone, requires less cognitive effort and typically leads to attitudes that are more context-dependent and less enduring than those formed via the central route (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). Empirical evidence in sustainability communication further shows that such cues on packaging can shape consumers’ evaluations (C. Liu et al., 2025).
Within the ELM framework, recycling consideration can be interpreted as involving central-route processing, as it reflects deliberate cognitive evaluation of environmental consequences and motivation for pro-environmental behaviour (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). Prior studies have shown that individuals who actively consider recyclability before purchase are more likely to engage in green consumption (Biswas et al., 2000; Dantas et al., 2023). Argument quality reflects a central-route mechanism in the ELM, as strong and credible arguments are more likely to produce enduring and resistant attitudes (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). Consistent with the ELM framework, Nguyen and D’Souza (2025) show that clear and credible sustainability claims are more likely to influence consumer evaluations.
Semiotic knowledge can be interpreted as an outcome of central-route processing in this context, as consumers rely on visual or symbolic elements such as eco-labels, colours, or recycling logos as peripheral cues to infer environmental meaning without deep elaboration (Magnier & Crié, 2015; Steenis et al., 2017). When such cues are decoded and elicit affective responses, they may strengthen affective responses toward sustainable brands, complementing the cognitive effects of argument quality.
While the ELM explains how consumers form attitudes through different information-processing routes, the TRA (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) clarifies how those attitudes translate into behavioural outcomes. According to the TRA, a person’s behaviour is primarily determined by behavioural intention, which is shaped by attitudes and subjective norms.
In sustainable consumption, favourable attitudes toward recyclable packaging are associated with beliefs that such purchases protect the environment, demonstrate social responsibility, and align with self-identity (Bejan, 2024; Carrington et al., 2014). Although subjective norms are a central component of the TRA, they were excluded from the present model because this study focuses on individual-level cognitive and emotional mechanisms rather than social or normative influences. Future studies may integrate subjective norms to capture social and cultural pressures that shape pro-environmental decision-making. When these beliefs are reinforced through the elaboration process described by the ELM, consumers form stable and predictive attitudes that lead to both behavioural intention and emotional engagement.
Integrating the ELM and TRA provides a complementary explanatory logic for the proposed model. The ELM accounts for how cognitive and affective responses emerge from message processing on packaging, whereas the TRA explains how these responses can translate into purchase intention. In this integrated view, recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge influence attitudes, which subsequently drive purchase intention and, consistent with emerging evidence, emotional reactions. Recent studies in sustainable persuasion indicate that cognitive elaboration and affective engagement can jointly shape green evaluations (Dantas et al., 2023; C. Liu et al., 2025), although these studies do not explicitly frame their findings within an ELM–TRA integration. Likewise, Barone et al. (2024) and Nguyen and D’Souza (2025) provide evidence that both rational evaluations and symbolic cues can influence sustainable choices in the retail context. In line with the TRA, the present study treats attitude as a mediating mechanism that connects cognitive antecedents with behavioural intention; additionally, consistent with recent affective extensions of TRA-based models, attitude is expected to co-occur with positive emotional reinforcement rather than operating solely as a cognitive predictor.
Hypotheses
Recycling Consideration and Consumers’ Attitudes
Recycling has been regarded as an essential practice, making a significant contribution to pro-environmental behaviour (Biswas et al., 2000). In the Vietnamese context, public campaigns and regulatory initiatives (e.g., waste sorting at source, anti-plastic movements) have increased the visibility of sustainability discourse in everyday consumption. Although recent studies show that consumers are exposed to and react to environmental cues on packaging (Bejan, 2024; Nguyen & D’Souza, 2025), the extent to which such exposure translates into systematic cognitive evaluation or consistent purchase behaviour remains uncertain.
The empirical study by Biswas et al. (2000) shows that consumers with frequent recycling experience tend to carry their personal environmental values to shopping behaviour, thereby displaying favourable attitudes toward recycled or recyclable products. Similarly, prior research has found that consumers who regularly engage in waste separation or recycling tend to display higher environmental concern and greater willingness to choose green products (Herbes et al., 2018; Manca et al., 2020). In the retail context, a survey by Nguyen and D’Souza (2025) indicates that many young consumers are willing to purchase products with eco-labels even when the price is higher, as they believe it is ‘worth doing’ from both ethical and environmental perspectives. These findings collectively suggest that recycling consideration, the degree to which consumers evaluate a product’s recyclability before purchase, plays a vital role in shaping positive environmental attitudes and fostering responsible consumption behaviour.
Argument Quality and Consumers’ Attitudes
Argument quality understood as the degree of logic, specificity, and credibility of a message, has been shown to be an important factor in persuading consumers to form a positive attitude toward a product, especially in the field of environmental communication (Atkinson & Rosenthal, 2014). In the context of communication about recycled packaging, when consumers encounter strong and credible environmental claims such as detailed information on biodegradability, verifiable recycling certifications, or clear sorting instructions, they are more likely to develop favourable attitudes toward environmentally friendly products.
In the retail context, a survey by Nguyen and D’Souza (2025) shows that consumers may respond negatively to vague or non-transparent environmental claims and develop unfavourable attitudes when such messages lack clarity or credibility. Conversely, messages with well-founded arguments, supported by credible recycling labels such as ARL or verifiable data, help build behavioural trust and reinforce positive attitudes toward products. More importantly, in their overview study, Kitchen et al. (2014) highlighted that the quality of arguments in a message can influence how deeply consumers process information and form cognitive evaluations. Similarly, Ko and Kim (2015) found that argument quality affects not only the perceived informativeness of a message but also its ability to stimulate thought and modify existing beliefs.
In the context of media campaigns at the point of sale or on packaging, argument quality is more likely to attract attention and promote a positive attitude. In fact, Cyr et al. (2018) showed that as a central cue significantly increased issue involvement, which in turn led to more favourable attitudinal change. Although their research focused on online media, the findings remain relevant to the Vietnamese retail context, where young consumers tend to carefully examine packaging information before purchasing. Clearly conveying recycling messages with sufficient evidence helps reduce confusion, strengthen perceived credibility, and generate ethical resonance, which may support more positive attitudes toward sustainable products (Conley, 2025).
Semiotic Knowledge and Consumers’ Attitudes
According to Nguyen and D'Souza (2025), semiotic knowledge reflects consumers' understanding and ability to decode the meanings of recycling signs and symbols on product packaging, which supports the interpretation of recyclability information
In the modern shopping environment, where product information is frequently conveyed through non-verbal elements, consumers need sufficient interpretive skills to correctly decode these signs in order to evaluate a product’s environmental value (Seo & Scammon, 2017). Proper understanding of these symbols not only improves consumers’ ability to identify environmentally friendly products but also fosters a positive attitude toward the brand and encourages sustainable purchasing behaviour.
In a recent study, Bejan (2024) suggests that repeated exposure to recycling-related cues can increase consumers’ awareness and familiarity with recycling, potentially fostering more favourable perceptions. Although recycling symbols have started to appear commonly on plastic, paper packaging, or household items, the level of accurate and comprehensive understanding of these symbols remains (Nguyen & D’Souza, 2025). This highlights the need for businesses not only to display these symbols but also to educate consumers about their environmental significance to improve message clarity and brand trust. Ko and Kim (2015) observed that argument quality and consumers’ cognitive processing jointly shape judgments and attitudes, reinforcing the combined role of message content and information processing.
When semiotic knowledge is high, consumers are more likely to form favourable perceptions and proactive intentions toward sustainable products. Additionally, according to Cyr et al. (2018), show that in digital media environments, well-designed visual cues facilitate effective information processing, which in turn contributes to more positive attitudinal responses. In practice, young consumers, particularly those with higher education or urban living experience, have been reported to be more responsive to eco-labels and are more likely to evaluate environmental symbols positively (Nguyen & D’Souza, 2025).
Consumers’ Attitudes and Purchase Intention
Consumers’ attitudes are defined as an individual's overall evaluation (positive or negative) of performing a specific behaviour, reflecting the degree of favorability or unfavorability toward that behaviour (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980).
Recent empirical studies suggest that positive attitudes toward eco-friendly packaging are associated with higher purchase intentions (Joshi & Rahman, 2015; Nguyen & D’Souza, 2025). This relationship becomes particularly salient when environmental messages, recycling labels, and green symbols are clearly perceived and positively evaluated by consumers.
Birgelen et al., 2009 argue that when consumers clearly understand and agree with the environmental values presented on packaging, such as recyclability, biodegradability, or eco-friendly design, they tend to convert favourable attitudes into specific consumption behaviours. Similarly, Nguyen and D’Souza (2025) found that consumers with favourable attitudes toward recycled packaging demonstrate strong intentions to engage in recycling-related purchase behaviour. Kumar et al. (2017) provided empirical support for the positive linkage between attitude and purchase intention in the context of environmentally sustainable products. This is consistent with the view that ethical values and perceived personal relevance often underpin such decision-making in green consumption. Likewise, studies by Herbes et al. (2018) and Magnier and Crié (2015) provide evidence that favourable attitudes toward environmentally sustainable products are associated with more positive purchase-related evaluations. These results are consistent with the notion that when environmental attributes are perceived as meaningful and trustworthy, often because they resonate with consumers’ values, attitudes are more likely to translate into behaviour.
In Vietnam, as more brands incorporate credible recycling symbols such as the ARL index or Mobius loop, consumers increasingly use these cues as references for environmentally responsible choices. Consequently, a positive attitude toward recycled packaging has become a critical predictor of purchase intention in the local market.
Consumers’ Attitudes and Emotion
Emotion in consumer behaviour is often seen as subjective responses that arise when consumers perceive that their actions align with personal and ethical values. When consumers develop favourable attitudes toward environmentally friendly choices such as recyclable packaging, they may experience positive affective states, for example, satisfaction, pride, or moral fulfilment (Shimul & Cheah, 2022). Prior work has emphasised that such emotions are typically rooted in preceding cognitive evaluations (Batra & Ray, 1986), and recent studies in sustainable consumption show that positive attitudes toward eco-friendly packaging may be associated with moral emotions such as pride or empathy (Dantas et al., 2023; Herbes et al., 2018). These moral emotions may function as intrinsic reinforcement mechanisms that help maintain consumers’ long-term engagement with green behaviour.
As campaigns for recycling and eco-labelling expand, consumers increasingly associate sustainable consumption with personal values and recycling-related considerations (Nguyen & D’Souza, 2025). When individuals perceive that sustainable purchases reflect their moral values, they experience positive emotions such as happiness and pride, reinforcing their continued participation in ethical consumption. Therefore, consumers’ positive attitudes serve as a critical psychological trigger for emotional fulfillment in sustainable behaviour.
Methods
Sampling
The study was conducted in Can Tho City, one of the largest and most developed urban centers in Vietnam, characterized by a high population density, rising educational levels, and increasing awareness of sustainable consumption. Can Tho was chosen because it represents a dynamic consumer market with the widespread presence of modern retail chains, such as Go, Lotte Mart, and Mega Market, where product packaging plays a crucial role in consumers’ purchasing decisions.
A convenience sampling method was employed to approach consumers at these retail locations, as this approach was suitable for accessing actual shoppers exposed to product packaging in real purchase situations. Data were collected in May 2025 by directly distributing questionnaires to customers while they were shopping. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, and each respondent received a small voucher as a token of appreciation after completing the survey.
Survey participants were selected based on two criteria: (1) being 18 years or older, and (2) having purchased consumer goods within the past 3 months. A total of 400 valid responses were obtained and used for data analysis after removing incomplete entries. This sample size meets the minimum recommendation for structural equation modeling (SEM), which suggests at least ten observations per estimated parameter (Hair et al., 2019), ensuring adequate statistical power for hypothesis testing.
Measurement
The observed variables in the study were measured using standard scales, which were developed and tested in prior research. Since the survey was conducted in Vietnam, all of the original English questions were translated into Vietnamese using a back-translation procedure to ensure equivalence of the two language versions in content and semantics. Respondents used a five-point Likert scale from 1 ‘strongly disagree’ to 5 ‘strongly agree’.
In this study, all measurement scales were adapted from well-established prior research to ensure both reliability and contextual relevance. Consumers’ attitudes were assessed using five items derived from the work of Khan et al. (2023), capturing respondents’ evaluations of environmentally friendly packaging. Purchase intention was measured with five items adopted from Cyr et al. (2018), while argument quality, reflecting the logical strength and persuasiveness of the message, was evaluated through eight items developed by P. Liu et al. (2022). To measure semiotic knowledge, seven items were adapted from Yoo (2014) and Bulmer and Buchanan-Oliver (2006), focusing on consumers’ ability to interpret and decode visual signs and symbolic meanings within marketing communications. Finally, recycling consideration and emotion were each measured using four items based on the scale proposed by Nguyen and D’Souza (2025), and were carefully adjusted to reflect the contemporary context of recycled packaging and sustainable consumption behavior.
All survey items were first prepared in English and subsequently translated into Vietnamese using the back-translation method proposed by Brislin (1970) to guarantee both linguistic accuracy and cultural consistency. To further validate the instrument, a pilot test involving 10 Vietnamese university students was carried out to assess the clarity, contextual relevance, and cultural suitability of each item prior to the main data collection.
As shown in Figure 1, the proposed model illustrates the relationships among key constructs derived from the TRA and the ELM. While the figure visualizes the empirical paths tested in this study, the underlying theoretical rationale draws on TRA to explain attitude–intention–emotion mechanisms, and on ELM to capture the influence of information processing factors such as argument quality and semiotic knowledge. Together, these theories provide a coherent foundation for understanding how consumers form positive attitudes and intentions toward recycled packaging.
The theoretical model.
Summary of Hypotheses:
Data Analysis
The collected data were processed using IBM SPSS version 26.0 and analysed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) method with AMOS version 24.0. After screening valid responses, descriptive statistics were generated, and Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess internal reliability. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was then conducted to confirm item loadings and construct structure, followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to test convergent and discriminant validity. Finally, the SEM technique was applied to test six hypotheses and evaluate the relationships among constructs.
Ethical Considerations
This study was conducted in accordance with recognized ethical standards for human research. Participation was entirely voluntary, and all respondents provided informed consent prior to data collection. The survey was fully anonymous, and no personally identifiable information (e.g., names, email addresses, IP addresses) was collected. Participants were informed of their right to withdraw at any time without consequence. The study posed minimal risk and complied with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013).
Results
A total of 400 valid responses were used in this study. In terms of gender, the sample consists of 192 males (48%) and 208 females (52%), indicating a relatively balanced distribution between the two genders. Regarding age, the 18 to 29 age group accounts for the highest proportion with 180 people (45%), followed by the 30 to 40 age group with 104 people (26%). In terms of educational attainment, the majority of participants hold a university degree (52.5%), followed by college degrees (27.7%). As for income level, most participants have an income below 10 million VND/month (38.8%) and from 10 to under 20 million VND/month (33.7%). In summary, the survey sample represents a group of young, well-educated consumers with an average income, which is suitable for the research objectives regarding consumer behaviour and factors influencing attitudes towards recyclable products (Table 1).
Sample Profile.
Source. Authors’ own work.
Table 2 presents the descriptive statistics, correlations, and reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) for all constructs. The results show excellent internal consistency across all variables: Recycling consideration (RC, α = .90), Argument quality (AQ, α = .94), Semiotic knowledge (SK, α = .94), Consumers’ attitudes (ATT, α = .94), Purchase intention (PI, α = .88), and Emotion (EM, α = .87). All alpha values exceed the recommended threshold of 0.70, confirming the high reliability of the measurement scales (Hair et al., 2019).
Correlations and Reliabilities.
Source. Authors’ own work.
Note. N = 400; RC = Recycling consideration; SK = Semiotic knowledge; ATT = Consumers’ attitudes; PI = Purchase intention; AQ = Argument quality EM = emotion, **p<0.01.
All correlations are positive and significant at the p < .01 level, demonstrating strong relationships among the constructs. Notably, consumers’ attitudes (ATT) show the highest correlation with purchase intention (PI), highlighting attitude as a central predictor of behavioral intention under the TRA. Similarly, argument quality (AQ) and semiotic knowledge (SK) are strongly associated with both attitude (ATT) and emotion (EM), illustrating how cognitive (central) and symbolic (peripheral) cues jointly influence consumers’ evaluative and emotional responses in line with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM).
The measurement model demonstrates strong reliability and validity, confirming that all constructs are statistically sound and distinct. Table 3 reports the results of convergent and discriminant validity assessment using Composite Reliability (CR), Average Variance Extracted (AVE), and Maximum Shared Variance (MSV). All constructs exhibit CR values above 0.70 and AVE values exceeding 0.50, indicating good convergent validity. These results confirm that the measurement model meets the required standards of reliability and validity for subsequent analyses (Figure 2). The structural model also achieved an excellent overall fit to the data, as evidenced by χ2/df = 1.520, CFI = .976, TLI = .973, RMSEA = .036, and PCLOSE = 1.000 (Figure 3).
Assessment of the Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Constructs.
Source. Authors’ own work.
Note. N = 400; RC = Recycling consideration; SK = Semiotic knowledge; ATT = Consumers’ attitudes; PI = Purchase intention; AQ = Argument quality EM = Emotion; CR = Composite reliability; AVE = Average variance extracted; MSV = Maximum shared variance.
Measurement model.
Structural equation model.
Table 4 presents the results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis used to test the proposed hypotheses. All structural paths show statistically significant standardized regression coefficients (β, p < .01), confirming that all five hypotheses (H1–H5) are supported. Specifically, recycling consideration (β = .44), argument quality (β = .31), and semiotic knowledge (β = .36) all exert significant positive effects on consumers’ attitudes (ATT), demonstrating that both central-route factors (recycling consideration, argument quality) and peripheral cues (semiotic knowledge) jointly shape attitudinal responses, in line with the ELM.
Result of SEM.
Source. Authors’ own work.
Note. N = 400; RC = Recycling consideration; SK = Semiotic knowledge; ATT = Consumers’ attitudes; PI = Purchase intention; AQ = Argument quality; EM = emotion; β = standardised regression weights.
Furthermore, consumers’ attitudes have strong positive effects on both purchase intention (β = .68) and emotion (β = .65), consistent with the TRA, which posits that favourable attitudes directly predict behavioural intention. The substantial β values indicate that when consumers hold positive attitudes toward recyclable packaging, they are more likely to translate these evaluations into actual purchase intentions and positive emotional experiences. Collectively, these findings confirm that rational evaluations (central processing) and emotional responses (peripheral cues) interact to reinforce sustainable purchasing behaviour, validating the integrated TRA–ELM framework proposed in this study.
Discussion and Conclusion
Discussion
This study set out to examine how cognitive, semiotic, and message-quality factors jointly shape green consumption responses. The research results indicate that all three input factors, recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge, positively influence consumers’ attitudes, which in turn affect purchase intention and positive emotions. These findings are consistent with numerous previous studies in the fields of sustainable consumer behaviour and environmental communication (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Cyr et al., 2018; Magnier & Schoormans, 2015).
Among these factors, recycling consideration has the strongest influence on consumers’ attitudes, which affirms the important role of personal cognitive motivation in forming positive evaluations of green products. When consumers actively consider the recyclability of a product before purchasing, they demonstrate a close alignment with environmental considerations, thereby easily developing a favourable attitude toward the product. This pattern is consistent with prior findings by Biswas et al. (2000) and Dantas et al. (2023), in which cognitive elaboration supports belief formation. These results extend this line of work by showing that a central-route processing plays a prominent role in the Vietnamese market, where environmental literacy is still developing.
In addition, the significant influence of semiotic knowledge is also noteworthy. Unlike many studies that emphasise the role of content factors, this research shows that the ability to decode environmental symbols, such as the Mobius loop symbol or the ARL recycling label, can also have a strong impact on consumers’ positive perceptions and evaluations. The strong predictive effect of semiotic knowledge further confirms the peripheral route of ELM, suggesting that intuitive visual cues complement rational message elaboration, reinforcing overall attitudinal outcomes.
The research findings also further highlight the central role of consumers’ attitudes as a meaningful mediating variable between input factors and behavioural intention, as well as a pathway to positive emotional responses. More explicitly, the results indicate that attitude transmits the effects of recycling consideration, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge onto both intention and positive emotion. This dual-path mediation suggests that attitude does not merely coexist between predictors and outcomes but serves as a psychological bridge that linked to cognitive and symbolic processing into both action-oriented and affective outcomes. This is consistent with Batra and Ray (1986) and Felix et al. (2017), who note that affective outcomes often arise from prior cognitive evaluations.
Beyond merely aligning with the TRA, the findings may be interpreted as supporting an extension of TRA, in which attitude can function as a dual-mediating mechanism that converts both cognitive and semiotic inputs into rational intention and emotional gratification. At the same time, the results may be interpreted within an ELM perspective, indicating that semiotic decoding may operate as more than a minor peripheral cue and can be viewed as an independent belief component. This implies that sustainable persuasion is not a single-route process but a dual-channel mechanism in which rational assessment and symbolic interpretation jointly contribute to behavioural motivation.
From a broader perspective, these findings also suggest implications for public communication and policy. Standardising recycling symbols and educating consumers about their meaning could enhance semiotic literacy at scale, thereby strengthening the attitudinal pathway that leads to green purchasing. Regulatory enforcement against vague or misleading sustainability claims may further reduce attitudinal ambiguity and reinforce pro-environmental decisions.
In practical terms, businesses can apply these findings by designing packaging that integrates easily interpretable recycling symbols with concise, credible sustainability messages, thereby reinforcing both cognitive clarity and emotional appeal. This provides a concrete communication strategy for strengthening consumer trust and encouraging pro-environmental purchasing decisions. Taken together, these implications suggest that improving the interpretability and credibility of sustainability cues is not only a marketing issue but also a public communication priority with long-term behavioural consequences.
Conclusion
This study provides empirical evidence on how consumers’ attitudes and emotions toward recycled packaging are shaped through cognitive and symbolic message processing. By integrating the TRA and the ELM, the research clarifies the mechanism through which beliefs, attitudes, and emotions jointly influence sustainable purchase intention in Vietnam. This study has developed a comprehensive theoretical model to explain how positive emotions are formed and spread in sustainable consumption behaviour in Vietnam, specifically in the context of products with recycled packaging. The integration of the TRA and informational cognition factors, such as argument quality and semiotic knowledge, has helped to clarify the process by which personal beliefs are transformed into consumers’ attitudes, subsequently leading to purchase intention and positive emotion. By further incorporating the ELM, the study captures how both central (cognitive) and peripheral (symbolic) message cues jointly shape sustainable consumer behaviour.
The results show that consumers’ attitudes play a crucial mediating role between input factors (such as recycling considerations, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge) and behavioural and emotional outcomes. Notably, the new finding regarding the significant impact of semiotic knowledge has expanded the applicability of the TRA theory by emphasising that non-verbal and visual elements can also strongly trigger positive perceptions, a particularly important aspect in the context of in-store retail shopping.
Academically, the research contributes to clarifying the mechanisms behind the formation of positive consumers’ attitudes and emotion in green consumption, thereby providing new evidence for consumer psychology theories in emerging markets such as Vietnam. It extends prior research by validating the TRA–ELM integration in explaining both cognitive and affective mechanisms underlying sustainable purchasing decisions.
In practical terms, the research results provide a solid scientific foundation for businesses to better understand the psychological and cognitive factors that drive consumers to choose products with recycled packaging. Specifically, companies can use these findings to develop environmental communication strategies that are personalized and visually oriented, focusing on highlighting the recycling message through easily understood, consistent, and highly educational symbols. Overall, this study reinforces the crucial role of consumer attitudes as a bridge between cognition and emotion in sustainable consumption. Together with the implications and future research directions presented later, it provides a comprehensive understanding of how persuasive packaging communication fosters both rational evaluation and emotional engagement in green purchasing decisions.
Implications of the Study
Theoretical Implications
First, while previous studies have mainly considered consumers’ attitudes as an intermediary variable leading to purchase intention, this study extends the theoretical framework of the TRA by demonstrating that attitude also serves to trigger positive emotion. This extension reflects the reality that in the context of modern consumption, especially ethical and personalised consumption, consumer decisions are not only based on rational evaluations but are also significantly influenced by internal emotional responses related to personal values such as social responsibility, environmental protection, and moral consensus. Integrating the emotional component enriches the psychological mechanisms in the TRA model, while also enhancing its ability to predict behaviour in consumption areas involving values and beliefs. Second, the research contributes to the field of semiotic processing in consumer behaviour by demonstrating that the semiotic knowledge is not merely an auxiliary cognitive factor, but actually constitutes a behavioural belief that has an independent and direct influence on green consumption attitudes. This is a novel approach that clarifies the role of semiotics in predictive behaviour models, paving the way for future studies to further explore the psychological mechanisms behind consumers' reception of ethical and environmental visual messages. Finally, this research is among the pioneering works to test this theoretical model in the context of Vietnam, a developing market characterised by a collectivist culture, strong community influence, and rising ethical awareness. This contributes to enriching the body of theory on sustainable consumer behaviour in emerging economies, where factors such as personal values, social responsibility, and visual semiotics are increasingly central in shaping behaviour.
Practical Implications
From a management perspective, this study offers many practical implications for businesses, especially brands operating in the retail, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and food sectors, where purchasing decisions are made quickly and are strongly influenced by personal emotions. First, consumers’ attitudes and emotion should be regarded as early indicators of their willingness to purchase and long-term loyalty, rather than just the final outcome of a marketing campaign. Therefore, businesses need to regularly develop tools to measure consumer sentiment, such as in-store surveys, feedback from online channels, or semantic analysis of product reviews, in order to more accurately forecast consumption trends. Second, businesses need to invest in packaging design not only based on functional criteria but also on emotional and educational values. Seemingly minor elements such as the recycling symbol, colours, and the presentation of information, if properly invested in, can become a bridge that builds trust and evokes empathy from consumers. Brands should view packaging design as a strategic communication tool, every bit as important as advertising or PR. Thirdly, in the context where many consumers still lack a deep understanding of environmental symbols, businesses should not expect consumers to automatically understand or correctly perceive them. Instead, it is necessary to proactively implement both short-term and long-term educational activities, such as printing instructions on packaging, incorporating explanatory content on social media, or training sales staff to provide environmental consultation at direct points of contact with customers. This is a form of ‘semiotic communication’ that helps bridge the knowledge gap between brands and consumers. Fourth, to maintain a positive attitude and prevent it from turning into negativity or apathy, brands need to demonstrate their environmental commitment consistently and responsibly, from words to actions. Publicly disclosing recycling processes, international environmental certifications, or promptly responding to community concerns will help increase transparency, thereby minimising the risk of being accused of ‘greenwashing’, a common cause of diminished trust and the triggering of negative emotional responses. Finally, in a consumer environment that increasingly values ethics and personalization, brands need not only to meet functional needs but also to convey a ‘brand story’ that aligns with consumers’ beliefs and lifestyles. Brands that accomplish this will not only win over one-time purchases, but also build lasting emotional relationships and long-term support from a responsible consumer community.
Limitations and Future Directions
Although this study provides many valuable findings regarding consumer behavior toward recycled packaging, it inevitably has certain limitations, thereby opening up important suggestions for future research. Firstly, although the measurement of behavioral intention is clearly explained theoretically and has been empirically tested in the model, the study has not evaluated the actual consumption behaviour of survey participants. This poses a limitation on the ability to verify the relationship between perception, emotion, and real-life behaviour. Therefore, future studies should design experimental or longitudinal studies to observe or measure the transformation from intention to actual behaviour in the process of consuming environmentally friendly products.
Second, the factors in the current model mainly focus on intrinsic and personal cognitive aspects, such as recycling considerations, argument quality, and semiotic knowledge. However, actual consumer behaviour is also strongly influenced by contextual and social environmental factors, including reference group influence, social norms, or pressure from the responsible consumer community. In the future, the model should be expanded by integrating moderating variables such as demographic characteristics, personal values, or subjective norms to provide a more comprehensive view of sustainable consumer behaviour.
Third, although environmental symbols are currently used widely, this study has only examined semiotic understanding at a general level, without analysing the differences between types of signs, such as symbols, indexes or icons. Future research could operationalize these semiotic differences more precisely by distinguishing between symbolic, indexical, and iconic cues, thereby identifying which type of sign most effectively shapes consumers’ attitudes and emotions. Experimental or eye-tracking methods could also be employed to observe how consumers interpret these cues in real time and how they influence decision-making.
Fourth, the current study was conducted in an urban area, specifically, Can Tho City, where environmental awareness is high and sustainable consumer behaviour is relatively common. This may introduce bias into the research sample and limit the generalizability of the results to the entire population. Moreover, because the data were collected through a convenience sampling method, the findings should be interpreted with caution when generalizing to the wider population, as this approach may not fully capture demographic diversity. In addition, the use of self-reported data on an ethically desirable topic such as green consumption may lead to social desirability bias, with respondents potentially overstating environmentally responsible behaviours. Future studies should compare urban and rural areas to identify differences in the level of symbolic understanding, environmental sensitivity, and the factors that trigger sustainable purchasing behaviour across regions and socio-economic conditions.
Finally, in the context of the growing development of digital media, factors such as social networks, content from Key Opinion Leaders and Social Media Influencers (KOLs and Influencers), or online communities can strongly impact consumers’ perceptions and emotions. However, the current research has not addressed these influential sources. Future studies should further explore the role of social media in spreading environmental messages, examine the impact of celebrity images, and assess the credibility of KOLs in shaping behavioural beliefs, consumers’ attitudes, and emotion. Future studies should employ experimental or content-analytic approaches to investigate how influencer credibility, message framing, and visual–verbal combinations shape consumers’ semiotic interpretation, attitudes, and emotional engagement in green consumption contexts.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the participants for their time and valuable insights.
Ethical Considerations
The study involved human participants who voluntarily completed an anonymous paper-based survey at supermarkets. The research complied with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013). No identifying information was collected, and no harm was involved.
Consent to Participate
All participants provided informed consent before participating in the study.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data will be made available upon reasonable request.