Moral Emotions as Pathways Linking Environmental Self-Identity and Sustainable Store Preference
(A2026-132437)

AUTHORS

Lay Peng Tan, Macquarie University; Riza Casidy, Macquarie University; Denni Arli, University of Tasmania

ABSTRACT

This study investigates how pro-environmental self-identity influences consumers’ preferences for online retailers that adopt sustainable packaging. Drawing on identity, appraisal, and norm activation theories, we examine whether self-conscious emotions anticipated pride and guilt mediate this relationship and whether political conservatism moderates these effects. Survey data from 421 U.S. online shoppers were analysed using Hayes’ PROCESS Model 8. Results show that PESI positively affects sustainable store preference directly and indirectly through both pride and guilt, with guilt exerting a stronger mediating effect. Conservatism moderates the pride pathway, indicating that conservative consumers feel greater pride when acting consistently with their environmental self-concept, while guilt operates similarly across ideological levels. These findings advance understanding of moral emotions as mechanisms linking identity and sustainable consumption and offer practical insights for promoting environmentally responsible retail practices.