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Emerging evidence (Wong et al., 1996; Aspinall, 1993) suggests a curious paradox. Despite evidence to suggest that society is increasingly sympathetic towards the environment many environmentally friendly products have not achieved the level of market success that would have been expected. In many consumer product categories, environmentally friendly producers have achieved disappointingly low levels of market share. This is supported by the findings of recent UK surveys which indicate that, although consumers' concern with the environment continues to increase (albeit at a decreasing rate) their willingness to buy environmentally friendly products has declined (Mintel, 1991; 1995).
Companies have realised that positioning of green products is the only way to stay competitive and in order to achieve this they are continuously ascertaining novel ways in terms exploring new ideas and strategies. To advance a country’s green revolution, McGougall (1993) asserts that the role of consumers is essential. This assertion is supported by the evidence that 30–40% of environmental degradation has been brought about by the consumption activities of private households (Grunert,1993). More importantly, if consumers exhibit a high degree of ecological consciousness and channel it to corresponding eco friendly or green purchases, it is likely that profit-driven enterprises will be strongly motivated to adopt the concept of green marketing in their operations. The dynamics of this buyer–seller interaction will consequently lead to further advancement of the green revolution across the whole country (Ottman, 1992).
Thus, to better understand the environmental movement of a particular nation, an examination of how its consumers view and feel about ecological issues, and how they behave accordingly, serves as a good starting point. To proceed further, let us understand who are green customers and green brand, as per Norazah and Norbayah, 2015 a green customer is one who spend money to purchase green products and have a high environmental consciousness and knowledge level, and as per Grant, 2008, p. 25, a green brand is “a brand, which offers a significant eco-advantage over its competitors and is able to attract consumers who set a high priority on making green purchases” also as per Hartmann and Ibanez (2006) “a green brand entails a set of attributes and benefits associated with reduced adverse environmental impact and the creation of a positive impression on consumers by raising their environmental concern”. It is however interesting to know that in 2008 Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) club alone spent close to $300 billion on green products, Cooney (2010). A study done by Norazah, 2016; Soyez, 2012; Thogersen et al., 2015 revealed that consumer have channeled their growing concern for the environment through the demand for eco-friendly products and this movement of “going-green” has expanded worldwide due to intensified awareness of living in a healthier way. The public has increasingly noticed environmental issues by reason of the disastrous environmental pollution arisen from industrial manufacturing activities in the world (Chen, 2011). Consequently, more firms are prone to accept environment protection as their social responsibility (Dwyer, 2009; Lee, 2009). Because environmental concern has quickly become a mainstream issue as a result of global warming nowadays, more forethoughtful companies would like to utilize green opportunities (Molina-Azorı´n et al., 2009; Haden et al., 2009). It was widely believed that there would be an opportunity form growth in the green marketing domain, and firms would have to become more environmentally and socially sensitive to stay competitive in the market. This led firms to expect positive responses from consumers, increase in firm reputation (Ndubisi, 2011), and increase in goodwill and market share (Lee, 2008). Notwithstanding reports that environmental problems constituted public concerns, market growth for green products fell disappointingly short of marketers’ expectations (Wong, Turner and Stoneman, 1996). A study on Crisp and fuzzy model of the EOQ model primarily dependent on demand and also permissible delay in payments gives a clear insight of the prevailing market conditions (Sayal et al., 2021)