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Volume 18
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10.3390/su18105167
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

From Artificial Intelligence to Green Purchasing Behavior: The Role of Environmental Knowledge and Green Truth in Shaping Environmental Attitudes and the Purchase of Organic Products in University Students

by
Wilson Zambrano-Vélez
1,*,
Nelson Carrión-Bósquez
2,*,
Jorge Bernal-Peralta
3,
Andrés Vélez-Luna
4,
Cristina Villacís-Mejía
5,
Ximena Tobar-Cazares
6,
Cristian Ramírez-Larreategui
7,
Lenin Tobar-Cazares
8,
Jorge Vinueza-Martínez
9 and
Rubén Marchena-Chanduvi
10
1
Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y de la Salud, Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena, La Libertad 240250, Ecuador
2
Departamento de Administración, Facultad de Economía y Administración, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta 1270709, Chile
3
Facultad de Administración y Economía, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica 1000007, Chile
4
Extensión El Carmen, Facultad de Ciencias Administrativas, Contables y Comercio, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí (ULEAM), El Carmen 130450, Ecuador
5
Vicerrectorado Académico, Universidad Pública de Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas—UPSDT, km 28, vía Santo Domingo—Quevedo, Santo Domingo 230153, Ecuador
6
Facultad de Derecho, Ciencias Administrativas y Sociales, Universidad UTE, Quito 170508, Ecuador
7
Independent Researcher, Santo Domingo 230101, Ecuador
8
Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito 170515, Ecuador
9
Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Milagro 091050, Ecuador
10
Escuela Profesional de Ingeniería Agroindustrial, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Chota, Cajamarca 06001, Peru
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 5167; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105167
Submission received: 6 April 2026 / Revised: 7 May 2026 / Accepted: 17 May 2026 / Published: 20 May 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Making of a Culture of Responsible Consumption and Production: The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Human Subjects in the Transition Towards a Circular Economy)
Versions Notes

Abstract

This study explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) shapes Green Purchasing Behavior through cognitive and attitudinal mechanisms by implementing the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR Model) Theory. It analyzes AI as an external stimulus that influences Environmental Knowledge and Green Truth, which, in turn, affects Environmental Attitudes and Green Purchasing Behavior. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed using survey data collected from 412 consumers in the province of Guayas (Ecuador). The data were analyzed using partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that AI exerts a weak influence on Green Purchasing Behavior; instead, its impact operates primarily through indirect pathways. Specifically, AI significantly enhances Environmental Knowledge and promotes Green Truth, subsequently shaping consumers’ Environmental Attitudes. Furthermore, Environmental Attitude emerged as the strongest predictor of Green Purchasing Behavior, confirming its central role in translating internal evaluations into consumption decisions. These findings contribute to the literature by integrating AI into sustainable consumption models and demonstrate that its effectiveness depends on its ability to generate credible and meaningful internal responses rather than directly influencing behavior.
Keywords: artificial intelligence; environmental attitude; environmental awareness; green purchasing behavior; green truth artificial intelligence; environmental attitude; environmental awareness; green purchasing behavior; green truth

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zambrano-Vélez, W.; Carrión-Bósquez, N.; Bernal-Peralta, J.; Vélez-Luna, A.; Villacís-Mejía, C.; Tobar-Cazares, X.; Ramírez-Larreategui, C.; Tobar-Cazares, L.; Vinueza-Martínez, J.; Marchena-Chanduvi, R. From Artificial Intelligence to Green Purchasing Behavior: The Role of Environmental Knowledge and Green Truth in Shaping Environmental Attitudes and the Purchase of Organic Products in University Students. Sustainability 2026, 18, 5167. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105167

AMA Style

Zambrano-Vélez W, Carrión-Bósquez N, Bernal-Peralta J, Vélez-Luna A, Villacís-Mejía C, Tobar-Cazares X, Ramírez-Larreategui C, Tobar-Cazares L, Vinueza-Martínez J, Marchena-Chanduvi R. From Artificial Intelligence to Green Purchasing Behavior: The Role of Environmental Knowledge and Green Truth in Shaping Environmental Attitudes and the Purchase of Organic Products in University Students. Sustainability. 2026; 18(10):5167. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105167

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zambrano-Vélez, Wilson, Nelson Carrión-Bósquez, Jorge Bernal-Peralta, Andrés Vélez-Luna, Cristina Villacís-Mejía, Ximena Tobar-Cazares, Cristian Ramírez-Larreategui, Lenin Tobar-Cazares, Jorge Vinueza-Martínez, and Rubén Marchena-Chanduvi. 2026. "From Artificial Intelligence to Green Purchasing Behavior: The Role of Environmental Knowledge and Green Truth in Shaping Environmental Attitudes and the Purchase of Organic Products in University Students" Sustainability 18, no. 10: 5167. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105167

APA Style

Zambrano-Vélez, W., Carrión-Bósquez, N., Bernal-Peralta, J., Vélez-Luna, A., Villacís-Mejía, C., Tobar-Cazares, X., Ramírez-Larreategui, C., Tobar-Cazares, L., Vinueza-Martínez, J., & Marchena-Chanduvi, R. (2026). From Artificial Intelligence to Green Purchasing Behavior: The Role of Environmental Knowledge and Green Truth in Shaping Environmental Attitudes and the Purchase of Organic Products in University Students. Sustainability, 18(10), 5167. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105167

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