BUILDING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CONSUMER TRUST: “THE ROLE OF GREEN KNOWLEDGE AND GREEN MARKETING” (STUDY ON LE MINERAL CONSUMERS IN MALANG)

Abstract

This study aims to examine the role of green marketing as a mediator in the relationship between green knowledge and green trust. This study analyzes the relationship between three main variables, namely green trust, green knowledge, and green marketing. To test the proposed hypothesis, an empirical survey method was used involving 119 respondents from East Java, Indonesia. Data analysis was conducted using a structural equation modeling (SEM-PLS) approach to evaluate the relationships between variables in the research model. The results showed that all direct relationships between variables were positive and significant. However, the mediating effect of green marketing in the relationship between green knowledge and green trust was not found to be significant. These findings indicate that green marketing has the potential to be an effective strategy in building consumer trust in environmentally friendly initiatives. This study also confirms that the application of green marketing can support companies in strengthening consumer green trust. The main focus of this study is to explore how green knowledge influences green trust by considering the role of green marketing, while highlighting the importance of transparent and effective green marketing strategies. This study provides relevant managerial contributions to the development of sustainable marketing practices.