Assessing the Awareness and Attitudes Towards Green Smartphone Purchase Intention among University Academics in Sri Lanka

The rapid proliferation of smartphones in recent decades has led to e-waste. The significant environmental repercussions resulting from smartphone e-waste have lately become a major societal concern, making the long-term viability of green smartphones sceptical. Accordingly, the present study examines how the purchase intention of green smartphones is influenced by green awareness, environmental concern, altruism, and willingness to pay depicted by the academic members in the domain of Sri Lankan higher education. For this purpose, a quantitative approach was adopted, and data was collected from a cohort of 322 academic members, through a self-administered questionnaire. The results of the study proved a positive association between the green smartphone purchase intention of academic members and each of the variables; green awareness, environmental concern, altruism, and willingness to pay. Moreover, the results validated that altruism was the most predominant factor influential towards green smartphone purchase intention of academics. Furthermore, the study renders valuable environmental insights in the context of smartphone manufacturers and society. Similarly, it iterates on the responsibility of academics towards the environment in terms of their role in promoting sustainable consumption and production.