Sustainable consumption behavior: unveiling the influence of awareness, attitudes, emotions and organizational behavior

Purpose The urgency of environmental challenges has heightened the need to understand the psychological and organizational drivers of sustainable consumption behavior (SCB). This study examines the effect of environmental awareness (EA) on SCB, incorporating emotional contagion (EC) and environmental attitude (ENA) as mediating variables, and environmental organizational support (EOS) as a moderating factor, drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and emotional contagion theory (ECT). Design/methodology/approach To test the hypothesized relationships, data were collected through an online survey of 259 guests from five-star hotels in Greater Cairo, Egypt, using convenience sampling. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to assess the measurement and structural models. Findings The results indicate that EA significantly influences EC and ENA and has a modest direct impact on SCB. Both EC and ENA partially mediate the EA–SCB relationship, emphasizing the importance of emotional and attitudinal pathways in translating awareness into action. Furthermore, EOS significantly moderates the relationships between EA, EC, ENA and SCB, underscoring the role of supportive organizational contexts in reinforcing sustainable behaviors. Research limitations/implications As sustainability becomes a strategic imperative, particularly in developing economies, the findings offer theoretical advancements by integrating TPB and ECT to explain the interplay between awareness, emotions, attitudes and organizational support in shaping SCB. Originality/value This research introduces and empirically tests a novel integrated model that bridges psychological and organizational perspectives to explain sustainable consumption in the hospitality sector within an under-researched emerging economy context.