Perceived circular-economy transparency in electronics markets: green authenticity and greenwashing skepticism as boundary conditions for responsible purchase intention

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between perceived circular-economy transparency (CET) and responsible purchase intention (RPI) in the Saudi electronics market. It also investigates whether perceived green authenticity (PGA) mediates this relationship and whether the proposed mechanism is weaker among consumers reporting higher levels of greenwashing skepticism (GWS). Data were obtained through a cross-sectional online survey of 400 adult electronics consumers in Saudi Arabia. Direct, indirect, moderated and conditional indirect effects were estimated using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4 with bootstrapping. Perceived CET was positively associated with PGA and self-reported RPI, while PGA was also positively associated with RPI. PGA also statistically mediated the CET-RPI association. In addition, GWS weakened the CET-PGA path and, to a smaller extent, the PGA-RPI path, so the indirect association was stronger at lower skepticism and weaker at higher skepticism. Because the design is cross-sectional and self-reported, the findings should be interpreted as theory-driven associations rather than causal effects. The study contributes to circular-economy communication research by showing that the perceived transparency-RPI association in electronics markets is partly linked to authenticity evaluations and conditioned by skepticism toward green claims. It also suggests that electronics brands and policymakers should pair circularity disclosures with credible, comparable, and decision-relevant evidence. Future research should directly test labels, traceability systems, third-party verification, and digital product passport-like tools through experimental or longitudinal designs.