Green State Regulation and Sustainable Consumption: Evidence from Eco-Conscious Prosumers

Climate change and the transition toward sustainable development have increased interest in the institutional and psychological factors shaping sustainable consumption behavior. This study investigates how perceived government regulation, perceived corporate environmental responsibility, sustainable production practices, perceived digital environmental transparency, and eco-anxiety jointly influence sustainable consumption behavior among eco-conscious producer-consumers in Azerbaijan. Data were obtained from 425 eco-conscious producer-consumers through a structured questionnaire, and the proposed research model was empirically examined using Structural Equation Modeling. The findings indicate that perceived government regulation positively influences perceived corporate environmental responsibility, which subsequently enhances sustainable production practices. However, sustainable production practices do not exert a significant direct effect on sustainable consumption behavior. The results further demonstrate that perceived digital environmental transparency partially mediates the relationship between corporate environmental responsibility and sustainable consumption behavior, while eco-anxiety positively moderates the relationship between perceived government regulation and sustainable consumption behavior. These findings suggest that self-reported sustainable consumption behavior is shaped by individuals’ perceptions of institutional and organizational sustainability signals, perceived transparency of sustainability communication, and psychological responses to environmental challenges. The study contributes to the sustainability literature by providing evidence from eco-conscious producer-consumers in an emerging sustainability-transition context and highlights the importance of integrating governance, corporate responsibility, digital transparency, and environmental concern within a unified analytical framework.