Why do green consumers engage in excessive consumption? The role of moral licensing and cognitive bias

Green consumption is widely promoted for its environmental benefits; however, it may also lead to unintended and even counterproductive ecological outcomes. Due to the altruistic social symbolism of green consumption and consumers' cognitive misunderstandings, promoting green consumption may trigger excessive consumption, a phenomenon often referred to as the green consumption trap. Based on the green consumption licensing effect (GCLE) and environmental cognitive bias (ECB), this study investigates the underlying mechanism of excessive consumption after green consumption, with a focus on the moderating role of pro-environmental self-identity (PESI). Using the data from scenario-based experiments, the analysis reveals that both GCLE and ECB increase the likelihood of excessive consumption after green consumption. PESI exacerbates the excessive consumption caused by GCLE and ECB. These findings highlight the importance of reducing the altruistic hints in green marketing, improving consumers' environmental cognitive capacity, and perfecting the policy incentive mechanism to mitigate excessive green consumption.