THE ROLE OF ETHICS ON THE GREEN BEHAVIOUR OF ORGANIC FOOD IN INDONESIA: A CASE OF NORTH SUMATER

This study attempts to construct the role of ethics in strengthening consumer behavior in purchasing organic food. The role of ethics is not an influencing variable but is a moderator variable. The purpose of this research is to create a model of organic products purchases in North Sumatera, Indonesia. In addition, this study aims to understand the consumers' intention of buying organic food. It also explores the moderating effect of ethics on consumer behavior. It is worth noting that the demand for organic food in North Sumatera, Indonesia, is relatively very low. Most efforts in boosting organic product demand focus on introducing these foods to the public. This includes explaining to the masses that consuming organic products will help the environment. Nevertheless, these efforts have shown no impact. The subjects of this study were consumers who purchase organic food in North Sumatera. This study was conducted using a sample of 300 respondents drawn from some local markets that sell organic food in North Sumatera, Indonesia. The results suggested that ethics strengthens attitude, and moderating variables of ethics did not have a significant impact on increasing the subjective norms of the intention in buying organic products