OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open-access peer-reviewed journal
https://doi.org/10.64211/oidaijsd190503
Statistical Modelling of Sustainable Digital Consumerism: Data-driven Strategies for Environmental and Social Impact in Indian markets
Shriram N. Kargaonkar 1*, Surekha Gaikwad 2, Dinkar Rathod 3, Jeevan Kasabe 4, Reetuja Deshpande 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 MAEER’s MIT Arts, Commerce, and Science College, Alandi, Pune, India,
* Corresponding author: shriramkargaonkar9@gmail.com
Volume 19, Issue 05, Pg. 35-56, 2026.
Abstract: In an era where sustainability is both a corporate mandate and a societal-imperative, digital-marketing offers a transformative pathway for advancing environmentally responsible and socially inclusive consumer behavior. This research investigates how Indian businesses can strategically recalibrate their digital marketing approaches to embed sustainability principles at scale. Anchored in India’s distinctive socio-economic and cultural landscape, the study contextualizes Sustainable-Digital-Consumerism (SDC) through the lens of post-COVID-19 digital acceleration, heightened environmental consciousness, and evolving consumer expectations. A comprehensive mixed-methods design was adopted, integrating primary survey responses from 600 urban and peri-urban consumers with secondary e-commerce transaction data, product Life-Cycle-Assessment (LCA) metrics, and social media analytics. The Sustainable-Consumerism-Index (SCI) was developed using EFA (KMO = 0.803, Cronbach’s α = 0.87), yielding five robust dimensions: environmental concern, social responsibility, trust in sustainability claims, convenience, and affordability. Advanced analytics – including Bayesian hierarchical regression, Structural-Equation-Modelling (CFI = 0.961, RMSEA = 0.044), Propensity-Score-Matching, Difference-in-Differences, and RF-classification (AUC = 0.91) – demonstrate that a one standard deviation increase in SCI boosts purchase odds by 46%, while eco-label presence increases likelihood by 34%. Interventions produced a 16.5 percentage point net uplift in sustainable purchase rates, with scalability projections indicating potential annual reductions of 5.3 Mt CO₂e, 1.9 billion litres in water-savings, and diversion of 260,000 tonnes of waste from landfills. Findings underscore that SDC is not only feasible but essential in India’s competitive digital-economy. The proposed strategic framework – aligned with SDG-12 (Responsible-Consumption-and-Production) and SDG-13 (Climate Action) – equips marketers, policymakers, and platform designers with evidence-based, statistically-rigorous, and operationally scalable tools to drive responsible growth through innovation, transparency, and environmental stewardship.
Keywords: Bayesian Analytics, ESG Strategy, Green Digital Marketing, Sustainable Consumerism Index, Structural Equation Modelling, Sustainable Development Goals
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