Cleaner production, social responsibility and eco-innovation: Generations' perception for a sustainable future

The increase in population, the high consumption of food and products, as well as the generation of domestic and industrial waste has triggered impacts on the environment, which compromises the maintenance of natural resources for a sustainable future. Cleaner Production, Social Responsibility and Eco-Innovation aim at sustainability, where Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Consumption include the principles and values linked to the environment issues that contribute to a sustainable future. This study aims to measure the Environmental Awareness antecedent relations, considering the constructs of Cleaner production, Social Responsibility and Eco-Innovation. The study also analyzes the relationship between Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Consumption, as well as their moderating effect on the Baby boomers and the X and Y generations on the relationships between the constructs. The research is based on the perception of 1123 participants from different generations from the region of south Brazil (the States of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná) and the method includes a quantitative and descriptive research, through modeling of structural equations. The results highlight that there is an important relationship between Cleaner production, Social Responsibility and Eco-Innovation, which positively influences Environmental Awareness and consequently, Sustainable Consumption through generations. The study also shows a strong correlation between Cleaner production and Eco-Innovation. In this context, both generations present different perceptions about these constructs; however, the Baby boomers generation presented a greater perception from the Cleaner production actions carried out by the companies. Consequently, it is evident for the companies to start disclosing Cleaner production as an opportunity window, which stimulates Sustainable Consumption and benefit the environment. Such positioning may become fundamental for the maintenance of natural resources and the quality of life for future generations.