Citation: Khalil, M.K.; Khalil, R. Leveraging Buyers’ Interest in ESG Investments through Sustainability Awareness. Sustainability 2022, 14, 14278. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su142114278 Academic Editors: Ohbyung Kwon, Sujin Bae and Min-jeong Suh Received: 22 September 2022 Accepted: 13 October 2022 Published: 1 November 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Article Leveraging Buyers’ Interest in ESG Investments through Sustainability Awareness Muhammad Khuram Khalil 1,2, * and Rashid Khalil 1,3, * 1 Department of Management Studies, Middle East College, Knowledge Oasis, Muscat 124, Oman 2 Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand 3 College of Business, University Utara Malaysia, Bukit Kayu Hitam 60610, Malaysia * Correspondence: mkhalil@mec.edu.om or khuramkhalil93@gmail.com (M.K.K.); rkhalil@mec.edu.om or rashid_khalil@oyagsb.uum.edu.my (R.K.) Abstract: Currently, organizations often take into consideration the environmental, social, and gover- nance (ESG) principles by following a more inclusive approach together with potential other emerging practices that attract more consumers who have particular affiliations with the environment. This study investigates the influence of social and environmental sustainability awareness practices on impulse buying through a proposed set of hypotheses. The hypothetical model is based on (441) valid responses from Omani buyers via an online research survey. Data were processed using CFA and SEM techniques. Results indicate that social and environmental sustainability awareness has a pro- ductive relationship with green trust that strengthens impulse buying. Environmental sustainability awareness positively links with green altruism, which further enhances the impulse. By taking gender as a moderator, it has an encouraging impact on social and environmental sustainability awareness. Environmental sustainability awareness and green altruism have a constructive relationship within males rather than females. Based on the unique connection between sustainability practices and impulse buying, the current study’s results indicate that if firms take appropriate steps to implement sustainability practices in their operations, sustainability commitment can promote the environmental and social well-being of consumers and the establishment of trust. Such practices enable companies to achieve their sustainability reporting goals and SDGs. Social and environmental sustainability practices protect from the harmful effects of social and environmental influences in mitigating the uncertainty of consumers’ buying behavior. Such productive sustainability practices compel buyers to purchase products impulsively at premium prices. The study strongly recommends policymakers and marketers focusing on environmental and social sustainability awareness and green altruism. Keywords: social sustainability awareness; environmental sustainability awareness; impulse buying; ESG; structural equation modeling 1. Introduction Consumers have shown their concerns about social and environmental safety in recent years due to the deleterious effects of COVID-19 and climate action. Consumers are aware of environmental degradation caused by the ingredients used for everyday product us- age [1]. As the cause of environmental pollution and degradation, consumers have become seriously conscious about their consumption patterns for the protection of the environ- ment, and their interest and intention toward sustainable offerings have grown to such an extent that they are ready to pay more for such products [2]. Apart from relying on and satisfying their personal needs in terms of social and environmental safety, the consumer has become a key concern [3]. There is a chance that the buyer’s purchase decisions are likely to be influenced by this increasing awareness and their inclination toward impulse buying [4]. Furthermore, firms emphasize sustainability practices due to strict environmen- tal regulation mechanisms and increasing stakeholders’ pressure regarding environmental Sustainability 2022, 14, 14278. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114278 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability