With the rapid development of the green consumption market, frequent incidents of green product failures may trigger stronger negative word-of-mouth from consumers. Existing research has predominantly focused on the purchase decision stage, with insufficient attention paid to post-consumption failure scenarios. This study aims to investigate whether green product failures (compared to traditional product failures) exacerbate negative word-of-mouth and to uncover the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions. Based on expectation-disconfirmation theory, it is proposed that green product failures induce higher levels of expectation disconfirmation, leading to stronger negative word-of-mouth. The type of green attribute (core vs. peripheral) moderates this relationship, with stronger negative effects observed when the green attribute is core and directly related to the product's primary function. Through three scenario-based experiments, the results confirm that green product failures indeed trigger stronger negative word-of-mouth than traditional product failures, with expectation disconfirmation mediating this relationship. Moreover, compared to peripheral attributes, core green attributes amplify the negative effect. This study extends the perspective of green consumption research from the purchase stage to the usage stage, revealing the transformation mechanism of green attributes from a "protective shield" to a "magnifying glass" in failure scenarios, providing theoretical foundations for managing green product crises and optimizing marketing communication.

Green Products, Product Failure, Negative Word-of-mouth, Expectation-disconfirmation Theory, Core Green Attributes, Peripheral Green Attributes, Consumer Behavior