<p>Consumer food waste and the rejection of imperfect produce result in substantial environmental and economic losses across agri-food supply chains. Although public awareness of these issues is increasing, many consumers still avoid visually imperfect fruits like bananas due to psychological, social, and behavioural barriers. Existing research has largely examined these factors in isolation, offering limited insight into how moral norms, environmental concern, and social interactions jointly shape consumer valuation of imperfect perishable foods. This study addresses this gap by examining how pro-environmental behaviours shape consumers’ preference for imperfect bananas, thereby extending consumer and future foods research beyond cosmetic standards and price-based explanations. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory, the study develops an integrated behavioural framework that captures both intention-driven and value-based motivations underlying consumer acceptance of imperfect produce, as these models are appropriate for analysing how attitudes, social norms, perceived control, and moral values systematically shape sustainability-related decisions. Using survey data collected from consumers across multiple regions in Queensland, Australia, the analysis applies ordinal regression to examine behavioural, social, and environmental drivers of acceptance. The findings indicate that openness to processed banana products and environmentally motivated consumption practices play a central role in shaping consumer acceptance of imperfect bananas. Notably, social interactions related to food preferences may discourage acceptance, suggesting that prevailing social norms may act as barriers. These insights highlight the importance of promoting processed banana options and designing targeted environmental messages—such as campaigns emphasizing food waste reduction, environmental benefits, and the nutritional equivalence of imperfect produce while addressing social barriers to shift attitudes. The study provides practical implications for policymakers, retailers, and environmental advocates by highlighting the need for targeted food waste reduction campaigns, value-based retail strategies, and consumer education initiatives that reframe imperfect fruits as environmentally responsible choices, thereby supporting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through more sustainable consumer behaviour and reduced food waste.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>