Purpose: This paper aims to explore the influence of social frame (worker vs animal rights), product category (hedonic vs utilitarian) and social presence (similar age, younger and older) on expected shame and purchase intentions for sustainable products. Design/methodology/approach: This study used an online experiment with a 3 × 2 between-subjects design to manipulate social frame (workers vs animal rights and a control group) and product category (hedonic vs utilitarian) with 252 young German consumers (under 30 years old). Findings: This study finds that social frame and social presence influence expected shame, which in turn positively affects purchase intentions for sustainable products, in the presence of people with similar age, but with no difference between hedonic and utilitarian product types. Research limitations/implications: This study tested the influence of social frame, product type and social presence on German young consumers using specific purchase scenarios. Future research may test the generalizability of the model in diverse cultural settings. Practical implications: This study would help marketers and public policymakers identify factors that may motivate young consumers to act in a sustainable manner and to develop suitable strategies and messages to improve their pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Originality/value: This study uses Schwartz’s norm activation theory to investigate the link between consumer emotions and sustainable consumption and shows that social sustainability can trigger expected shame through message framing especially in the presence of others, which in turn could increase the probability of environment-friendly product choice.