The Better of Two 'Goods’: Choice Given a Trade-Off Between Pro-Social and Pro-Environmental Performance (original) (raw)

Consumer Perceptions of the Social Vs. Environmental Dimensions of Sustainability

Prior research on sustainable consumption has addressed a variety of issues yet is characterized by mixed results. Researchers have often treated sustainability as a uni-dimensional construct, overlooking important differences and thwarting a better understanding of consumer response. We demonstrate that consumers perceive the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability as psychologically distinct in theoretically and practically important ways. Specifically, consumers associate the social dimension of sustainability more with affective, short-term, and local considerations and the environmental dimension more with cognitive, long-term, and global considerations. We identify and explore these distinctions in a qualitative pilot study, which subsequently motivated development of three hypotheses. We provide evidence supporting these hypotheses in a series of five studies. Our findings enable a reinterpretation of prior equivocal research, serve as a foundation for future research, and provide guidance for how policy-makers can tailor policy and related communication efforts depending on whether the focal issue is related to social versus environmental concerns.

Sustainability: Consumer Perceptions and Marketing Strategies

Business Strategy and the Environment, 2006

Studies of green consumer behaviour, in particular purchasing and disposal, have largely focused on demographics and/or socio-demographics, with mixed and frequently contradictory results. To move the debate forward, we investigated a wide range of 40 sustainability activities with 78 consumers, who placed each activity on a matrix according to perceived effort and perceived difference to the environment. Patterns both across respondents and between certain pairs of activities were identified, and we suggest that this model increases our understanding of how consumers view sustainable activities. Marketers can use this information to consider marketing strategies that positively influence consumers' perceptions of such activities.

Sociological/Activist Commentary on “Consumer Perceptions of Sustainability: A Free Elicitation Study” by Bonnie J. K. Simpson and Scott K. Radford

Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 2012

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The many faces of sustainability-conscious consumers: A category-independent typology

Journal of Business Research, 2018

Responding to the global call for a "sustainable economy" requires meaningful insights into sustainabilityconscious consumers and their actual buying behaviors. Sustainable consumption is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon because it encompasses several distinct behavioral patterns and consumption types. Therefore, companies are well advised to recognize multiple types of sustainability-conscious consumers with different expectations, attitudes, and values and to implement targeting strategies that do not rest on the assumption of homogeneity. Thus, the objective of this study is to provide a more fine-grained picture of (un)sustainable consumer segments and their differentiated effects in different product markets. Based on three large datasets, we create a robust six-segment typology of consumer consciousness regarding sustainable consumption. By using panel data on actual purchases, the results show not only that sustainability concerns significantly positively influence actual sustainable purchases, as expected, but also that sustainable buying can occur independently of sustainability concerns.

Trade-offs involved in sustainable consumption practices: A study on consumer perception

2022

This article investigates how consumers perceive the trade-offs involved in sustainable consumption. It consists of an exploratory field study, with a qualitative approach, in which 9 consumers who declared themselves adept at sustainable consumption were interviewed. Most of the interviewees were aware that there are trade-offs involved in this consumption. Nevertheless, it was observed that they tend to simplify the concepts addressed, emphasizing the environmental aspect, in particular, the disposal of waste. This trend is reflected in consumption practices, which are highly focused on reuse to the detriment of other aspects of sustainability such as saving resources and non-consumption

Sustainable consumer behavior

Consumer Psychology Review

Most agree that climate change is a serious threat. It has increasingly been recognized by scientists and policymakers as a consumer behavior issue: What, how, and how much people consume directly impacts the environment. Sustainable consumer behavior is behavior that attempts to satisfy present needs while simultaneously benefiting or limiting environmental impact. Moreover, understanding sustainable consumer behavior is central to any paradigm shifts in how society approaches environmental problems. This article summarizes and organizes research from the past 20 years and explores the psychological drivers of sustainable consumer behavior. Four areas of scientific inquiry that have dominated research agendas are identified: (a) cognitive barriers, (b) the self, (c) social influence, and (d) product characteristics. The objective is to provide a valuable research tool that stimulates additional research in the area of sustainable consumer behavior.

Sustainable Purchasing Patterns and Consumer Responsiveness to Sustainability Marketing Messages

Journal of Sustainability Research

Background: Retailers and brand managers may be reticent to introduce products that are marketed as sustainable because prior research identifies a discrepancy between what consumers say they intend to purchase (via survey) and what they actually do at retail (via purchases). This research shows that despite this gap, products that have sustainable claims on their package are outperforming growth of conventional products in respective categories. Methods: We conducted a large-scale study of U.S. consumer purchases using IRI retail barcode data from 2013 to 2018, analyzing 36 consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories, representing 41% of total CPG dollar volume. We conducted detailed analyses of marketing messages from a subset of categories representing both high and low sustainabilitymarketed share development. Results: We calculated that ~50% of the growth in the in-sample CPG market came from sustainability-marketed products. These products accounted for 17% share of market ($) in 2018, up from 14% in 2013. Our detailed marketing-message analysis in five categories found: • The most commonly found sustainability messages were category specific. Organic was the most dominant. • Legacy (mainstream) brands that adopted sustainability messages contributed more to share increases of sustainability-marketed products than smaller, non-legacy brands. • Higher efficacy products with sustainability claims had lower market share than lower efficacy products. However, in a study of one product category, we found that sustainability-marketed products performed best when accompanied by explicit efficacy claims. • In four of the five categories examined, third-party certified sustainability-marketed products significantly outgrew sustainable products that had sustainable messaging, but no third-party certification.

Sustainable Purchasing Patterns and Consumer Responsiveness to Sustainability Marketing

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2019

Background: Retailers and brand managers may be reticent to introduce products that are marketed as sustainable because prior research identifies a discrepancy between what consumers say they intend to purchase (via survey) and what they actually do at retail (via purchases). This research shows that despite this gap, products that have sustainable claims on their package are outperforming growth of conventional products in respective categories. Methods: We conducted a large-scale study of U.S. consumer purchases using IRI retail barcode data from 2013 to 2018, analyzing 36 consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories, representing 41% of total CPG dollar volume. We conducted detailed analyses of marketing messages from a subset of categories representing both high and low sustainabilitymarketed share development. Results: We calculated that ~50% of the growth in the in-sample CPG market came from sustainability-marketed products. These products accounted for 17% share of market ($) in 2018, up from 14% in 2013. Our detailed marketing-message analysis in five categories found: • The most commonly found sustainability messages were category specific. Organic was the most dominant. • Legacy (mainstream) brands that adopted sustainability messages contributed more to share increases of sustainability-marketed products than smaller, non-legacy brands. • Higher efficacy products with sustainability claims had lower market share than lower efficacy products. However, in a study of one product category, we found that sustainability-marketed products performed best when accompanied by explicit efficacy claims. • In four of the five categories examined, third-party certified sustainability-marketed products significantly outgrew sustainable products that had sustainable messaging, but no third-party certification.