The circular economy and consumer behaviour: The mediating role of information seeking in buying circular packaging

Abstract

The transition towards a circular economy is a crucial issue to pursue a more sustainable development. In this transition, consumers' comprehension and engagement are necessary points to guide them towards more environmentally conscious purchases. This study extends the understanding of green consumer behaviour by testing an integrated conceptual model that explores the influence of personal concern, other pro-environmental behaviours, greenwashing beliefs, consumer innovativeness, and personal predisposition to seeking information on the purchasing of circular packaging. We explored both the stand-alone and the mediating effects of information seeking. Data were collected from a questionnaire-based survey administered to a large and representative sample of Italian families, using 1,643 valid responses. We used structural equation modelling to test the proposed hypotheses. The results highlight the fundamental importance of seeking information in order to guide consumption choices that are more consistent with the circular economy. For managers, our paper suggests that packaging counts in purchasing decisions and that information is used by consumers to search for consistency between personal attitudes, other pro-environmental behaviours, and the circular attributes of packaging.

Determinants of consumer demand for circular economy products. A case for reuse and remanufacturing for sustainable development

“…It is promising that potential buyers respond with interest to offers labelled with clear information about the amount of circular content. Furthermore, our results corroborate findings on green consumer behaviour and circular packaging—Testa, Iovino, and Iraldo (2020) demonstrated the importance of clear and unambiguous information on circular packaging for environmentally motivated buyers. Unfortunately, it seems that the consumers' demand for products with a CE score is ahead of the actual supply.…”

Adoption of Circular Economy and Environmental Certifications: Perceptions of Tourism SMEs

“…On the one side, the raising of the greenwashing phenomenon (i.e., the process of conveying a false impression or providing misleading information about how a company's products are more environmentally sound) is damaging the credibility of the environmental certification (Testa, Boiral, & Iraldo, 2018). Although consumers are interested in green and circular products (Testa, Iovino, & Iraldo, 2020;Yang, 2017) but they are more skeptical of environmental certification reliability (Martín-de Castro, Amores-Salvadó, Navas-López, & Balarezo-Nuñez, 2017). On the other side, the synergies between environmental certifications such as ISO 14001, EMAS, and EU Ecolabel with the CE are not yet fully exploited (Marrucci et al, 2019).…”

Do carbon emissions accelerate low-carbon innovation? Evidence from 285 Chinese prefecture-level cities

“…While many countries are starting to make consuming products provide their carbon emissions data or carbon footprint labels, this is not enough. Media, governments, and enterprises should give more detailed explanations behind them, as it is difficult for people to respond to the information they do not understand (Testa et al 2020 ).…”