Too innovative to be recycled: The role of perceived innovativeness in recycled product advertisements

Abstract

With the advent of various technological advancements, companies can now recycle unique waste materials that would otherwise be dumped into landfills (e.g., coffee grounds) and highlight their engagement in sustainable business practices. Using four scenario-based experimental studies alongside analyses of variance (ANOVA) and regression methodologies, we investigated the role of perceived recycling innovativeness in consumers' responses to recycled product advertisements. Our results revealed that consumers are less likely to purchase recycled products made from unique waste materials that are considered more innovative compared to products made from typical waste materials. Furthermore, our findings showed that inferences of low quality mediate the negative effect of innovative recycling on purchase intention. This effect was attenuated by consumers' purchase goals and the availability of recycling process information. This work's theoretical contribution is its expansion of knowledge on how consumers infer recycled products' performance based on information about the source materials. Practically, this work offers recommendations on ways to prevent the negative influence of disclosing source materials used in a recycled product.