Pia Drechsel , Alexander H. Kracklauer , Klaus Menrad , Thomas Decker
{"title":"Packaging for a greener tomorrow: A structural equation model of consumer intentions to purchase environmentally friendly packaged foods in Germany","authors":"Pia Drechsel , Alexander H. Kracklauer , Klaus Menrad , Thomas Decker","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The intensive use of plastics, especially single-use packaging, in the food industry significantly impacts the environment. Reducing conventional food packaging is, therefore, a global challenge. While consumers drive market acceptance, it is essential to better understand their decision-making processes. Despite numerous studies, gaps remain in comprehending how consumers form preferences and behavioral intentions regarding sustainable food packaging, particularly concerning their affective and cognitive appraisals. This field study investigated 492 participants directly at the point of sale in four supermarkets across Germany, ensuring that participants were actively engaged in food-purchasing decisions, with their attention already focused on grocery shopping. The study reveals the multifarious factors influencing consumers' preferences and behavioral intentions toward environmentally friendly food packaging alternatives. By applying a structural equation model, it becomes evident that consumer choices are predominantly driven by preferences and emotions rather than knowledge and rational considerations. Environmental concerns also strongly influence consumer awareness and preferences; however, other factors have a greater impact on their behavioral intentions. Our study's distinct approach provides valuable insights into consumer decision-making and highlights that emotionally engaging consumers can strengthen their intrinsic motivation for responsible plastic packaging choices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100275"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
López-Sintas Jordi , Giuseppe Lamberti , Negin Abedini
{"title":"One size does not fit all consumers: How social context shape the behavioral drivers behind organic food purchases","authors":"López-Sintas Jordi , Giuseppe Lamberti , Negin Abedini","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100273","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the intricate relationship between cognitive sociology and sustainable eating practices, specifically focusing on organic food purchase behaviours. We aim to uncover the complex social drivers influencing these behaviours by bridging social practice theory with sustainable consumption patterns. We extend traditional models that primarily focus on individual drivers of eco-food purchase behaviours by examining how the broader social context shapes and modulates the strength of individual factors. Using data for a representative sample of the Spanish population, we developed a comprehensive model that reveals how social practices contribute to explaining heterogeneity in the effects of various drivers. Our analysis identified four distinct social mechanisms that shape organic food purchase practices. These mechanisms differ significantly in how they influence the sequential determinants of behaviour. Notably, we found that age and family lifecycle stage were more influential in explaining these differences than social position. The results of our study underscore the need for nuanced policy interventions sensitive to the heterogeneous social determinants of organic food purchase behaviours. We advocate for targeted approaches based on a deeper understanding of these social mechanisms, as this would lead to more effective and inclusive sustainable consumption policies. Our research contributes to the growing body of literature on sustainable consumption by highlighting the critical role of cognitive processes shaped by social food purchase behaviours in understanding and promoting sustainable nutrition. Our findings have significant implications for policymakers, marketers, and researchers seeking to encourage more sustainable food choices in diverse populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100273"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sustainable food consumption behaviors of generations Y and Z: A comparison study","authors":"My Hanh Doan, Anna-Lena Drossel, Remmer Sassen","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the differences in food consumption behaviors between generations Y and Z to support the strategy development for a generational transition towards sustainable food consumption. Empirical data for the study is collected through an online survey with the participation of 175 young people in Germany. The Young Consumers’ Sustainable Consumption Behaviors (YCSCB) scale by Fischer et al. (2017) is applied as a foundation for questionnaire development with necessary adaptation to the topic of the study. This analysis theoretically breaks down the sustainable food consumption behavior measurement into thematic sub-categories that reflect specific aspects of food consumption among young adults, including throwaway-, carnivore-, healthy-lifestyle, food awareness, and food cost saving. The findings show that generation Z has greater food cost savings than generation Y. Besides age, correlations between gender and sustainable parental household to sustainable food awareness and food cost savings were also found. In order to efficiently promote sustainable consumption ideology and habits to different generations, businesses and social policies should tailor marketing and education campaigns such as emphasizing food cost saving to generation Z, or highlighting health benefits to men. The methodology and measurement scale applied in this study could be replicated in different research settings across different population groups and contextual factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100272"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rameesha Zahir Khan, Lutfi Abdul Razak, Gamini Premaratne
{"title":"Green growth and sustainability: A systematic literature review on theories, measures and future directions","authors":"Rameesha Zahir Khan, Lutfi Abdul Razak, Gamini Premaratne","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100274","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green growth policies are designed to simultaneously tackle climate change and drive economic growth, making them increasingly prominent across various economies. Although qualitative, case-study-based research has provided valuable insights into green growth, there remains a significant gap in quantitative and cross-country analyses. To address this research deficit, it is essential to have a more comprehensive understanding of the green growth literature. Accordingly, our objectives are threefold: (i) to highlight the concepts, definition, and underlying theories of green growth as documented in the literature; (ii) to identify the trends of publications in the green growth literature and highlight the emerging research areas of green growth; and (iii) to state the identified gap in previous studies and other worthwhile empirical investigations for subsequent examination by future studies on green growth. We utilized the 5 databases Scopus, IEEE Explore, Web of Science (WoS), Springer Nature and Google Scholar, VOSviewer, and Biblioshiny R package to examine 13,552 publications published between 1991 and 2024. After deploying a comprehensive screening process, the review considered 167 final studies based on the importance of green growth. The study highlights influential authors and emphasizes the dominant role of green technological innovations, renewable energy consumption, and digitalization on environmental sustainability. Keyword clusters related to green growth include green economic growth and ecological sustainability. Our findings suggest that some measures have been adopted to capture the level of green growth, including a single indicator, data envelopment analysis, and the composite index. Furthermore, enormous investigations have been conducted in some regions of green growth. Other Areas, such as circular economy, waste management, governance, and quality institutions, have not received as much interest. Finally, our research highlights data limitations significantly hindering more robust assessments across countries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100274"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143824184","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Empirical analysis of smart eating habits","authors":"Ayu Washizu , Ita Sayaka","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There remains a lack of theoretical understanding regarding the effects of smart systems on people's eating habits. Furthermore, few empirical studies have comprehensively analyzed the impact of smart food systems on users, considering the users' environmental orientation. To address this gap, we conducted an empirical analysis using a uniquely designed questionnaire survey and investigated the influence of smart social background and smart consciousness and behavior on cooking effort indicators among cooks utilizing convenience foods. Our analysis employed a theoretical model based on the household production function. Our empirical findings show that smart social background, consciousness, and behavior, along with increased environmental orientation, amplify convenience food use reducing cooking efforts among cooks. Our theoretical model suggests that cooks with smart and environmentally oriented behaviors tend to have more comprehensive eating habits and value on their cooking efforts, allowing them to choose their level of engagement wisely. However, if cooks aim to reduce their environmental impact without awareness of superior convenience food options, they might exert more effort. Smarter eating habits consistently improve cooks' well-being, particularly when combined with an environmental orientation towards convenience foods. Providing environmentally oriented cooks with guidance on the appropriate use of convenience foods emerges as a critical policy consideration. Furthermore, currently available convenience foods do not alleviate the burden on cooks when making menu decisions. Thus, it is essential to develop policies addressing these challenges. This study confirmed that smarter eating habits and an environmental orientation experience consistently improve the well-being of cooks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100271"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143768566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The influence of carbon perception on sustainable behaviors: Tailoring sustainability strategies based on individuals' levels of openness to green technology adoption","authors":"Sasichakorn Wongsaichia , Teerapong Pienwisetkaew , Wanwisa Wannapipat , Khwanjira Ponsree , Chavis Ketkaew","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100270","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global concerns over rising carbon emissions emphasize the critical role of individual actions in mitigating climate change. Technology provides a powerful means to support sustainable behavior, offering tools that help individuals monitor, manage, and reduce their carbon footprints effectively. This study extends the value-belief-norm theory to examine how perceived carbon impact influences sustainable behavior, focusing on how openness to green technology adoption (traditionalists versus technology enthusiasts) moderates this relationship. We explore both direct and indirect pathways from perceived carbon impact to sustainable behavior, with environmental awareness and intention to adopt green technology as key mediators. Using multigroup structural equation modeling, data from 542 users of a carbon footprint platform in Thailand were analyzed. Results reveal distinct pathways: traditionalists rely on an indirect route where perceived carbon impact promotes sustainable behavior through enhanced environmental awareness and intention, while technology enthusiasts display a direct link between perceived carbon impact and sustainable behavior. Despite these differences, the overall effect of perceived carbon impact on sustainable behavior remains similar across groups. These findings underscore the need for targeted sustainability interventions. For traditionalists, strategies that build environmental awareness and foster intentions to adopt green technologies are more effective, whereas for technology enthusiasts, emphasizing direct technology-enabled actions can drive significant behavioral change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100270"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring AI-enabled green marketing and green intention: An integrated PLS-SEM and NCA approach","authors":"Osama Sohaib , Aamna Alshemeili , Tariq Bhatti","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the world becomes more conscious of sustainability issues, businesses are progressively adopting green marketing tactics to attract environmentally aware customers. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed green marketing, opening up novel avenues for promoting sustainable consumption. This study explores various AI-enabled green marketing strategies (AI-enabled strategic, Tactical and Internal green marketing orientation) and their impact on fostering customer trust and satisfaction, ultimately influencing green intention. Data were collected from consumers in the UAE. The research uses an integrated approach, combining Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). The findings from both PLS-SEM and NCA highlight the significance of AI-enabled green marketing, trust, and satisfaction as essential factors for fostering green intention. Additionally, Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) offers further insights and managerial recommendations for enhancing sustainability practices. This study sheds light on the potential of AI in shaping green marketing strategies and their influence on driving sustainable consumer behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100269"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705729","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mariarosaria Simeone , Fabio Verneau , Carlo Russo
{"title":"Me, us, or the planet: Who comes first? An explanatory analysis of consumer motivation for sustainable food consumption","authors":"Mariarosaria Simeone , Fabio Verneau , Carlo Russo","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines three key research questions related to altruistic and egoistic motivations for sustainable behavior. It explores whether altruism is an intrinsic characteristic or context-dependent, if the distinction between altruism and egoism should be modeled as a binary or a continuum, and whether a linear or multidimensional approach is more suitable. The study, conducted using data from a sample of 396 Italian consumers suggests that motivations for sustainable consumption may shift depending on specific issues and highlights the limitations of using a binary framework to measure these motivations. This research contributes to understanding the complex drivers behind sustainable behavior emphasizing the roles of egoism and altruism. It was found that these motivations vary across consumers, with altruism emerging as a mix of personal traits and contextual factors. Furthermore, a binary framework for understanding consumer attitudes is insufficient, as a third group was identified, blending both altruistic and egoistic elements. The study also highlighted the importance of awareness campaigns and suggested that combining altruistic and egoistic appeals in advertising can be more effective than focusing on just one motivation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100268"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143791856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yu Ge , Haochuan Wang , Kenny Soon Lee Cheah , Azni Zarina Binti Taha
{"title":"Examining the role of social media in fostering responsible consumption: Insights from Bitcoin Adoption trends (2015–2023)","authors":"Yu Ge , Haochuan Wang , Kenny Soon Lee Cheah , Azni Zarina Binti Taha","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social media plays a critical role in influencing Bitcoin adoption trends from 2015 to 2023, acting as both an enabler and a disruptor. While platforms have enhanced public awareness of cryptocurrency, they have also fuelled challenges such as misinformation and impulsive behavior, often undermining responsible consumption of Bitcoin as a financial tool. This dual role underscores the need for targeted interventions to ensure that the adoption of Bitcoin aligns with ethical and informed practices. To foster responsible consumption, social media platforms must address the issue of content imbalance. Algorithms that prioritize sensationalism over educational material often mislead users, steering them toward impulsive decisions. A redesign of these algorithms is essential to elevate balanced, fact-based content that empowers users to make informed choices about Bitcoin. Additionally, introducing verified content tags can serve as a vital measure to combat misinformation, ensuring that users can easily identify credible information sources. Regulatory frameworks are another cornerstone of promoting responsible consumption in the cryptocurrency space. By implementing transparency guidelines and ethical standards for influencers and content creators, stakeholders can mitigate manipulation and foster trust within the digital ecosystem. By integrating these measures, social media can evolve into a platform that not only supports Bitcoin adoption but also ensures it is guided by responsible consumption principles. Such a transformation is vital to harnessing social media's potential while minimizing the risks posed to individuals and the broader financial community.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100266"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143643296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Benefit perceptions and their influence on the willingness to join community supported agriculture (CSA)","authors":"Stefan Galley , Rita Saleh , Patrick Bottazzi","doi":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clrc.2025.100263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we focus on non-members’ benefit perception of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and their willingness to join. We look into how information impacts the perception of CSA benefits, their relevance, and how these benefits and other factors such as trust levels, subjective knowledge, sustainable food shopping behaviour, political orientation and socio-demographics, influence the willingness to join. We conducted an online between-subject experiment. Respondents (N = 754) were divided in six groups, five groups were exposed to one benefit of CSA (i.e., either to the nutritional, sustainability, solidarity, transparency or community benefit) each, with the sixth group being the control group. Our experiment revealed that regardless of the information given, farmers were perceived to benefit the most from CSA, followed by society and lastly by the individual. However, all participants ranked individual benefits and environmental sustainability as most important for them, followed by solidarity with farmers, transparency and community aspects. Moreover, the results show that the more beneficial CSAs are seen, the higher the willingness to join. While information on benefits such as solidarity with farmers, nutritional quality and community are effective in reaching young, educated and often female members, nutritional benefits are addressing environmentally conscious and conservative consumers. Overall, information on nutrition and environmental sustainability led to the highest wilingness to join. By communicating primarily about the nutritional benefits and environmental sustainability of CSAs, and not only about altruistic benefits, a wider spread and integration of CSA could be achieved, ultimately fostering a sustainable food production and consumption mindset.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34617,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner and Responsible Consumption","volume":"17 ","pages":"Article 100263"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143610499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}