New Tools for Environmental Protection Education, Information, and Voluntary Measures (2002) / Chapter Skim
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5. Promoting 'Green' Consumer Behavior with Eco-Labels
5. Promoting 'Green' Consumer Behavior with Eco-Labels
Pages 83-104
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From page 83... ...
The increasing popularity of product-oriented environmental policy in Europe and elsewhere is based on the perception that the abatement of pollution from industrial and other large sources is now within reach. Hence, the relative importance of pollution from "nonpoint" sources (Milj0styrelsen, 1996)
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From page 84... ...
Eco-labeling is unique in that it rewards proactive companies and thereby has the capacity to harness their innovative creativity to the environmental policy carriage, instead of directing it toward ways of avoiding the consequences of regulation (e.g., Tenbrunsel et al., 1997~. In addition, it is hoped that eco-labeling will help increase consumer attention toward, and knowledge about, the environmental risks associated with consumption (Beckman et al., 1995; Milj0- og Energiministeriet, 1999; Nordic Council of Ministers, 2001; OECD, 1991, 1997a; EPA, 1998~.
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From page 85... ...
products is a behavioral category consisting of many independent actions, rather than just a single action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980~. An important question, which to my knowledge remains to be answered, is whether consumers form mental categories based on eco-labels, as they have been known to do based on (some)
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From page 86... ...
This would increase the likelihood of repeat purchase of eco-labeled products and speed up the adoption process for other new products wearing the same label. There is evidence that mental categories carry affect, which is used when evaluating entities that fit the category (Cohen, 1982; Fiske and Pavelchak, 1986~.
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From page 87... ...
The most thoroughly evaluated schemes the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation's "Good Environmental Choice" label, the Nordic Council of Ministers' Swan label, and the German Blue Angel label are presumably also the most successful ones. For example, the Blue Angel has been credited for a reduction in emissions of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides from oil and gas heating appliances by more than 30 percent and for a reduction in the amount of solvents emitted from paints and varnishes into the environment by some 40,000 tons (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 1995~.
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From page 88... ...
In Denmark the unaided recall in 1999 was a much lower 18 percent. Although the Swan label was introduced in the other Nordic countries in 1989, Denmark only became a full member of this labeling scheme in the beginning of 1998, which undoubtedly explains the difference.
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From page 89... ...
In Denmark, 31 percent of the respondents mentioned the national organic food label (the 0-label) unaided, which is substantially higher than in the other Nordic countries.3 The unaided recall of EU's Flower label was below 2 percent in all four countries, and most other environment-related labels also achieved low unaided recall (Palm and Jarlbro, 1999~.
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From page 90... ...
Hence, campaigns that effectively target the confusion may lead to a substantial increase in the sale of labeled products, as illustrated by the "Get in the Loop, Buy Recycled" campaign in the state of Washington in 1994-1995.5 Through a focused effort to increase awareness of products with recycled content and comprehension of the claim, the campaign produced a 58-percent increase in sales of recycled products in participating grocery stores. The campaign included prompts placed below products, which served to highlight product availability and substantiate manufacturer recycled content claims.
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From page 91... ...
Unfortunately, and perhaps because they are outnumbered so many times by private labels and other types of environmental information, consumers often are uncertain or hold outright erroneous beliefs about who issues third-party labels (e.g., Bekholm and Sejersen, 1997; Tufte and Lavik, 1997~. A Norwegian study found that such mistakes reduce the trust in the Nordic Swan label (Tufte and Lavik, 1997~.
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From page 92... ...
organic products, the more positive the person's attitude is toward buying such products and the less it is based on thorough consideration of the pros and cons of doing so. A followup study by two of my master students7 investigated consumer purchase of 16 different food products (Andersen and Vestergaard,1998~.
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From page 93... ...
Confidence in Green Claims Basically green purchase behavior depends on the compromise consumers have to make in the form of higher price and/or lower quality and on the confidence they have in their choice leading to desirable environmental consequences (Peattie, 1999~. The toughest green products to sell are those that require a large compromise and where consumers' confidence in it making any environmental difference is low.
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From page 94... ...
In Denmark, the only real compromise when buying organic food products is higher price. Thus, agreement with the statement that the organic product in question is expensive is used as an indicator of perceived compromise.
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From page 95... ...
5 cr 4 If 3 ._ ~ 2 m 1 o -1 , -2 9 ~ 8Label / 7recognized, / , 6/ /1; 32/~ recognized,, 10 39 Carrots Label recognized, r2 = 0.60 _~ ~ = 2 3 4 5 6 7 -1- ~ 2 3 4 5 6 7 -2 Intention Intention FIGURE 5-2 The influence of knowing the 0-label on the relationship between buying intention and buying frequency regarding organic milk and organic carrots, Denmark, 1995.
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From page 96... ...
The results are in principle identical in the two cases, but the effect of knowing the 0-label is somewhat stronger for milk than for carrots.9 The difference may be due to some organic carrots being grown in one's own garden or bought at open markets, where there are other means to identify an organic product than the 0-label, while organic milk can only be bought only from retail outlets. The regression analyses illustrate that knowing the 0-label has a substantial effect on buying frequency among those with a high buying intention, but no effect among those with a low buying intention.
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From page 97... ...
There is also evidence that experience with buying a product with an eco-label facilitates future decisions about buying this product, as well as other products wearing the same label. I suggested that the latter effect might be due to consumers forming new mental categories based on eco-labels and that such categories may carry affect.
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From page 98... ...
Of course, it also may be caused by a tendency to exaggerate organic buying that is correlated with stated buying intentions. REFERENCES Abt Associates Inc.
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From page 99... ...
Holzmuller 1990 Die Bedeutung der Umweltvertraglichkeit von Produkten fur die Kaufpraeferenz (The importance of product's environmental friendliness for buying preferences)
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From page 100... ...
Grunert, S.C., and H J0rn Juhl 1995 Values, environmental attitudes, and buying of organic foods.
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From page 101... ...
1984 Perspectives on information overload. Journal of Consumer Research 11 :569-573.
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From page 102... ...
In Sustainable Consumption - Report from the International Conference on Sustainable Consumption, Eivind sty, ed. Lysaker, Nor.: National Institute for Consumer Research (SIFO)
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From page 103... ...
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 63:198211. Scandia Consult Sverige AB 1999 Eco-Evaluation of the 'Good Environmental Choice'—Label on Household Chemicals.
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From page 104... ...
Environment and Behavior 28:536-558. 1998 Understanding Behaviours with Mixed Motives: An Application of a Modified Theory of Reasoned Action on Consumer Purchase of Organic Food Products.
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