Ethical food consumption drivers in Japan. A S–O-R framework application using PLS-SEM with a MGA assessment based on clustering

Abstract

Humanity's lifestyle and consumption patterns have a tremendous impact on the environment. The present research focused on understanding the profile and the decision-making process of ethical food consumers in the Japanese market. To determine the main drivers of behaviour, a Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) model with Stimulus-Response (S–R) direct paths was tested via a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Next, the groups resultant of a two-step clustering technique between Pro-Environmental Behaviours (PEB) like recycling and reducing waste were used as a basis of a multi-group analysis. The first step of the clustering comprised a hierarchical algorithm, and the second a K-Medoids application. Evidence suggests ethical food consumption in Japan is bound to intention, knowledge, price, and certification recognition. The multi-group analysis implied an overall difference across the three groups defined, but the results were not conclusive at a pairwise level.