Abstract
The dynamically developing trend of sustainable consumption is manifested, among others, by the growing interest in organic products on the part of consumers. The aim of this article was to identify the behavior of Polish consumers in the market of organic products and to establish a link between their environmental awareness and willingness to buy organic products. The authors hypothesized that there is a relationship between consumer awareness of the concept of sustainable consumption and the consumption of organic products. Consumer awareness means making conscious choices based on the knowledge expressed in the attitudes and, sometimes, preferences of the food brand. The research was conducted using a proprietary survey questionnaire. A total of 1067 respondents participated. A statistical analysis was performed by using Statistica 13.1 PL software, which includes descriptive statistics, the discriminant function analysis, and regression analysis. Motives were identified that are of crucial importance to the consumer deciding to purchase organic products. These include: beneficial health effects, contents of nutrients, no additional substances used in food production, taste, and others. A statistical relationship was established between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products. Among the organic products, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, cow’s milk and its derivatives, as well as cereal products, are the most preferred by consumers of both genders. The proposed model, which outlines the relationship between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products, includes the following variables: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, short shelf life.
Highlights
The following variables were adopted in the proposed model that described the relationship between the variables that make up sustainable development and the tendency to buy organic products: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, and short shelf life
The results of the presented study refer to the research conducted by Laureati et al [76] and Scalvedi and Saba [77], i.e., they combined the aspect of sustainable development with the consumption of organic products
Summarizing the results of our study on organic consumers, the empirical findings suggest to industry practitioners and decision-makers that efforts should be made to increase the consumption of organic foods and communicate the health, environmental, and social benefits associated with the production and consumption of such foods, focusing on younger consumers as key stakeholders in the transition to more sustainable food systems
Summary
The authors hypothesized that there is a relationship between consumer awareness of the concept of sustainable consumption and the consumption of organic products. Motives were identified that are of crucial importance to the consumer deciding to purchase organic products. These include: beneficial health effects, contents of nutrients, no additional substances used in food production, taste, and others. A statistical relationship was established between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products. The proposed model, which outlines the relationship between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products, includes the following variables: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, short shelf life. Consumer-oriented sustainable food consumption is a holistic concept that refers to the integrated implementation of sustainable food consumption and production patterns while respecting natural ecosystems’ carrying capacity [3]
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