Intentions to purchase a sustainable mobile phone by network analysis in four European countries

Abstract

The environmental impact of the smartphone industry is large and growing. Smartphone production requires precious metals, and its manufacturing, energy consumption during use, and disposal also harm the environment. These impacts are exacerbated by the low repairability and short replacement cycles of around two years. We investigate the factors relating to the intention to purchase an easily repairable modular smartphone (the Fairphone 4), in order to better understand what influences consumers to choose this sustainable alternative. We used an attitude network approach in a pre-registered online study (total N = 2202) in four countries: the Netherlands, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Across countries, psychological factors were more closely related to intentions to buy a sustainable smartphone than product and brand characteristics. In particular, joy and excitement, overall attitude, and green product interest related positively to purchase intentions, while the status of the product and feelings of uncertainty about the product correlated negatively with intentions. We discuss network analysis as a tool for information gathering and hypothesis generation, and suggest how the results could inform marketing and communication strategies.