Abstract
When we talk about products with a low impact on the environment, e.g., organic, traditional, or having the European ecological label, their sales are a central element of the economy. Many variables and local cultural values influence consumer behavior, including education and life requirements. Sustainable development involves education on consumption habits and low-environmental-impact production. This article aims to identify the role of education and remuneration in the consumption of sustainable products. Different working hypotheses are formulated. The first hypothesis of our study tests the existence of a direct correlation between the consumer’s level of education and their opinion on consuming low-environmental-impact products, influencing the ability to make appropriate decisions. The second one refers to the level of income and consumption behavior. The research method is a statistical one, based on a quantitative analysis and using a questionnaire as a tool. For 60% of the high-level graduate respondents, a product’s source is significant in their choices. Over 70% of the responders who earn above the median income believe it is essential to consume organic products. The results obtained confirm our initial assumptions. Our findings underline the current knowledge regarding consumption of sustainable products, their characteristics, and consumers’ interest in them.
Highlights
Consumer preferences and purchasing options play an important role in supporting sustainable development and environmental protection
We investigated the degree of knowledge and use of products with low impact on the environment, knowing that their consumption contributes to sustainable local development
Two of the products chosen for the present study, organic and traditional products, are included in the 10 Common European Indicators defined by the European Commission during the Third European Conference on Sustainable Cities (Hanover, Germany, 2000), with the 10th indicator being “Products that promote sustainable development” [47]
Summary
Consumer education is a two-way relationship that influences the quality of life [1]. Consumer preferences and purchasing options play an important role in supporting sustainable development and environmental protection. Consumption education is needed to encourage manufacturers to implement low-ecological-impact production systems [2]. Consuming and consumer education have multiple implications at the microeconomic and macroeconomic levels, as an educated consumer takes more care of his or her health and manages a budget better. A healthy consumer has high work productivity and quality of life. The consumer education level determines qualitative transformations in the economy by prioritizing environmental protection concerns regarding consumption and Sustainability 2021, 13, 9944.
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