What Do Coffee Shop Entrepreneurs Need to Do to Raise Pro-Environmental Customer Behavioral Intentions?

Taeuk Kim,Sunmi Yun

doi:10.3390/su11092666

Abstract

Our research framework, built on the norm activation model (NAM), was designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the formation of consumers’ pro-environmental behavioral intentions in an eco-friendly coffee shop. We employed the NAM to test its mediating effect of personal environmental norms (PEN), social environmental norms (SEN), and ascription of responsibility (AR) and the moderating effect of the overall green image (OGI) on pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Data were collected through a survey of 530 customers who frequently visited a coffee shop in Korea, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the research hypotheses. The findings generally supported the hypothesized associations of the study variables within our proposed theoretical framework (PEN, SEN, and AR in order of the mediating effect on pro-environmental behavioral intentions) and confirmed OGI’s moderating effect. In addition, the study’s results have important (1) theoretical and (2) practical implications for the environment. (1) They expand the original NAM by explaining the effect of the relationship between SEN and PEN on pro-environmental customer behavioral intentions (PCBI) and confirm the mediating effect of the NAM (SEN, PEN, AR) on PCBI, as demonstrated in previous studies. (2) Moreover, the findings herein may encourage coffee shops to participate in the prevention of environmental problems by restricting the use of products such as plastic coffee cups and straws.

Highlights

The global environment has become a primary focus of concern as more people are aware of sustainability-related issues than ever before
Continuing the research stream on the relationships among variables within the norm activation model framework, this study proposes that environmental problem concern (EPC) influences ascription of responsibility (AR) and personal environmental norm (PEN) and that AR, in turn, affects PEN and pro-environmental customer behavioral intentions (PCBI)
This study used different cover stories when the respondents answered using the same scale to facilitate the psychological separation between criterion variables and predictors

Summary

Introduction

The global environment has become a primary focus of concern as more people are aware of sustainability-related issues than ever before. The company’s paper cups are made of a sustainable wood pulp material from northern European forests; the company does not use smart coffee machines in order to help reduce carbon emissions, and it recycles all of its coffee sacks into the shops’ carpet underlay [16]. Despite this growing interest in pro-environmental behaviors, relatively little attention has been paid to the identification of the essential factors that influence pro-environmental customer behavioral intentions (PCBI) in environmentally-friendly coffee shops. This study aims to expand the research on PCBI and benefit both the environment and coffee shops’ ability to conduct business successfully

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Conclusion