Abstract
Considering that one of the key components of liquid food in environmentally friendly packaging is its higher price, it may not be appealing to all consumers. However, a growing body of evidence has shown that the sale of liquid food in environmentally friendly packaging is increasing. The purpose of this study was to analyze why consumers are willing to pay more for liquid food in environmentally friendly packaging. Drawing on the theory of dual attitudes by Wilson, Lindsey, and Schooler, this study proposes that consumer purchasing behavior can be explained through implicit and explicit attitudes. Moreover, a consumer’s ecoliteracy and ecofriendly lifestyle might be important predictors of consumer attitudes toward environmentally friendly packaging. Our conceptual model was tested on survey data from 11 countries, with a total of 7028 respondents. The study revealed that consumers’ willingness to pay a higher price for liquid food in environmentally friendly packaging could be predicted by their positive attitudes toward (a) the environmental friendliness of the packaging, (b) the brand of the liquid food, and (c) the affordability of the liquid food in the environmentally friendly packaging. Ecoliteracy and having an ecofriendly lifestyle were found to be important predictors of consumer attitudes toward environmentally friendly packaging. This study contributes to the literature that aims to explain consumers’ willingness to pay more for food in environmentally friendly packaging. It identifies how much more consumers are willing to pay for food in environmentally friendly packaging and why.
Highlights
With consumers’ increasing awareness of the health and environmental implications of packaging, the global market for packaging made from recycled materials is growing and is forecasted to reach $440.3 billion USD by 2025 [1]
This study focused on an investigation of the predictors of consumers’ willingness to pay more for basic liquid foods, such as milk and juice, that are available in environmentally friendly packaging
We found that 27% of the participants were not willing to pay for liquid food in environmentally friendly packaging, 47% of the participants were willing to pay five cents more, 20% of the participants were willing to pay 20 cents more, and 6% of the participants were willing to pay more than 50 cents more
Summary
With consumers’ increasing awareness of the health and environmental implications of packaging, the global market for packaging made from recycled materials is growing and is forecasted to reach $440.3 billion USD by 2025 [1]. An increasing number of consumers are motivated in their purchasing behavior by environmental consciousness and concern for the general good of society, as well as by the well-being of future generations [2,3]. For both manufacturers and retailers, sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging offers opportunities that include differentiation and a competitive advantage [4]. It is attractive due to the higher margins earned for environmentally friendly products [7]
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