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Can eco-design packaging reduce consumer food waste? an experimental study

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  • Zeng, Tian
  • Durif, Fabien
  • Robinot, Elisabeth

Abstract

This paper assesses the role of eco-design packaging in consumer food waste and tests the effects of consumers’ perceptions of eco-design packaging (redesigned visual and/or verbal attributes) on their intentions to avoid wasting food. The authors posit that eco-design packaging can lead to food waste reduction through its physical, social, and commercial functions. The authors carried out two 2 (visual: resealable vs. nonresealable) × 2 (verbal: sustainable cues present vs. absent) between-subject experiments of two food products. The results show that eco-design packaging can help reduce consumer food waste: (1) consumers are more sensitive to improvements related to visual rather than verbal attributes of packaging; (2) consumers’ food waste decisions seem to be more strongly affected by instrumental functions (e.g., conservation product quality and communication guidance for storage) than social (e.g., pollution related to packaging) and commercial functions (e.g., category identification); and (3) health consciousness has mediated moderating effects on these relationships. This research contributes to the literature by determining underlying mechanisms of the effects of eco-design packaging on consumer food waste. This work can be embedded into the transformative consumer research movement to maximize social awareness, use, and benefits.

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  • Zeng, Tian & Durif, Fabien & Robinot, Elisabeth, 2021. "Can eco-design packaging reduce consumer food waste? an experimental study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:162:y:2021:i:c:s0040162520311689
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120342
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    Cited by:

    1. Alvino, Letizia & Dangelico, Rosa Maria, 2022. "Investigating the antecedents of consumer behavioral intention for sustainable fashion products: Evidence from a large survey of Italian consumers," Other publications TiSEM ed6b6a75-2a9f-4b6e-8076-9, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    2. Acuti, Diletta & Lemarié, Linda & Viglia, Giampaolo, 2023. "How to enhance the sustainable disposal of harmful products," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PB).
    3. Dangelico, Rosa Maria & Alvino, Letizia & Fraccascia, Luca, 2022. "Investigating the antecedents of consumer behavioral intention for sustainable fashion products: Evidence from a large survey of Italian consumers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    4. Alysia Wakefield & Stephen Axon, 2024. "Scaling the Food Mountain: Implications for Addressing the Determinants of Consumer Food Waste Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Zeng, Tian & Botella-Carrubi, Dolores, 2023. "Improving societal benefit through transformative consumer research: A descriptive review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    6. Kazancoglu, Yigit & Sagnak, Muhittin & Mangla, Sachin Kumar & Sezer, Muruvvet Deniz & Pala, Melisa Ozbiltekin, 2021. "A fuzzy based hybrid decision framework to circularity in dairy supply chains through big data solutions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    7. De Canio, Francesca & Viglia, Giampaolo & Lombart, Cindy, 2024. "Package-free products: How to improve pro-environmental buying behaviors among consumers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).

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