IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i11p4348-d363049.html

Perceived Consumer Effectiveness as A Trigger of Behavioral Spillover Effects: A path towards Recycling

Author

Listed:
  • Claudia Arias

    (CESA School of Business, 110311 Bogotá, Colombia
    School of Management, Universidad de los Andes, 111711 Bogotá, Colombia)

  • Carlos A. Trujillo

    (School of Management, Universidad de los Andes, 111711 Bogotá, Colombia)

Abstract

Increasing and promoting recycling is crucial to achieving sustainable consumption. However, this is a complex task that involves the interplay of beliefs, knowledge and situational factors in ways not yet understood. This study examines a spill-over model in which perceived consumer effectiveness influences the adoption of an easy task (carrying reusable shopping bags) and that, in turn, influences recycling. Using data from a national survey with a representative sample of 1286 respondents in Colombia, we test a hypothesized path using a mediation model. Our results suggest that the relationship between perceived consumer effectiveness and recycling is mediated by the use of reusable shopping bags. Thus, once the adoption of simple pro-environmental behavior is triggered by pro-environmental beliefs, spillover effects may ensue to favor the adoption of recycling behavior. This suggests that individuals may adopt pro-environmental behavior in stages or levels. Therefore, focusing on behaviors that require less effort (e.g., reducing/reusing) could be a starting point when it comes to encouraging the adoption of other behaviors that demand a greater level of effort such as recycling. This study suggests that attitudinal variables can be the starting point of spill-over effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudia Arias & Carlos A. Trujillo, 2020. "Perceived Consumer Effectiveness as A Trigger of Behavioral Spillover Effects: A path towards Recycling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4348-:d:363049
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/11/4348/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/11/4348/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cornelissen, Gert & Pandelaere, Mario & Warlop, Luk & Dewitte, Siegfried, 2008. "Positive cueing: Promoting sustainable consumer behavior by cueing common environmental behaviors as environmental," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 46-55.
    2. Thøgersen, John & Noblet, Caroline, 2012. "Does green consumerism increase the acceptance of wind power?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 854-862.
    3. Tiefenbeck, Verena & Staake, Thorsten & Roth, Kurt & Sachs, Olga, 2013. "For better or for worse? Empirical evidence of moral licensing in a behavioral energy conservation campaign," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 160-171.
    4. Gergely Nyilasy & Harsha Gangadharbatla & Angela Paladino, 2014. "Perceived Greenwashing: The Interactive Effects of Green Advertising and Corporate Environmental Performance on Consumer Reactions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 693-707, December.
    5. Hornik, Jacob & Cherian, Joseph & Madansky, Michelle & Narayana, Chem, 1995. "Determinants of recycling behavior: A synthesis of research results," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 105-127.
    6. Babak Nemat & Mohammad Razzaghi & Kim Bolton & Kamran Rousta, 2020. "The Potential of Food Packaging Attributes to Influence Consumers’ Decisions to Sort Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, March.
    7. Roberts, James A., 1996. "Green Consumers in the 1990s: Profile and Implications for Advertising," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 217-231, July.
    8. Webster, Frederick E, Jr, 1975. "Determining the Characteristics of the Socially Conscious Consumer," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 2(3), pages 188-196, December.
    9. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    10. Webb, Deborah J. & Mohr, Lois A. & Harris, Katherine E., 2008. "A re-examination of socially responsible consumption and its measurement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 91-98, February.
    11. Crociata, Alessandro & Agovino, Massimiliano & Sacco, Pier Luigi, 2015. "Recycling waste: Does culture matter?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 40-47.
    12. Terlau, Wiltrud & Hirsch, Darya, 2015. "Sustainable Consumption and the Attitude-Behaviour-Gap Phenomenon - Causes and Measurements towards a Sustainable Development," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 6(3), pages 1-16, July.
    13. Katie Baca-Motes & Amber Brown & Ayelet Gneezy & Elizabeth A. Keenan & Leif D. Nelson, 2013. "Commitment and Behavior Change: Evidence from the Field," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(5), pages 1070-1084.
    14. Damiano Fiorillo, 2013. "Household waste recycling: national survey evidence from Italy," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(8), pages 1125-1151, October.
    15. Wood, Robert E., 1986. "Task complexity: Definition of the construct," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 60-82, February.
    16. Allen, Chris T, 1982. "Self-Perception Based Strategies for Stimulating Energy Conservation," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 8(4), pages 381-390, March.
    17. Terlau, Wiltrud & Hirsch, Darya, 2015. "Sustainable Consumption and the Attitude-Behaviour-Gap Phenomenon - Causes and Measurements towards a Sustainable Development," 2015 International European Forum (144th EAAE Seminar), February 9-13, 2015, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 206233, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Violeta Mihaela Dincă & Mihail Busu & Zoltan Nagy-Bege, 2022. "Determinants with Impact on Romanian Consumers’ Energy-Saving Habits," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Mihai Dinu & Simona Roxana Pătărlăgeanu & Radu Petrariu & Marius Constantin & Ana-Mădălina Potcovaru, 2020. "Empowering Sustainable Consumer Behavior in the EU by Consolidating the Roles of Waste Recycling and Energy Productivity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Agnieszka Szulc‐Obłoza & Mirosława Żurek, 2026. "The Role of the Real Impact of Sustainable Consumption Perception on Sustainable Behaviors, Evidence From a Post‐Transitional European Economy," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(S1), pages 1404-1418, January.
    4. Dorine M. Mattar & Stephanie Saliba & Chloe J. Haddad, 2024. "Recycling Behavior amid Disruptions," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 40(4), pages 415-470, December.
    5. Shian-Yang Tzeng & Lisong He & Hao-Yun Tzeng, 2025. "Consumers’ Engagement in Pro-environmental Behavior: Online Food Delivery in China," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paolo Antonetti & Stan Maklan, 2014. "Feelings that Make a Difference: How Guilt and Pride Convince Consumers of the Effectiveness of Sustainable Consumption Choices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(1), pages 117-134, September.
    2. Irina Cojuharenco & Gert Cornelissen & Natalia Karelaia, 2011. "One person in the battlefield is not a warrior: Self-construal, perceived ability to make a difference, and socially responsible behavior," Economics Working Papers 1292, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    3. Erifili Papista & Athanasios Krystallis, 2013. "Investigating the Types of Value and Cost of Green Brands: Proposition of a Conceptual Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(1), pages 75-92, June.
    4. Dang, Van Thac & Nguyen, Ninh & Pervan, Simon, 2020. "Retailer corporate social responsibility and consumer citizenship behavior: The mediating roles of perceived consumer effectiveness and consumer trust," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    5. Martinho, Graça & Pires, Ana & Portela, Gonçalo & Fonseca, Miguel, 2015. "Factors affecting consumers’ choices concerning sustainable packaging during product purchase and recycling," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 58-68.
    6. Murtaza Haider & Randall Shannon & George P. Moschis, 2022. "Sustainable Consumption Research and the Role of Marketing: A Review of the Literature (1976–2021)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-36, March.
    7. Sarah Verdonk & Keri Chiveralls & Drew Dawson, 2017. "Getting Wasted at WOMADelaide: The Effect of Signage on Waste Disposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Panzone, Luca A. & Ulph, Alistair & Zizzo, Daniel John & Hilton, Denis & Clear, Adrian, 2021. "The impact of environmental recall and carbon taxation on the carbon footprint of supermarket shopping," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    9. Ragna Nilssen & Geoff Bick & Russell Abratt, 2019. "Comparing the relative importance of sustainability as a consumer purchase criterion of food and clothing in the retail sector," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(1), pages 71-83, January.
    10. Chad M. Baum & Christian Gross, 2017. "Sustainability policy as if people mattered: developing a framework for environmentally significant behavioral change," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 53-95, April.
    11. Gaetano Musella & Massimiliano Agovino & Mariaconcetta Casaccia & Alessandro Crociata, 2019. "Evaluating waste collection management: the case of macro-areas and municipalities in Italy," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(6), pages 2857-2889, December.
    12. Waris, Idrees & Hameed, Irfan, 2019. "Using Extended Model of Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Purchase Intention of Energy Efficient Home Appliances in Pakistan," MPRA Paper 109612, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Ziynet Boz & Virpi Korhonen & Claire Koelsch Sand, 2020. "Consumer Considerations for the Implementation of Sustainable Packaging: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-34, March.
    14. Claudia Arias & Jhon Mario Quiroga Beltrán & Javier Mauricio Martínez Ariza & Javier Bernardo Cadena Lozano & Miguel Angel Bello Bernal, 2022. "Pro-Circular Consumer Profile: An Approach to Their Identification and Characterization Based on the Components of the Value-Belief-Norm Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-36, June.
    15. Wintschnig, Bea Alexandra, 2021. "The Attitude-Behavior Gap – Drivers and Barriers of Sustainable Consumption," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 6(2), pages 324-346.
    16. Andrés Nova-Reyes & Francisco Muñoz-Leiva & Teodoro Luque-Martínez, 2020. "The Tipping Point in the Status of Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior Research? A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-23, April.
    17. Patel, Jayesh D. & Trivedi, Rohit H. & Yagnik, Arpan, 2020. "Self-identity and internal environmental locus of control: Comparing their influences on green purchase intentions in high-context versus low-context cultures," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    18. Nauges, Céline & Wheeler, Sarah Ann, 2017. "The Complex Relationship Between Households' Climate Change Concerns and Their Water and Energy Mitigation Behaviour," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 87-94.
    19. Christina Soyoung Song & Ji Young Lee & Renissa Mutha & Mijin Kim, 2023. "Frugal or Sustainable? The Interplay of Consumers’ Personality Traits and Self-Regulated Minds in Recycling Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-19, December.
    20. Rosalia Castellano & Gaetano Musella & Gennaro Punzo, 2019. "The effect of environmental attitudes and policies on separate waste collection: the case of Insular Italy," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 63-85, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:11:p:4348-:d:363049. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.