The Effects of Material Appearance, Eco-label, and Brand Ethicality on Consumers' Perceived Packaging Sustainability

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

R. Wang Industrial Design Engineering

Contributors

M.E.H. Creusen Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior (supervisor 1)
Hendrik N.J. Schifferstein Design Aesthetics - IDE (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Industrial Design Engineering
Copyright: © 2023 Runlang Wang
Sustainable packaging Packaging visual design Sustainability perception Eco-label Brand ethicality Material appearance Visual typicality Purchase intention
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Published Date

27-06-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Industrial Design Engineering

Abstract

Under the topic of sustainable packaging, this research looks into the effects of material appearance (ecological vs. conventional), eco-label, and brand ethicality on consumers' perceived sustainability as well as the subsequent product quality evaluation and purchase intention. A 2 × 2 × 2 between-subject experiment was designed and conducted to test the hypotheses among Dutch consumers based on two product categories: chocolate paste and cereal bars. First, in both food categories, eco-labels and ecological-looking materials both trigger higher sustainability perception. In the cereal bar category, an interaction effect was found that the eco-label has a more positive impact on consumers' sustainability perception when it's applied to conventional-looking packaging rather than ecological-looking packaging. Second, in the chocolate paste category, higher brand ethicality brings higher quality evaluation and purchase intention but has no effect on sustainability perception. Third, in the chocolate paste category, contrary to the increased sustainability perception, quality evaluation and purchase intention get lower when ecological-looking material is applied. Fourth, in the chocolate paste category, when consumers sense a higher fit between the product and the brand, their perceived packaging sustainability, quality evaluation, and purchase intention all increase accordingly.