A literature review and a series of experimental studies were designed and conducted. we also analyzed two additional sets of data on sustainable consumption motivations: European Social Survey and PI's own dataset from the PhD studentship time.
1- In the literature review study, we asked how do sustainable product branding strategies influence consumer evaluation of the sustainable product and whether this influence is always favorable or not. The values that the brand symbolizes goes beyond simply the utilitarian aspect of a product to represent “a cluster of functional and emotional values, which promises a particular experience”. Despite the large number of studies that look at the various impacts of sustainable strategies on consumer response, there is a gap in terms of synthesizing the knowledge on consumer responses to sustainable product branding strategies. Our paper intends to fill this gap utilizing a domain-based, systematic, well-defined literature review that includes both qualitative and quantitative studies. Our results identified four themes of sustainable product branding strategies, namely building brand equity, brand communication, brand/product development, and third-party labels and ratings. Our findings revealed diverse, and not always favorable, types of behavioral and attitudinal responses to sustainable product branding strategies, such as willingness to pay premium, attitude towards brand and greenwashing perceptions.
2- We furthermore worked on the 8th round of European Social Survey to investigate the link between political ideology, climate change beliefs, consumer intentions to buy energy efficient appliances, and to ban non-efficient energy appliances. The moderating effect of political interest on these relationships has also been investigated. Results reveal that climate change belief/concern fully mediates the relationship between political ideology and buying energy efficient appliances, whereas the mediation is partial when banning the inefficient appliances is the dependent variable. Supporters of right-orientation who are interested in politics score low on climate change beliefs and concerns. We also find significant effects for socio-demographic variables (age, gender, education) on consumers' sustainable consumption intentions. This is an important investigation because the European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making Europe climate neutral by 2050 (EU Commission, 2020). While such holistic commitments at the continent level are necessary to mitigate climate change consequences, country-level commitments could depend on national political forces, parties, and public sentiment. Moreover, this line of inquiry can identify those segments in society which can be targeted by businesses for sustainable consumption and educated on matters related to climate change and responsible consumption. This line of inquiry can further emphasize the responsibility of political parties for influencing climate change beliefs among their supporters.
3- In another study, we investigate the research question: How Consumer Emotions Towards an Environmental Policy Affect Pro-Environmental Behaviors. Public policymakers have made substantial efforts to promote individuals’ pro-environmental behavior. However, knowledge is sparse as to why people support these initiatives and, most importantly, why, and how these efforts shape consumers’ direct or active pro-environmental behavior. Therefore, the present study examines how consumer emotions towards the outcomes of an environmental policy affect both indirect or non-active (i.e. support for policy) and direct or active pro-environmental behavior (i.e. purchase intention for fossil fuel independent cars). The findings, based on an empirical study among Swedish individuals, show that feelings of pride and guilt-relief associated with the outcome of an environmental policy positively influence active and non-active pro-environmental behavior through perceptions of policy effectiveness. Thus, the more people perceive the policy to be effective, the more they are willing to support the policy and the more they are willing to perform the associated direct pro-environmental behavior.
4- In a series of experimental studies, we further investigate the link between gain vs loss communication on consumer sustainable behavior. We show that communicating losses (environmental losses such as bad air quality) which are avoided with a sustainable service (transport/delivery service) together with information on the collective efforts of the company's way of handling its environmental promises (with a group of other companies) would increase sustainable behavior and choice of sustainable transport service in consumers. This is an important finding as collective efforts are necessary for green transition. Communicating about the collective efforts of companies to achieve green transition increases consumers' sustainable behaviors when the losses avoided by the sustainable choices are communicated to consumers.
