Do Cruelty-Free Practices Matter? The Role of Consumer Speciesism in Differential Preference for Cruelty-Free Products

Anwesha Bandopadhyay, Prof. Sourav Bikash Borah, Prof. Soumya Mukhopadhyay and Prof. Tanvi Gupta

IIMA Working Papers from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Research and Publication Department

Abstract: Cruelty-free practices involve avoidance of animal harm during production. While adopting cruelty-free practices by firms is important for sustainability, overcoming consumer indifference towards cruelty-free products is challenging. Through six studies, we show that consumer speciesism (devaluation of other species) moderates the effect of cruelty-free practices on product evaluation. Cruelty-free practices increase purchase intention among low speciesism but not among high speciesism consumers, mediated by perceived brand moral agency. The study examines how cruelty-free brands can create a win-win strategy that benefits the firm and the environment by using anthropomorphized animals in brand communications to attenuate the unfavorable effect of speciesism.

Date: 2025-01-29
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