Targeted Information and Sustainable Consumption: Field Evidence

Raphael Epperson (), Esther Blanco () and Loukas Balafoutas

Working Papers from Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck

Abstract: Technological progress offers new and promising ways to provide targeted information to consumers and facilitate behavioral change. We conduct a randomized controlled trial with a global supermarket chain and food producer to evaluate the effectiveness of a targeted information intervention that offers consumers individualized feedback about the sustainability of purchased products and close substitutes. The majority of consumers access the information, independently of whether they bought sustainable or standard products in the past. Yet, the information has no significant impact on future consumption choices. This questions the effectiveness of targeted information policies as isolated tools to steer transformative behavioral change.

Keywords: Information provision; pro-environmental behavior; sustainability; label credence goods; randomized controlled trial (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 D82 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 49
Date: 2024-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-env, nep-exp and nep-nud
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inn:wpaper:2024-10

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