Influencing Factors for Consumers’ Intention to Reduce Plastic Packaging in Different Groups of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods in Germany

Shahida Anusha Siddiqui (), Adriano Profeta, Thomas Decker, Sergiy Smetana and Klaus Menrad
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Shahida Anusha Siddiqui: Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Essigberg 3, 94315 Straubing, Germany
Adriano Profeta: Prokribus GmbH, Sensory Institute, Market Research, Data Science, Steinbreite 5a, 37603 Holzminden, Germany
Thomas Decker: Marketing and Management of Biogenic Resources, TUM Campus Straubing, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, Essigberg 3, 94315 Straubing, Germany
Sergiy Smetana: German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL e.V.), Prof.-von-Klitzing Str. 7, 49610 Quakenbrück, Germany

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-21

Abstract: The greatly increased global use of plastic has serious negative environmental consequences. This study aims to analyse the influence of environmental attitudes, personal norms, social norms, and socioeconomic and demographic characteristics on consumers’ intention to reduce plastic packaging in different groups of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) in Germany. Data on plastic packaging use for food, clothing, cosmetics, cleaning goods, and furniture were collected from 299 German families in a four-stage survey. The findings show differing consumer intentions to reduce plastic packaging between food products and other FMCG. In particular, environmental attitudes can differentiate between consumer groups with high and low intentions to reduce plastic packaging in nearly all the product groups analysed, while social norms, gender and age only show statistically significant differences in some product groups. Personal norms did not contribute to group differentiation in any of the groups of FMCG analysed. The results are helpful for managers of FMCGs to develop more ecological packaging solutions in the future and for state authorities to derive political activities in this field.

Keywords: plastic packaging; fast-moving consumer goods; consumer attitudes; personal norms; social norms; gender; family size; educational level; age (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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