Environmental Impacts of Product Labelling on Consumers Shopping and Wastes Disposal Behaviour in Dodoma Urban, Tanzania
Journal Title: International Journal of Research in Chemistry and Environment (IJRCE) - Year 2012, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
Proper presentation of environmental messages on product labels is very useful in bringing positive environmental impacts of the product among environmental sensitive consumers. This paper presents the results of a research on environmental impacts of product labelling on consumers’ shopping and waste disposal behaviour which was carried out in Dodoma Urban, Tanzania. Eight shopping centres were purposively selected and one hundred and forty nine (149) different products were randomly sampled. Sixty consumers were interviewed in this research. Specifically, the research intended to analyze products quality/certification symbols and environmental messages on labels, evaluate consumers understanding about environmental symbols, evaluate consumers environmental consideration behaviour during shopping and lastly to find out how consumers use environmental message on product labels to make correct actions towards final wastes disposal. The research found out that all products examined (except one) had environmental quality/ certification marks. The most known quality/certification symbols are “tbs”, “ISO 14000” and “Organic”. Labels on products from small local entrepreneurs lack quality certification symbols as well as environmental messages. About 57.7% of products have environmental messages, and the three most known are “Recycle”, “Re-use” and “Dust bin (keep country clean)”. About 61% of respondents know that environmental messages on product labels are important, while 39% do not. Consumers have not effectively used eco-labels for proper environmental management due to limitations like lack of education about the products, negligence in reading the information on labels, among others. Eco-labels on product labels have not had great positive environmental impacts among the consumers as they mainly opt for “Doing nothing” strategy on the products wastes instead of taking right environmental friendly actions to dispose the wastes as directed by the environmental labels on products. Environmental education is required for consumers in Dodoma town
Authors and Affiliations
Canute Hyandye, Christina Mandara, Francis Mbowe
Keywords
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