Sustainable Development Behavior in the Eco-Label Business Community
Journal Title: Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) - Year 2018, Vol 7, Issue 1
Abstract
Changing market mechanisms by focusing on clean technologies and reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources is an objective of the Europe 2020 strategy of the European Commission. Achieving this objective will require not only more restrictive legislation targeting polluting industries and technologies but also the introduction of new models of consumption oriented toward “green” products. Consumers’ preferences for nonpolluting products can be enhanced by credible and persuasive marketing instruments, such as the EU Ecolabel. A survey of Romanian businesspeople found that they are aware of the environmental and economic principles underlying the use of eco-labels and are interested in implementing them. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of their consumption decisions on the environment and on sustainable development. Today, products are being marketed in a way that both builds on that awareness and takes advantage of consumers’ preferences for sustainable development. In fact, consumer research has shown that simply calling a product “eco-friendly” is enough to make people believe it tastes better than an objectively identical alternative and to be willing to pay more for this good. Label effects arise even if there is no reasonable relation between the product label and the product itself. This preference bias for eco-friendly products over objectively identical but conventionally labeled alternatives could be caused by expectation processes that modulate the actual sensory experiences [1]. The incorporation of sustainable development principles into contemporary economic thinking has led to the concept of the circular economy, one that is oriented to reusing waste products. A circular economy, which is built on the recovery and the regeneration of resources, aims to maintain the value and utility of products, components, and raw materials as much as possible. It thereby addresses two major societal and economic issues: the limited nature of resources and the pollution generated by waste. In The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows, [2]. argues that the economic reality of the twenty-first century makes necessary the shift away from the “take, make, and dispose” paradigm, which was appropriate for economic mechanisms of the twentieth century, toward organizational models that reflect feedback-rich flows. The former paradigm focuses on maximizing production in order to obtain profit, without determining the impact on the environment with respect to the waste of natural resources. The latter entail a regenerative economy which leads to changes in the occupational structure of human resources and requires new tax policies, both at the national level and globally. This will create new occupations in the field of natural environment, which will generate a rational approach to environmental issues, supplementing jobs that will be lost by increasing the impact of new technology on the labor market. Consumers’ purchasing decisions, a key element of those feedback flows, are influenced by an array of psychological, moral, and cultural factors [3,4], in their study of “environmental morale and motivation,” argue that individuals are driven by altruism, social norms and reciprocal fairness, internalized norms (in which strong moral principles, contained in the company’s code of conduct, induce self-evaluation), and intrinsic motivation (i.e., the willingness to pursue an activity for the benefit it yields in itself). Individuals’ purchasing decisions are influenced not only by their ethical values and beliefs; customs; culture; and social, political, and moral values but also by institutional settings that are likely to shape such attitudes by encouraging or discouraging some behaviors and attitudes. Individuals’ economic behavior regarding environmental issues is also justified by their civic values. The representation of consumers’ environmental preferences through their utility functions should also reflect these multiple noneconomic determinants [5]. Today there are more than 400 labels [6] meant to convey the message to the consumer that the product/ service is eco-friendly. According to a recent study carried within 26 countries worldwide, 86% consumers are concerned about the impact of climatic changes, and 71% avoid buying goods that are shipped from a great distance [7]. According to other studies, more than half of consumers want to buy products labeled as eco-friendly or take into consideration social or environmental protection factors when they decide to buy a product. However, they are confused by the multitude of labels / brands touting they are protective of the environment and face the difficulty of deciding which ones they can trust [8].
Authors and Affiliations
Cristina Bălăceanu, Victoria Gonta, Violeta Radulescu, Mahdi Tarabeih
Keywords
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- EP ID EP592681
- DOI 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.07.001438
- Views 142
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