Circularity, Sustainability, and the Quality of Coffee Sold via Vending Machines: What Do Italian Consumers Prefer?

Abstract

Vending is an important sector in the daily lives of many people, and coffee is the most frequently consumed product in the European market. Like many other sectors, vending is responding to the challenge of sustainable development by taking various actions, such as offering increasingly ecologically sound coffee while maintaining/improving its quality. These are factors that consumers care greatly about. Although the scientific literature on coffee is vast, few studies have focused on the vending sector. The aim of the present study was to fill this gap by performing a choice experiment in Italy to understand which attributes (sustainable or nonsustainable) Italian consumers prioritized when purchasing coffee via vending machines. The results showed that the physical quality of coffee was paramount, while sustainability (although important) played a secondary role. The circularity of cups was the least considered aspect. The data obtained for this study contribute to academic knowledge of consumer behavior regarding the purchase of sustainable coffee at vending machines and can be used as a starting point for the development of strategies in line with sustainability principles [EconLit Citations: C9, Q01].