Going from attitude to action: Analyzing how the orientations of sustainable food businesses influence their business strategies

Abstract

Following an increasing interest in sustainable food systems, businesses have begun to look for ways to incorporate sustainability practices into their business models and strategies. However, the ability to follow through with their ambitions is obstructed by the attitude–behavior gap, a phenomenon that refers to the discrepancy between a decision‐maker's attitudes and beliefs and their resulting actions. This research studies the attitudes (including motives and intentions) of food‐related businesses in Thailand and their subsequent business decisions by conducting semi‐structured interviews with companies of varying sizes and types. The aim is to analyze possible gaps between attitudes and behaviors along the value chain management and explore relevant business practices. This study categorizes firms into profit, performance, and partnership orientations towards sustainability and concludes that different orientations result in differing degrees of attitude–behavior gap and divergent business strategies. Furthermore, business strategies in various markets are proposed to transition between sustainability orientations.

Balancing the environment and customer value: evaluation of the attractiveness of label-free plastic bottles for green tea

“…For example, although the number of green foods on supermarket shelves is increasing, they typically account for less than 10% of total food sales (Iweala et al, 2019). Consumers say that they consider social issues in their purchasing decisions, however, their purchasing behavior does not match these statements (Jusuf and Nuttavuthisit, 2023). Unlike other purchasing behaviors, consumer attitudes toward green products have been identified as poor predictors (Park and Lin, 2020).…”

“…, 2019). Consumers say that they consider social issues in their purchasing decisions, however, their purchasing behavior does not match these statements (Jusuf and Nuttavuthisit, 2023). Unlike other purchasing behaviors, consumer attitudes toward green products have been identified as poor predictors (Park and Lin, 2020).…”