Improving Eco-labelling as an Environmental Policy Instrument: Knowledge, Trust and Organic Consumption

Consumer Choices and Motives for Eco-Labeled Products in China: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Choice Experiment

“…Eco-labeling can generate a change toward more eco-friendly consumption patterns by providing consumers with information about the environmental effects of their consumption and can encourage producers to invest in more sustainable agricultural practices [10]. Eco-labels are effective only if they have real effects on consumer's decision-making [9]. Therefore, it is necessary to know what motivates consumers to pay a premium [7].…”

“…Therefore, it is necessary to know what motivates consumers to pay a premium [7]. Organic labels are a typical type of eco-labeling [9,11] that combines private (perceived health) and public (environmental benefits) characteristics [7]. It is questionable whether such premiums are associated with health concerns or with health concerns or environmental worries.…”

“…Eco-labeled products are environmentally preferable products with eco-labels compared to other products in the same category [8][9][10]. Eco-labeling can generate a change toward more eco-friendly consumption patterns by providing consumers with information about the environmental effects of their consumption and can encourage producers to invest in more sustainable agricultural practices [10].…”

“…However, the eco-labeling system is complicated for consumers because it is composed of a set of production standards, a certification system, and a labeling scheme [23]. Consumers need some knowledge of the production standards underlying eco-labels to distinguish eco-labeled products from non-labeled alternatives [9,24]. Though some studies have considered consumers' preferences or consumers' willingness to pay for eco-labeled products as well as their determinants [7,9,[25][26][27], limited attention has been paid to how individuals' knowledge of production standards influences their willingness to pay.…”

Sustainable consumption and marketing

“…fair trade), or organic certification. Certified ethical labelling may prevent misleading marketing claims and facilitate sustainable consumer behaviour by increasing the efficiency of information transfer (Hussain, 2000), though the effectiveness of certified ethical labelling is still a subject of dispute (Ben Youssef & Abderrazak, 2009;Bougherara & Piguet, 2009;Buckley, 2013;Costa, Ibanez, Loureiro, & Marette, 2009;Daugbjerg, Smed, Andersen, & Schvartzman, 2014;Mason, 2009;Testa, Iraldo, Vaccari, & Ferrari, 2013).…”