Options for labelling circular products: Icon design and consumer preferences

Bovea, Marı́a D.; Quemades-Beltrán, Pilar; Pérez-Belis, Victoria; Paz, Juan Pablo; Braulio-Gonzalo, Marta; Ibáñez-Forés, Valeria

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.08.180

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The current study also further proves that that familiarity and semantic distance should be of primary importance when it comes to selecting icons [22,39]. Interestingly, Spearman's correlation analysis between ranking and semantic scales showed that incompatible-compatible, vague-clear, weak-strong, and abstract-concrete were the four strongest semantic scales that highly correlated with the preference ranking.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

The Evaluation of Preference and Perceived Quality of Health Communication Icons Associated with COVID-19 Prevention Measures

et al. 2021

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Icons have been widely utilized to describe and promote COVID-19 prevention measures. The purpose of this study was to analyze the preference and subjective design features of 133 existing icons associated with COVID-19 prevention measures published by the health and medical organizations of different countries. The 133 icons represent nineteen different function names, such as “Wash Hands” and “Wear Face Mask”. A total of 57 participants were recruited to perform two different tests: ranking test and subjective rating test. The ranking test was conducted to elicit the preference ranking of seven icon designs representing each function name. It was followed by a subjective rating test using 13 semantic scales on the two most preferred icons to analyze their perceived quality. Spearmen correlation was applied to derive the possible correlations between users’ rankings and the semantic scales, and Friedman’s test was also performed to determine the true difference between ranking in terms of each semantic scale to provide a fully meaningful interpretation of the data. Generally, findings from the current study showed that the image presented in the icon is the key point that affects the icons’ perceived quality. Interestingly, Spearman’s correlation analysis between preference ranking and semantic scales showed that vague–clear, weak–strong, incompatible–compatible, and ineffective–effective were the four strongest semantic scales that highly correlated with the preference ranking. Considering the significant relationships between the semantic distances and the functions, images depicted in an icon should be realistic and as close as possible to its respected function to cater to users’ preferences. In addition, the results of Spearman’s correlation and Friedman’s test also inferred that compatibility and clarity of icon elements are the main factors determining a particular icon’s preferability. This study is the first comprehensive study to evaluate the icons associated with the COVID-19 prevention measures. The findings of this study can be utilized as the basis for redesigning icons, particularly for icons related to COVID-19 prevention measures. Furthermore, the approach can also be applied and extended for evaluating other medical icons.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

The Evaluation of Preference and Perceived Quality of Health Communication Icons Associated with COVID-19 Prevention Measures

et al. 2021

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“…Moreover, some of them felt that they would first need to better understand what types of products and materials are recyclable. While the "Eco-Design Working Plan 2016-2019" by the EC has committed to incorporating different circular requirements into the design of products, these requirements are actually related to a number of aspects: such as durability, possibility of repair, possibility to upgrade, possibility of disassembly, ease of reuse and recycling ( Bovea et al, 2018 ). Educating about these different aspects and what they mean in practice is a completely new type of content.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding circular economy in everyday life: Perceptions of young adults in the Finnish context

Korsunova

Horn

Vainio

2021

Sustainable Production and Consumption

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It is generally accepted that governments, municipalities, businesses and citizens alike have a role to play in transitioning towards a circular economy (CE). Yet most academic and policy discussions of CE revolve around technological solutions and business models. Although CE also means significant changes to ways of living, these aspects of CE are barely addressed. The citizen role is traditionally assumed to be that of a consumer or user of the newly developed solutions, while also following the guidelines for sorting and recycling. Little is known about how citizens envision being part of the CE, and what skills and competences are relevant for CE. Our study addresses this gap by exploring the perceptions of young adults in Finland on how CE reflects into their everyday lives. Our dataset consists of 249 responses from high school students in Finland to open-ended questions regarding CE. The results highlight that young adults in Finland strongly associate CE with recycling, waste sorting and re-selling/buying second-hand, which is in line with the conventional roles of efficient recyclers and consumers. Although CE harbors wider potential for more active citizen roles related to repair, maintenance and upcycling, these aspects are often overlooked in favor of more familiar lifestyles. Building on the 5R framework for CE and emerging themes from student responses, we bring forward the new roles of upcycler, thrifter, expert/learner, giver/benefactor and conservationist. Supporting these emerging roles is an opportunity for cooperation between young adults, other citizen groups, cities, policy makers and businesses, and a key for jointly advancing the transition to CE.

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“…Several of the reviewed articles discuss forms of external communication, other than sustainability reporting and their applicability to communicating CE performance. For example, Bovea et al, 2018 investigate the options of eco‐labelling for circular products. More specifically, the researchers focus on icon design and propose five globally selected icons for five different CE strategies (upgrade, disassembly, lifetime extension, repairability and reuse).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies highlight the risks associated with data selection for external communication and how reporting approaches could inform this communication, providing a comparable format and reducing the potential for greenwashing and oversimplification of CE-related data.Several of the reviewed articles discuss forms of external communication, other than sustainability reporting and their applicability to communicating CE performance. For example,Bovea et al, 2018 investigate the options of eco-labelling for circular products. More specifically, the researchers focus on icon design and propose five globally selected icons for five different CE strategies (upgrade, disassembly, lifetime extension, repairability and reuse).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Circular economy in corporate sustainability reporting: A review of organisational approaches

et al. 2021

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A growing commitment from companies to implement circular economy (CE) strategies demands the development of guidelines for consistent related external communication. The fields of non-financial reporting and sustainability are well established with numerous available international reporting frameworks and approaches; however, there is still an absence of standardised reporting principles and procedures for publishing progress on circularity. In this context, this article aims to explore how companies could include CE within their corporate sustainability reports, through an academic literature review and content analysis of existent reporting approaches. Results showed a clear disconnection between CE and sustainability reporting literature. Overall, only a few of the revised reporting approaches explicitly mention CE, and the guidance given to companies is very general, inconsistent and places the responsibility of selecting performance assessment approaches on the companies. The analysis contributes to identifying opportunities for transparent external communication of CE issues, as well as exploring the challenges and limitations.

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Options for labelling circular products: Icon design and consumer preferences

Cited by 17 publications

References 22 publications

The Evaluation of Preference and Perceived Quality of Health Communication Icons Associated with COVID-19 Prevention Measures

The Evaluation of Preference and Perceived Quality of Health Communication Icons Associated with COVID-19 Prevention Measures

Understanding circular economy in everyday life: Perceptions of young adults in the Finnish context

Circular economy in corporate sustainability reporting: A review of organisational approaches

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