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Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behavior
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Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behavior

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2023) | Viewed by 22029

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christoph Burmann

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Markstones Institute of Marketing, Branding & Technology, Universität Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Interests: corporate social responsibility; brand management; strategic management
Prof. Dr. Manfred Kirchgeorg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Interests: strategic marketing; sustainability; circular economy; consumer behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on “Sustainability Marketing” will analyze the role of sustainability as a driver of  marketing decisions. Thus, we will cover a wide set of topics within the field of marketing (see enclosed table of potential topics). Sustainability is currently dealt with in a large number of marketing journals, but usually only as a minor matter. Therefore, this Special Issue will supplement the existing literature by concentrating on the most relevant aspects of sustainability in marketing. Based on the decision theory, we will cover all marketing decisions in a chronological order to analyze how sustainability will change the way these decisions are being made. We shall start by analyzing the marketing context, look at marketing goals and strategies, look at the marketing mix, marketing control, and marketing organization. Finally, we will discuss the role of sustainability in special marketing areas and sectoral areas.

Structure and Topics for a special edition of the Journal of Sustainability on: Sustainability Marketing, please see our enclosed table.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Burmann
Prof. Dr. Manfred Kirchgeorg
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability and consumer behavior
  • sustainability branding
  • corporate social responsibility
  • purpose
  • brand activism
  • greenwashing
  • circular economy
  • marketing ethics
  • welfare economics
  • demarketing

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 301 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Impact of Integrated Marketing Communication Tools on Green Product Purchase Intentions among Diverse Green Consumer Segments
by Chun-Shuo Chen, Chih-Ching Yu and Kuan-Yu Tu
Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16841; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416841 - 14 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1029
Abstract
In response to escalating environmental pressures and the growing global consensus on comprehensive green initiatives, marketers encounter the challenge of effectively communicating with diverse green consumer segments. The purpose of this study is to explore the preferences of different IMC tools among different [...] Read more.
In response to escalating environmental pressures and the growing global consensus on comprehensive green initiatives, marketers encounter the challenge of effectively communicating with diverse green consumer segments. The purpose of this study is to explore the preferences of different IMC tools among different types of green consumers and then attempt to propose effective communication tools for different types of green consumers to boost sustainable consumption. This study examined 13 widely used integrated marketing communication (IMC) tools and delved into their impact on the purchase intentions of different consumer segments toward green products. Meanwhile, departing from conventional approaches, we replaced consumer awareness with actual consumer behavior to more accurately segment green consumers. This distinction allowed us to categorize green consumers into three segments: light green (including colorless), medium green, and dark green consumers. By analyzing these IMC tools based on the dimensions of media richness theory—feedback, multiple cues, language variety, and personal focus—we found that (1) only three communication tools can effectively provide green consumers with different levels of green behavior with the green product information they need to enhance their green products purchase intention; (2) dark green consumers demonstrate a markedly stronger preference for these three types of IMC tools than the others; (3) there are significant differences in only two constructs, namely “feedback” and “language variety” among these three types of green consumers; and (4) both dark green and medium green consumers are more concerned about the level of personalization in messages than light green (including colorless) consumers. Ultimately, practical insights are provided to empower businesses and marketers in boosting consumer preference for green products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
14 pages, 1017 KiB  
Article
Should Brands Talk about Environmental Sustainability Aspects That “Really Hurt”? Exploring the Consequences of Disclosing Highly Relevant Negative CSR Information
by Jonas Müller, Michael Schade and Christoph Burmann
Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 15909; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152215909 - 14 Nov 2023
Viewed by 794
Abstract
When communicating their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities many companies predominantly release positive information. However, relying solely on positive information holds potential risks. Brands are consequently confronted with the dilemma of whether to exclusively disclose positive details about their environmental CSR activities (i.e., [...] Read more.
When communicating their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities many companies predominantly release positive information. However, relying solely on positive information holds potential risks. Brands are consequently confronted with the dilemma of whether to exclusively disclose positive details about their environmental CSR activities (i.e., one-sided messages) or opt for voluntary disclosure of positive and negative information (i.e., two-sided messages). Existing literature distinguishes moderately and highly relevant types of negative information. However, prior research has predominantly overlooked the investigation of highly relevant negative CSR information. Therefore, our primary objective is to explore the impact of two-sided messages encompassing highly relevant negative CSR information in comparison to one-sided messages. We conducted four online experiments in two countries with different brands (study 1 (Germany, Mercedes-Benz, n = 457); study 2 (Germany, Porsche, n = 431); study 3 (USA, Mercedes-Benz, n = 468) and study 4 (USA, Tesla, n = 465)). The results reveal that two-sided messages with the disclosure of highly relevant negative CSR information lead to negative effects in comparison to one-sided messages with only positive information. Consequently, brands should exercise caution in communicating highly relevant negative CSR aspects. Our findings offer notable theoretical insights and practical implications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
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18 pages, 776 KiB  
Article
Green Marketing Approaches and Their Impact on Green Purchase Intentions: Mediating Role of Green Brand Image and Consumer Beliefs towards the Environment
by Muhammad Ussama Majeed, Sumaira Aslam, Shah Ali Murtaza, Szakács Attila and Edina Molnár
Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11703; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811703 - 18 Sep 2022
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 15110
Abstract
Today, customers see businesses as more than just profit seekers, they see them as organizations that are concerned about the well-being of their societies. Therefore, businesses have made sustainability a primary focus by implementing green marketing tactics to encourage consumers to buy green [...] Read more.
Today, customers see businesses as more than just profit seekers, they see them as organizations that are concerned about the well-being of their societies. Therefore, businesses have made sustainability a primary focus by implementing green marketing tactics to encourage consumers to buy green goods. The intention to buy green products was examined in relation to factors such as eco-labelling, green packaging and branding, and green products, premium, and pricing. This study analyses a model that incorporates green marketing techniques based on the responses of 450 people to a survey. In addition, the paper investigates the moderating effect of green brand image and customer views on the environment on the link between green marketing and green purchase intentions. This study’s framework is confirmed by using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings of this study show that green marketing methods significantly and positively affect customers’ intentions to make environmentally friendly purchases. When looking at the path coefficient between green marketing techniques and green purchase intents, we discovered that green brand image and customer environmental attitudes considerably moderated this relationship. This study provides regional and international enterprises and governments with information on how to enhance consumers’ intentions to make green purchases. Significant findings from this study support favourable social behaviour toward green marketing. Towards the examination of the consumers’ green purchasing intents, this research underlined the importance and function of green brand image and customer attitudes regarding the environment. The packing of the items should be eco-friendly and prevent excessive paper and plastic packaging. Companies should leverage the environmental features of their products for branding purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
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25 pages, 5066 KiB  
Article
Consumer Preference for Attributes of Single-Use and Multi-Use Plastic Shopping Bags in Cape Town: A Choice Experiment Approach
by Victor Virimai Mugobo and Herbert Ntuli
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10887; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710887 - 31 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3645
Abstract
Single-use plastic bags are increasingly becoming unpopular across the globe due to growing concerns over plastic pollution, which is threatening both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Creating policy interventions to reduce plastic consumption requires objective information about local conditions. This study uses a choice [...] Read more.
Single-use plastic bags are increasingly becoming unpopular across the globe due to growing concerns over plastic pollution, which is threatening both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Creating policy interventions to reduce plastic consumption requires objective information about local conditions. This study uses a choice experiment to elicit consumer preference for attributes of shopping bags from a sample of 250 consumers in Cape Town. Following the literature, we estimate the conditional logit model and the mix logit model and perform appropriate tests to establish a model which fits our data. Our results show that consumers in Cape Town prefer small and medium-sized bags relative to the status quo. They also care about durability, reusability, style, and recyclability of shopping bags. The highest willingness to pay is associated with a medium-sized shopping bag (R3.76), followed by a shopping bag that is reusable (R3.35), then a shopping bag that is styled (R2.16), then a small-sized shopping bag (R1.74), then a durable shopping bag (R1.50) and finally a recyclable shopping bag (R1.25). By aggregation, the willingness to pay of a small-sized shopping bag that is recyclable is R2.99 which is equivalent to the maximum price that the respondent is offering for a single-use plastic bag (R2.92). The willingness to pay of a medium-sized and reusable shopping bag is R7.11 per unit which is at least as high as the minimum price that respondents would consider for alternative packaging (R7.37). Finally, taking into consideration all the important attributes, we arrive at a willingness to pay ranging from R9.99 to R12.01 per bag for a small and medium shopping bag, respectively. Our results call for a combination of policy instruments such as a subsidy on expensive durable and reusable shopping bags to increase demand while at the same time increasing the levy on single-use plastic bags to reduce demand. More effort is needed to increase appreciation and perception of recyclable products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Marketing and Consumer Behavior)
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