May 28, 2008 by
Brian Butler
| Filed under: 1, 2-Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education, Overview
There is a need to inform consumers on sustainability of products to enable them to make informed purchasing decisions, and subsequently there is much need for identifying and effectively assessing methods to inform consumers.
This workshop produced a few consensus thoughts on sustainability labeling & consumer education; such as on the topic of what makes a label an effective information tool, it was determined that consumers need to be able to adequately recognize the label and know what the label implies; additionally, these labels need the right balance of information (not too much, not too little).
With regard to what factors influence a consumer’s willingness to purchase sustainable products, the workshop groups felt that perceived personal gain (quality of the product, social pressures to buy sustainable products, cost vs. disposable income, etc.) played a significant role.
This workshop also discussed what information should be disclosed, and it was felt that there was a divide between what consumers want to know ( i.e., , and what “experts” think consumers need to know.
– Social issues
– child labor, living wage, labor health and safety conditions, investment in community, where product was made, where resources originated
– Product safety issues
– hazardous materials content
– Environmental issues
– carbon footprint, energy efficiency, product quality/durability, reliability, recyclability, recycled content, waste output
– Need to find out what works best for consumer
• Recognizable, meaning understood
• Consider ways to normalize information to account for impact related to quantity (per unit of product or use)
• Limited/simplified info on product (label) with more detailed information on criteria provided separately (e.g., insert, bar code)
You can view the symposium powerpoint HERE.
April 24, 2008 by
John Morelli
| Filed under: 1, 2-Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education
The three questions that were originally suggested by Lisa appear the most likely for the focus of this discussion:
What types of environmental, social, and economic labelling already exist?
What information should be included in sustainability?
What is the best way to present the information to the consumer?
Read more >
by
BAKHTIYAR IBRAYEV
| Filed under: 1, 2-Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education
Food and sustainability: Do consumers recognize, understand and value on-package information on production standards?
This survey was done in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
“Abstract
We tested how consumers recognize, understand and value on-package information about food production methods that may contribute to a more sustainable agriculture. Nine copy tests were formed, each containing one out of three products and one [...]
Read more >
by
BAKHTIYAR IBRAYEV
| Filed under: 1, 2-Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education
An example of customer education through advertising on supermarket shelves.
“The purpose of this study was to evaluate the awareness and use of a supermarket-shelf labeling program designed to encourage shoppers to make food choices that promote heart health.”
Customer education
JASON E. LANG, NELDA MERCER, DIEM TRAN, LORI MOSCA, Use of a Supermarket Shelf-Labeling Program to Educate a Predominately Minority Community About Foods That Promote Heart [...]
Read more >
April 20, 2008 by
Frances
| Filed under: 1, 2-Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education
Hello Bakhtiyar Ibrayev and Fabiana Kotoriy. The symposium is coming up and I was wondering what you thought about our topic. John posted an example of a label we could use. What do you think of it? Have you been able to find other examples or resources that would help us [...]
Read more >
by
Lisa Greenwood
,
John Morelli
,
and
Frances
| Filed under: 1, 2-Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education
Welcome to the discussion forum for sustainability labelling and consumer education. In this forum, the initial focus is on possible ways to make product sustainability and “green-ness” information available to consumers, under the premise that an educated consumer will be more empowered to make better, more sustainable choices. If the consumer is provided with information on a product’s true [...]
Read more >
February 4, 2008 by
John Morelli
,
Brian Butler
and
| Filed under: 1, 2-Sustainability Labeling and Consumer Education, Overview
Welcome to the discussion! Researchers working on this important subtopic include: Lisa Greenwood, Frances Cabrera, Bakhtiyar Ibrayev, and Fabiana Kotoriy. Listed below are the various postings from the research team. If you are interested in participating on this professional research team, or learning more about it, please contact us by clicking here.
Read more >
