Sustainability Integration in Peer to Peer Marketplace Platforms

IN DEGREE PROJECT INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT,SECOND CYCLE, 30 CREDITS

, STOCKHOLM SWEDEN 2020

Sustainability Integration in Peer to Peer Marketplace Platforms

A Study of Customer Perception and Loyalty

CLARA LORENIUS ANDRÉN

ISABELLA RAMBERT

KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYSCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT


by

Clara Lorenius Andrén Isabella Rambert

Master of Science Thesis TRITA-ITM-EX 2020:250 KTH Industrial Engineering and Management

Industrial Management SE-100 44 STOCKHOLM

Integrering av Hållbarhet i Webbaserade Handelsplatser

av

Clara Lorenius Andrén Isabella Rambert

Examensarbete TRITA-ITM-EX 2020:250 KTH Industriell teknik och management

Industriell ekonomi och organisation SE-100 44 STOCKHOLM

Master of Science Thesis TRITA-ITM-EX 2020:250



Clara Lorenius Andrén

Isabella Rambert Approved

2020-06-08 Examiner

Frauke Urban Supervisor

Cali Nuur Commissioner

Blocket AB Contact person

Tero Marjamäki Eva Okmian Danielsson

Abstract Increasing attention to sustainability and environmental concerns implies changes in consumer preferences, whereof companies need to provide offerings characterized with a focus on sustainability laden concepts such as the Circular Economy (CE), aligning with these changes. How to communicate sustainability has therefore become a focus of attention when formulating marketing strategies. However, sustainability is a complex concept and it could therefore be questioned whether everyone irrespective of, for instance, gender, age, education and other personal attributes perceive it similarly and display similar attitudes toward the concept. Based on a quantitative online survey with 1010 participants, this study examines the impact of personal attributes on the receptiveness of sustainability communication and customer loyalty in the context of Peer to Peer (P2P) marketplace platforms, and discerns how sustainability communication and customer loyalty are interrelated. Also, it explores whether sustainability communication from providers of P2P marketplace platforms can be considered to play a role in accelerating the transition to a CE. Findings suggest that personal attributes affect the receptiveness of sustainability communication and loyalty intentions, this was particularly evident for females and individuals living a sustainable lifestyle. The findings also reveal a positive relation between sustainability communication and customer loyalty, where environmental engagement, consistency between preferences for a certain appeal and actions made on the basis of the same preference, along with trustworthy content seem to strengthen that relationship. Lastly, the findings conclude that sustainability communication from P2P marketplace platforms providers can increase the number of individuals trading pre-owned items which implies for more people participating in resource-efficient activities, which ultimately fosters a CE. Key-words Circular Economy, Customer Loyalty, Customer Satisfaction, Green Marketing, Environmental Attitude, Environmental Engagement, Online Marketplaces, Peer to Peer Marketplace Platforms, Pre-owned Items, Sustainability Communication

Examensarbete TRITA-ITM-EX 2020:250

Integrering av Hållbarhet i Webbaserade Handelsplatser

En studie om kunduppfattning och kundlojalitet

Clara Lorenius Andrén

Isabella Rambert Godkänt

2020-06-08

Examinator

Frauke Urban

Handledare

Cali Nuur Uppdragsgivare

Blocket AB Kontaktperson

Tero Marjamäki Eva Okmian Danielsson

Sammanfattning Ökad uppmärksamhet kring begreppet hållbarhet och miljöfrågor innebär förändrade konsumentpreferenser med högre krav på hållbara lösningar, varav företag behöver erbjuda produkter och/eller tjänster som präglas av hållbarhet för att möta kundernas behov. Hur man kommunicerar hållbarhet har således blivit en viktig aspekt när företag utformar sina marknadsföringsstrategier. Hållbarhet är däremot ett komplext begrepp, varav det kan ifrågasättas om alla oavsett kön, ålder, utbildningsnivå och andra personliga egenskaper har en liknande attityd gentemot hållbarhet, och uppfattar hållbarhetskommunikation på samma sätt. Baserat på en kvantitativ onlineundersökning med 1 010 deltagare undersöker denna studie effekterna av personliga egenskaper på mottagligheten av hållbarhetskommunikation och kundlojalitet i kontexten peer-to-peer (P2P) marknadsplattformar, samt hur hållbarhetskommunikation och kundlojalitet står i relation till varandra. Studien undersöker också om hållbarhetskommunikation kan anses påskynda övergången till en cirkulär ekonomi. Resultaten från studien ger en indikation på att personliga egenskaper påverkar mottagligheten för hållbarhetskommunikation och konsumentens intentioner att vara lojal. Detta var särskilt påtagligt för kvinnor och individer som lever en hållbar livsstil. Resultaten visar även på en positiv relation mellan hållbarhetskommunikation och kundlojalitet, varav högre miljöengagemang, preferenser som går i linje med handlingar, och trovärdigt innehåll tenderar att stärka denna relation. Slutligen kan det konstateras att hållbarhetskommunikation kommunicerat av P2P-marknadsplattformar kan öka antalet personer som säljer och köper begagnade föremål, varav fler människor deltar i resurseffektiva aktiviteter, vilket främjar övergången till en cirkulär ekonomi. Nyckelord Cirkulär Ekonomi, Kundlojalitet, Kundnöjdhet, Grön Marknadsföring, Miljöattityd, Miljöengagemang, Webbaserade Handelsplatser, Peer to Peer Marknadsplattformar, Begagnade Varor, Hållbarhetskommunikation

KTH ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Sustainability Integration in Peer to PeerMarketplace Platforms


Clara Lorenius AndrénIsabella Rambert

Stockholm, SwedenJune 2020

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 11.1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.3 Purpose and Research Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.4 Delimitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.5 Layout of the Thesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2 Literature Review 72.1 The Circular Economy Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.2 Sustainability Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.3 Segmentation of Green Consumers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192.4 The Perception of Environmental Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222.5 Customer Loyalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

3 Theoretical Framework 313.1 Findings from Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

4 Methodology 354.1 Research Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354.2 Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364.3 Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384.4 Quality of Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

5 Empirical Results 435.1 Green Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445.2 Customer Loyalty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

6 Analysis and Discussion 576.1 Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576.2 Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 596.3 Degree of Urbanisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6.4 Educational Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626.5 Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646.6 Peer to Peer Marketplace Platforms and Circular Economy . . . . . . . . 66

7 Conclusion 697.1 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697.2 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717.3 Contributions and Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

8 References 75

A Questionnaire 89

List of Figures

2.1.1 Linear versus Circular Flow of Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82.2.1 The Traditional Communication Model (Sasser, Kilgour and Hollebeek,

2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.1.1 Theoretical Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4.2.1 Sections of Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364.3.1 Theoretical Framework including Questionnaire Questions . . . . . . . . 40

5.0.1 Demographic and Psychographic Characteristics of the Survey Participants 435.1.1 B1: How much do you agree with the following statement? “I am aware of

the environmental consequences of my consumption of clothing, interiorand/or items.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

5.1.2 B2: How much do you agree with the following statement? ”I wouldlike to learn more about the consequences of my consumption of clothing,interior and/or items.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

5.1.3 B3: Imagine that you are going to buy a bicycle for the upcoming season.What kind of argument is the most important for you to consider buyinga pre-owned bicycle instead of a brand new? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

5.1.4 B4-A: How likely is it that you will reduce your consumption of clothes,interior and/or items due to the climate debate for the 12 upcoming months? 47

5.1.5 B4-B: What kind of message, if any, about the climate makes/has madeyou change your consumption pattern? Maximum two answers. “If themessage is...” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

5.1.6 B5: What factors are, according to you, the most important to trustsustainability communication provided by a company? Maximum twoanswers. “Sustainability communication that is:” . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

5.1.7 B6: How would you describe an online marketplace for pre-owned itemswith one word only? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

5.2.1 C1: To buy from a company again, what significance does it have that thecompany contributes to an increased level of knowledge about sustainability? 50

LIST OF FIGURES

5.2.2 C2: To buy from a company again, what significance does it have thatthe company makes you emotionally engaged in sustainability questions? 51

5.2.3 C3: By purchasing pre-owned items instead of something new you canreduce your personal carbon footprint. To buy from a company again,what significance does it have that the company provides you withpersonal feedback of your purchases and how these have reduced yourcarbon footprint? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

5.2.4 C4: What are the main reasons that would make you recommend acompany to others? Maximum two answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

5.2.5 C5: How often is the positive effect of recycling the primary reason whenbuying a pre-owned item? (Before cost savings, for example) . . . . . . . 54

5.2.6 C6: Where would you place yourself on the following scale regardingbuying decisions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

List of Tables

2.3.1 Percentage Distribution among Roper’s Five Environmental Segments ofGreen Consumers (Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

5.2.1 Overview of Empirical Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Acronyms

C2C Consumer to ConsumerCBM Circular Business ModelsCE Circular EconomyCSR Corporate Social ResponsibilityEESC European Economic and Social CommitteeESOMAR European Society for Opinion and Marketing ResearchNGO Non-Governmental OrganisationP2P Peer to PeerPaaS Products as a ServicePSS Product Service SystemsSMIF Swedish Market Research AssociationWoM Word of Mouth

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, we would like to thank our supervisors at Blocket and KTH forsupporting us along the work with this Master Thesis during spring 2020. Thank youTero Marjamäki and Eva Okmian Danielsson at Blocket for giving us the opportunityto conduct our research in collaboration with Sweden’s largest marketplace, and forconsistently supporting our work along with valuable insights on the direction of thestudy as well as in the process of developing the questionnaire. Thank you, Cali Nuur,our academic supervisor at KTH, for always being helpful and supporting through thewhole process. Your deep knowledge about sustainability and Circular Economy hasbeen invaluable for our work, and we are truly thankful for the time you have taken inbringing us consistent guidance, feedback and great insights into the topic. Furthermore,we would like to express our gratitude to academia and those who have contributed withresearch within the field of sustainability communication in particular. The number ofhours spent reading your research has deepened our understanding of, and guided usthrough, the topic. Last but not least, we would like to show our appreciation to ourfellow students who participated in the seminars during the spring of 2020. Through thediscussions and peer feedback knowledge was shared and transferred, which allowed usto further evolve and improve our thesis.

Clara Lorenius AndrénIsabella Rambert

June 2020

1 Introduction

This thesis concerns sustainability integration in Peer to Peer (P2P) marketplaceplatforms. The empirical point of departure of the thesis is an exploratory studyof sustainability communication in the context of online marketplaces. It specificallyinvestigates the impact of personal attributes on the receptiveness of sustainabilitycommunication, and loyalty intentions. Also, how sustainability communication andcustomer loyalty are interrelated. This chapter sets the scene by providing a backgroundand consists of five sections.

1.1 BackgroundThe sustainability debate, which includes a social, economic and environmentalperspective has undeniably intensified over the last couple of years (Kourula, Pisaniand Kolk, 2017; Mensah and Casadevall, 2019). More specifically, the environmentalperspective has gained significance due to an increased awareness of climate change, itsconsequences and what is required to enable transition and mitigation (Weng, Chen andChen, 2015). Although the debate generally focuses on the production side, consumersare also in the forefront of a transformation that will impact how and what to produceand consume. For instance, in a recent report by Cone Communications (2017), 89% ofglobal consumers are likely to switch brands to ones that support environmental and/orsocial benefits. This is further corroborated by White, Hardisty and Habib (2019), whoclaim that there never has been more relevant to set sustainable offerings in motion asmany consumers to a greater extent today, than before, choose brands incorporating asustainability purpose in their offering. Thus, consumer demand regarding environmentalsustainability and products with green properties are changing. Simultaneously, it is fairto say that demographics such as age, gender and educational level, and psychographicvariables in terms of daily activities, among others, are underlying factors having animpact on individuals’ perception of sustainability and decision making (Hunter, Hatchand Johnson, 2004; Chekima et al., 2016).

As discussed by both Adger et al. (2013) and Capstick et al. (2015), the context in whichclimate change is perceived and the effect on response and adaptation as well as how itis communicated is of vital importance. Whilst the extant literature differs in researchpurpose, they still give a fair picture of the significant impact of the context on the

1

1. Introduction

way consumers act which implicates both challenges and opportunities for organisationsto adapt the content of what is being communicated. Consequently, the way peoplerespond to different methods of communication will also differ. Accordingly, the topicof sustainability communication in itself has been extensively researched over the lastcouple of years due to the increased engagement to transform businesses to meet consumerdemand and expectations from governmental organisations having, for example, the ParisAgreement in mind.

Although sustainability communication departs from institutional factors, its successdepends on several contexts and aspects (Godemann and Michelsen, 2011). For example,in a study by Brown (2013) it is argued that values and norms play a big role whenconceptualizing an organisation’s sustainability communication. Moreover, there is alsoa criticism that the strong expectation on companies to act sustainable could drivecompanies in engaging in greenwashing; false or misleading information of a company’senvironmental performance (Delmas and Burbano, 2011). Simultaneously, as the concernof greenwashing is growing, consumers have become more aware of the issue. Thisultimately leads to a growing scepticism towards environmental messages which requireorganisations to be precise in how they are exercising sustainability communication.Also, the growing use of social media allows consumers to investigate organisations in acompletely new way (Cone Communications, 2013).

In line with these changing preferences and expectations, many companies have alsostarted to transition towards more Circular Business Models (CBM) (Hofmann, 2019)or to include elements to enable more of a Circular Economy (CE) (Lewandowski, 2016;Bressanelli et al., 2018). A CBM can be defined as “how a company creates, captures,and delivers value with the value creation logic designed to improve resource efficiencythrough contributing to extending useful life of products and parts (e.g., through long-life design, repair and remanufacturing) and closing material loops” (Nussholz, 2017,p. 12). In terms of CE, it is often discussed in the context of companies that eitherproduce or purchase goods rather than companies within the service sector. Accordingto Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2013, p. 7), CE refers to “an industrial economy thatis restorative or regenerative by intention and design”.

Nonetheless, companies within the service industry can be expected to have greatpotential in playing an essential role in the shift towards a more CE due to its strategicposition between end-users and manufacturers. Heyes et al. (2018) further emphasisethe role of digital technologies in enabling CE where P2P platforms recently have gainedmomentum at an unprecedented pace among the public, to contribute to sustainablebusinesses and ultimately reduced resource consumption (Parente, Geleilate and Rong,2018). Through the use of P2P marketplace platforms, buyers and sellers can connect

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1. Introduction

and engage in convenient transactions more easily (Kreiczer-Levy, 2019) whilst betterutilizing resources (Einav, Farronato and Levin, 2016). In this study, the transactionsbetween sellers and buyers refer to the trading of pre-owned items in terms of clothes,interior, electronics etcetera. Thus, by helping individuals to make better use of theworld’s existing assets such platforms could possibly foster a pathway to sustainabledevelopment.

1.2 ProblemAs aforementioned, the sustainability debate has intensified over the last couple ofyears and accordingly, societies receive information about sustainability to a greaterextent. In turn, that affects the way people behave, what products and servicesthey purchase and from what companies, thus affecting a wide range of businesses.However, as sustainability is such a wide topic, can it be assumed that it is perceivedin the same way by everyone irrespective of, for instance, gender, age, education andother demographic factors? Besides, the wide range of different businesses that havedeveloped over the years, from production industries to digital platforms, contribute tothe complexity of understanding what constitutes sustainable modes of production andconsumption. Consequently, one main problem to consider is how to adjust and adaptthe communication of sustainability to reach out to all consumers. Accordingly, thisstudy considers the adjustment and adaptation to be a problem for companies who wantto attract new and retaining old customers through sustainability communication andsimultaneously play a role in the transition towards a CE.

Given that sustainability has gained increased attention an increasing number ofbusinesses are incorporating sustainability practices. This implies increased competitionas well as a need to implement an efficient business logic for sustainability. For thepurpose of this study, the focus is on sustainability communication in terms of greenmarketing, in the context of online marketplaces. It is an emerging field of study withother prerequisites for online marketplaces than those of traditional producing businesses,where focus often is on supply chain and product characteristics. As demand increasesfor sustainable and CBMs, an increase of the number of consumers available can beexpected to attract more companies into this field. This poses significant challenges andopportunities in retaining and attracting new customers through the use of sustainabilitycommunication.

1.3 Purpose and Research QuestionsThe overall aim of this thesis is to increase the understanding of how consumers perceiveand react to sustainability communication from providers of P2P marketplace platforms.In particular, it seeks to analyse if and how sustainability communication could be used

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1. Introduction

as a tool to earn customer loyalty. By adding perspectives of consumer perception fromthe context of online marketplaces, this study has the goal of contributing with newinsights regarding sustainability communication. More specifically, this study aims toanswer the following main research question:

MRQ: How can sustainability communication towards consumers, in the context ofPeer to Peer marketplace platforms, play a role in the transition towards a circulareconomy?

The above overall research question is further narrowed down to get a deeper insight intosustainability communication. As companies depend on their consumers, there is a needto understand the nature of consumer behaviour, preference and perception. Thus, thefollowing sub-question is formulated:

SRQ 1: How do the receptiveness of sustainability communication and loyalty intentionsvary among consumers with regard to personal attributes?

After gaining insights about how personal attributes influence the receptiveness ofsustainability communication and customer loyalty intentions, it becomes interestingto examine how they are possibly interrelated. Thus, to explore how sustainabilitycommunication ultimately can influence customer loyalty an additional sub-question isformulated:

SRQ 2: How can sustainability communication influence customer loyalty?

1.4 DelimitationsAnalysing sustainability related notions is a large area of research. Due to the factthat sustainability includes three dimensions: the social, economic and environmentalperspective which independently have the possibility to be applied to plenty of areas,this study is delimited to include only one dimension. Given the intensified debate onclimate change, increased demand among consumers for businesses to incorporate greendimensions along with the role of digital platforms in the transition to a more CE, thestudy will only consider the environmental dimension. This accounts for the whole study.In terms of the theoretical framework, sustainability is considered to be integrated ingreen communication and will not be analysed as a stand alone concept.

In addition, this thesis has some other delimitations; the study is delimited to a consumerconsumption perspective and the scope of this thesis is delimited to providers of P2Pmarketplace platforms on the Swedish market. This in order to ensure a thoroughand extensive analysis as well as due to the accessibility of data. The number of P2Pmarketplace platforms has grown extensively over the last couple of years where different

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1. Introduction

business models have been incorporated. The central focus of this study will however beon platform providers enabling collaborative redistribution activities between consumers;trading of pre-owned items in terms of clothing, interior, electronics etcetera.

Ultimately, although the definition of an “Online Platform”, “Online Marketplace”,“P2P Marketplace Platform” and “Collaborative Redistribution Platform” tend todiffer, these terms are used interchangeably. In this study, these are considered asonline platforms that enable consumers to interact and sell pre-owned items to oneanother, in terms of clothes, interior, electronics etcetera. Moreover, “SustainabilityCommunication”, “Green Communication” and “Green Marketing” are, after section2.2, used interchangeably.

1.5 Layout of the ThesisApart from the above introduction, this thesis consists of six additional chapters.

Chapter 2. Literature Review: This chapter provides insights from the extantliterature and aims to give the reader a thorough understanding of the current knowledgewithin the research field.

Chapter 3. Theoretical Framework: This chapter provides an theoretical frameworkbased upon insights from the literature review.

Chapter 4. Methodology: This chapter covers how the study aims to answer theresearch questions, presented in chapter 1, by presenting the chosen methodology. Theresearch design is described, followed by a description of the data collection, and lastly,the data analysis process is outlined.

Chapter 5. Empirical Results: This chapter presents the findings contained afterconducting the proposed methodology in chapter 4.

Chapter 6. Analysis and Discussion: This chapter consists of an analysis anddiscussion of the empirical results, presented in chapter 5, by using the theoreticalframework outlined in chapter 2 and extant literature.

Chapter 7. Conclusion This chapter provides the reader with a brief summaryand answers to the research questions, along with limitations, contributions andimplications.

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2 Literature Review

As described in the introductory chapter, this study concerns sustainabilitycommunications and how Peer to Peer marketplace platforms (P2P) can integrate itinto their offering. Sustainability communication cannot be discussed in isolation andthus it can be put in the context of an emerging literature on what is termed as a CircularEconomy (CE) which Korhonen et al. (2018) term as an essentially contested concept. Inaddition, sustainability communication in the context of online marketplaces is a questionof customer loyalty since the demand for sustainability aspects has become more common.On this basis, this chapter reviews the literature through the five intertwined notions ofCE, Sustainability Communication, Segmentation of Green Consumers, Perception ofEnvironmental Sustainability and Customer Loyalty.

2.1 The Circular Economy ConceptIn a world with a continuously growing population, there is a growing demand andconsumption of our finite global resources. In light of that, the CE concept has gainedincreased attention as a promising tool to manage the challenges inherent in populationgrowth, among others (Kirchherr et al., 2018; Santibanez Gonzalez, Koh and Leung,2019). CE refers to an industrial system that, in contrast to the linear take-make-dispose system, is “restorative or regenerative by intention and design” (Ellen MacArthurFoundation, 2013, p. 7) and holds promise for increasing resource efficiency throughembedding closed-loop principles such as Product-life Extension, Redistribution/Reuse,Remanufacturing and Recycling (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013; Urbinati, Chiaroniand Chiesa, 2017). That includes, inter alia, the replacement of the end-of-life conceptwith restoration (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013). Furthermore, these principlesindicate that CE is not only about recycling, but also embrace and put emphasis on so-called inner-loops, aiming to extend the initial product value through repair/reuse andencourage a second-life by stimulating remanufacturing/refurbishment, before enteringthe actual recycling phase (Mugge, 2018).

Beyond this explanation of CE, there are many definitions provided in the existingliterature on CE and many of these originate from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.For example, both Geissdoerfer et al. (2017) as well as Haupt, Vadenbo and Hellweg(2017) refer to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and provide following definitions of CE:

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2. Literature Review

“A regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakageare minimised by slowing, closing, and narrowing material and energy loops. This canbe achieved through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing,refurbishing, and recycling.” (Geissdoerfer et al., 2017, p. 759) and “The conceptof circular economy conceives of a production and consumption system with minimallosses of materials and energy through extensive reuse, recycling, and recovery.” (Haupt,Vadenbo and Hellweg, 2017, p. 615).

Despite the fact that the definitions to some extent originate from the same main source,they take slightly different expressions. In line with Kirchherr, Reike and Hekkert (2017),the understanding of CE can be broader than one single definition as certain dimensionstend to be overlooked. In this context, CE demonstrates an economic paradigm shiftwhere the prevailing linear open-ended economy model, allowing for waste along the valuechain, is replaced by a closed-loop economy where waste is designed out and productsare designed to be kept in the system as long as possible. This is illustrated in figure2.1.1. Hence, economic growth is decoupled from an increase in resource consumption(Kjaer et al., 2019).

Figure 2.1.1: Linear versus Circular Flow of Items

Beyond reshaped production and distribution processes in a circular value chain,considering and rethinking consumption processes is also important (Lieder and Rashid,2016; Kirchherr, Reike and Hekkert, 2017). Such transition helps to make betteruse of the world’s existing assets and fosters a pathway for sustainable development.However, the transition to a CE will not happen by itself, but individuals and companies,among others, indeed play an important role in reshaping the market conditions andestablishing the new circular logic (DSGC, no date; Accenture, 2014; Urbinati, Chiaroniand Chiesa, 2017). In addition, the increased utilisation of digitalisation enables, amongothers, improved transparency, traceability and accessibility of products, enhancing “thepossibilities for end-of-life collection, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling.”(Antikainen, Uusitalo and Kivikytö-Reponen, 2018, p. 45). Hence, that induces a

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great potential of digital platforms, such as online marketplaces, to yield benefits inthe transition to a CE.

2.1.1 The Role of ConsumersKirchherr, Reike and Hekkert (2017) point out that there is much emphasis put onthe production side of CE, however, less effort is put on the consumer/consumptionperspective and consumers’ willingness to participate in a CE. Consequently, Kirchherr,Reike and Hekkert (2017) endeavour to describe CE more holistically, accentuatingthe role of the consumers in a CE on a micro, meso and macro level. As consumersare the ones actually consuming products and services accessible on the market, theirresponsibility and consumption practices could be considered as necessary to examine.The importance of understanding and including the consumers and their needs is furthercorroborated by Ghisellini, Cialani and Ulgiati (2016) as well as the European Economicand Social Committee (EESC) (2018). Specifically, they say that consumer behaviourand responsibility constitute an important role in the CE, and that the choices they makecould either support or hamper the CE. The negligence of consumers might thus impedethe dissemination of CE, and on that basis, the transition to a CE does not only requirechanges related to production, but consumer behaviour and activity.

Although, changing consumer habits and behaviour to more sustainable ones is not alwaysan easy task as there exist factors hindering consumer acceptance of circular solutions.Following Camacho-Otero, Boks and Pettersen’s (2018) findings from their literaturereview regarding consumption in the CE, factors such as Personal Characteristics, andRisks and Uncertainty can influence the perception and acceptance of consumers in thecontext of circular solutions. The latter factor can negatively affect consumer acceptanceas a result of consumers feeling less confident about the quality, including concernsregarding performance and safety, of a certain offer. Whilst the former, for example, refersto materialistic individuals hampering the acceptance towards access-based consumption(Camacho-Otero, Boks and Pettersen, 2018).

What could also limit the access-based consumption is the need of ownership for certainthings (Tunn et al., 2019), as the element of ownership is likely to generate a feelingof safety. In a later study by Camacho-Otero, Boks and Pettersen (2019), additionalcategories are brought to light: Economic, Demographic, Psychosocial, Cultural andSocio-material, whereof all encompass a multiple number of factors influencing consumeracceptance and adoption of circular offerings. An additional issue, emphasised by Mugge(2018) is the unawareness of consumers with regard to their consumption behaviour.Specifically, that refers to consumers being unaware of the fact that their consumptionbehaviour can cause environmental problems, and to consumers believing that theresponsibility of prolonging the lifetime of products belongs to others but themselves

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(Mugge, 2018). The acceptance of CE solutions differs since consumers react in differentways (EESC, 2018), in consequence, developing CE solutions are not a one-solution-fits-all concept. According to EESC (2018), there is a need to move beyond assumptions ofrationality and truly understand what drives consumer behaviour, which in turn has thepotential to increase consumer acceptance.

Collectively, in the transition to a CE it becomes essential to understand “what motivatescustomer behaviour and how to foster sustainable consumption” (Camacho-Otero, Boksand Pettersen, 2018, p. 4) and how this differ among consumers, to formulate tailoredand aspirational CE solutions.

2.1.2 The Role of CompaniesDrawing on the above literature findings, companies play an important role in creatingprerequisites for consumers to think and act more circularly, and influencing theirbehaviour to be more sustainable. From an industry perspective, extant studies on CEoften highlight the establishment of new company strategies and Circular Business Models(CBM) as enablers for the systemic reshape of production and consumption. The overallgoal is to change production and consumption patterns by extending items’ lifetime andreduce the consumption level (Accenture, 2014; Urbinati, Chiaroni and Chiesa, 2017;2018; Tunn et al., 2019). Urbinati et al. (2017) call for a change in company offerings,from ownership to access, in which companies can contribute by providing, for example,Products as a Service (PaaS), rather than solely buy-and-own items.

In a report published by Accenture (2014) several CBMs to promote a shift to CEare proposed: Circular Supplies, Resource Recovery, Product-life Extension, SharingPlatforms and Product Service Systems (PSS). The latter three focus on fostering circularconsumption behaviour. For instance, adopting a PSS does in the same way as PaaSsolutions enable consumers with more flexibility as they can access a wider range ofoffers and product use based on what best suit their ownership responsibilities (Mont,2000) whilst residual value at end of life items can be recaptured and raw material inputdecreased (Accenture, 2014; Tunn et al., 2019). Moreover, companies adopting product-life extension business models, for example, online marketplaces, enable consumers totrade pre-owned items. Thus, extending items’ lifecycle and tackling the consumptionissue whilst satisfying consumer needs in a more sustainable way through the provisionof circular solutions.

The aforementioned CBMs do further align with the four elements of business models putforward by Tunn et al. (2019) for inducing sustainable consumption: Resource Strategy,Revenue Model, Consumer Effort and Objective to (decrease/increase) ConsumptionLevel, whereof the two former focus on production whilst the two latter bring in the

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consumption side. If focusing on the strategies targeting the demand side, as this studyaims to examine online marketplaces, the findings presented by Tunn et al. (2019) showthat the proposed elements can be promising in terms of sustainability and consumeracceptance. However, to increase the consumer effort to consume sustainably, an ideais to provide convenient offerings that “require no higher effort or involvement than theequivalent current consumption practices” (Tunn et al., 2019, p. 329). Also, to obtainsustainability gains from the offerings, it could be considered as beneficial to address allconsumers, including those who do not explicitly want to become active (Tunn et al.,2019).

2.1.3 The Role of Digitalisation and Digital PlatformsDigitalisation is pointed out as a key player in the transition towards circularity (EITClimate-KIC, 2018; Cristobal-Fransi et al., 2019). It enables a plethora of digitalplatforms that allow new business models to take shape and allows different actors toeasily connect through digital integration in these cooperative networks (Berg and Wilts,2019). Digital platforms can take many different shapes and in the context of this study,it is envisioned as a digital-based marketplace for pre-owned items. Accordingly, on suchplatforms items that have reached the end of their useful life but show qualities of beingreused or recycled can be traded (Berg and Wilts, 2019). Also, these platforms make iteasier for people to get access and effectively exchange existing physical items, and bydoing so, narrowing (minimise raw material input), slowing (maximise products’ value)and closing (reuse) resource loops, thereby, fostering a pathway for circularity (Konietzko,Bocken and Hultink, 2019).

Although these platforms facilitate the consumers to act circular they could potentiallyharm sustainability due to rebound effects (Frenken and Schor, 2017). For example,Chitnis et al. (2013) emphasise the risk of expanded trade volume and increase inconsumer purchasing power as a result of cheaper products and services. White, Hardistyand Habib (2019) and Hertwich (2005) shed light on the risk of negative spillover; whena sustainable action subsequently leads to less sustainable behaviour. Additionally,Parguel, Lunardob and Benoit-Moreau (2017, p. 49) claim that P2P platforms caninduce indulgent consumption, that is, “buying impulsively or buying more items, sincethese platforms offer justifications that allow reducing consumption-related cognitivedissonance”. In turn, such rebound effects can offset potential benefits with digitalplatforms that otherwise are considered to nurture a CE.

However, to capitalize on the good opportunities that digitalisation and CE togetherhold, EIT Climate-KIC (2018) proposes certain conditions to consider that enable digitalprogress and can unleash the potential of a CE. Firstly, technology is brought to lightas it is an enabler of digital solutions that favour efficiency and accessibility of products

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and services, as well as interactions between producers/companies and consumers. Forcompanies adopting digital solutions, they can get “access to a far larger customer base,enabling rapid growth of an existing circular model” (EIT Climate-KIC, 2018, p. 13).Further, technology is the foundation of web-based platforms that companies either canuse to sell their products/services, or use as their actual product/service, and throughwhich ones the potential of CE can be unlocked (EIT Climate-KIC, 2018).

In addition to technology, the marketplace is also an important condition to consider inthe context of digital solutions and CE. Online platforms have become essential for manypeople in the era of digitalisation. Drawing on these findings, digital solutions in termsof online platforms and web-based marketplaces can encourage consumers to not only beaware of the concept of CE but help them to act more circularly. However, consumerhabits are challenging to change whereof consumer convenience, as emphasised by Tunnet al. (2019), could be considered as important.

2.2 Sustainability CommunicationDue to the increased interest in environmental issues, the interest of green marketinghas increased. As Dangelico and Vocalelli (2017) state, it has become a key issue whendesigning, developing and marketing new products and services. However, adoptinggreen marketing practices does not necessarily translate into success. Beyond potentialopportunities that could be enabled through the concept, such as increased customersatisfaction, certain challenges could arise. For example, the risk of greenwashingand greenhushing, namely a form of public moralism (Font, Elgammal and Lamond,2017), necessitates a delicate balance between marketing enough and “too much” greeninformation. Moreover, green marketing cannot be considered as a one-size-fits-all-strategy as consumers perceive information differently. Thus, it is also required tosegment the consumers and adapt the content.

2.2.1 Traditional and Marketing CommunicationFor organisations to pursue marketing and business objectives, there is a need forthem to engage with their various audiences through different marketing activities.Marketing could be defined as “the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating,communication, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers,clients, partners, and society at large” (AMA, no date). Thus, it is central fororganisations to practice effective marketing communication and recognize appropriatetarget audiences and the context in which the communication event is to occur (Sasser,Kilgour and Hollebeek, 2014). The effectiveness depends upon several factors whereofin the traditional communication model (Lasswell, 1948) four key factors are considered:The sender/source of the message, The recipient of the message, The message itself

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and The medium by which the message is sent. In addition, external factors cancorrupt and distort messages preventing the message to reach its recipients as intended.This phenomenon was initially introduced by Shannon (1948) with an initial focuson mechanical noise and can be regarded as an extension of the one developed byLasswell.

Later research has also recognized that semantic, psychological and physiological noiseaffect the message communicated (West and Turner, 2010). However, the traditionalcommunication models have been challenged as feedback, an essential step in theprocess is missing (Stern, 1994; Duncan and Moriarty, 1998). Thus, the linearone-way communication presented in literature has later been extended into two-waycommunication, where interactive and transactional models of communication have beendeveloped and implemented as a means to meet the varying needs of different audiences(Fill and Jamieson, 2014), see figure 2.2.1. Schramm (1973, p. 51) describes feedbackas a “reversal of the flow, an opportunity for communicators to react quickly to signsresulting from the signs they have put out”. Along with the incorporation of a two-way communication process, feedback has been further enabled through the revolutionof internet and social media which ultimately means that consumers are co-creating themessages communicated rather than being passive (Berthon et al., 2007; Schivinski andDabrowski, 2016).

Figure 2.2.1: The Traditional Communication Model (Sasser, Kilgour and Hollebeek, 2014)

2.2.2 A New Communication ParadigmNot only different models of marketing have emerged and developed historically, but alsothe content it wishes to communicate. The 1970s and 1980s were characterised by debatesabout social issues and environmental problems, which contributed to a new paradigmin marketing (Kumar et al., 2012). The 1990s, on the other hand, was defined bypolitical and economic discussions about non-sustainable developments, globalisation andthe concept of sustainable development (Godemann and Michelsen, 2011). Sustainabledevelopment as a concept was introduced a few years earlier though, in 1987, in theBrundtland report “Our Common Future” (WCED, 1987). With this report and thedebates that followed, it became clear that humanity was entering a phase calling for a

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new approach to coexist in the world in a sustainable manner.

The term sustainability is characterised by the three dimensions; economic, ecologicaland social. While each of these independently face challenges they do also overlap,interlink and reinforce each other with effects locally, regionally as well as globally(Godemann and Michelsen, 2011). Depending on the contextual setting, what personthat is being asked and point of time, the sustainability concept has different meanings(Sharma, 2017). Accordingly, it becomes difficult to measure as there is much left forinterpretation (UNECE, 2009). Given a surrounding of constant change and an increasednumber of research that incorporates sustainability (Nakamura et al., 2019), the meaningof sustainability can be expected to continue to evolve, which is further corroborated by(Harrison, 2000).

Because of this, the term sustainability has been, and still is, accompanied by anambiguity and nebulosity (Godemann and Michelsen, 2011; Line, Hanks and Zhang,2016), contributing to confusion among stakeholders. Thus, defining sustainabilitycommunication is also difficult and previous research on the subject varies in theirdescriptions of it. Along with this, it is difficult to differentiate it from the conceptof Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) since both refer to social and environmentalissues without a clear distinction. Belz and Peattie (2014) argue for sustainabilitycommunication to be a product-related concept that addresses consumers whilst CSRis something that refers to corporate level and stakeholder engagements. Thus,sustainability on a product dimension is not necessarily applicable in CSR.

Reviewing some of the various descriptions of sustainability communication and thepurpose of it, reveals the existence of both similarities and differences. Godemannand Michelsen (2011, p. 6) write “The task of sustainability communication lies inintroducing an understanding of the world, that is of the relationship between humans andtheir environment, into social discourse, developing a critical awareness of the problemsabout this relationship and then relating them to social values and norms.” On theother hand, Villarino and Font (2015, p. 326) tend to focus on business performance,rather than general good and educating the public, and describe the aim of it as “tosatisfy consumers’ needs or wants and create a favourable position for the business inthe marketplace by communicating how the business addresses environmental, social andeconomic concerns”.

The research on sustainability communication has gained increased interest over thelast couple of years. This in terms of a wide range of research topics such as messageconstrual (Ki and Shin, 2015; Line, Hanks and Zhang, 2016; Tölkes, 2020), the role ofchosen media (de Witt, 2011; Lyon and Montgomery, 2013) and challenges (Ki and Shin,2015; Font, Elgammal and Lamond, 2017), among others. Also, despite the consensus

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of sustainability communication to represent the three perspectives, some scholars dosolely, or more or less, focus on one of them in their studies, as discussed in a study byMontiel (2008). This does however not necessarily indicate that the other perspectivesof sustainability are disregarded, rather it could be a choice of direction to accomplisha deepened study. Green marketing is an example of an area that has emerged throughthe debate on sustainability development (Choudhary and Gokarn, 2013).

2.2.3 An Overview of Green MarketingGreen marketing is the integration of environmental sustainability into marketing. Theconcept has evolved significantly since its introduction in 1976 by Henion and Kinnear(1976, p. 1) as “green marketing is concerned with all marketing activities that haveserved to help cause environmental problems and that may serve to provide a remedyfor environmental problems.” When introduced in the 1970s, the emphasis was on localenvironmental problems where businesses were regarded as the sole problem, rather thanon the underlying problems in a global perspective where businesses are seen as part ofthe solution (Peattie and Charter, 2016). Peattie (2001) and later also Lee (2008) presenta framework to illustrate the development of the concept of green marketing where threemain stages are identified. The first stage of three is called “Ecological” green marketing.It is characterized by a lot of attention towards a subset of activities in an often referredto “end-of-pipe” view (Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017) with a focus on environmentalproblems in terms of pollution and/or natural depletion.

The growing awareness of global environmental problems and a need for more sustainabledevelopment in the end of the 1980s made marketers channel their efforts differently.Thus, a broader perspective was recognized where global problems were taken intoaccount to a greater extent. This developed into the second stage of green marketing,by Peattie (2001, p. 141) referred to “Environmental” green marketing and defined as“the holistic management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfyingthe needs of customers and society, in a profitable and sustainable way.” The 1990s did,however, suffer from what Crane (2000) describes as a backlash as the increased awarenessof environmental problems did not translate into a changed purchasing behaviour. Thus,only those organisations with a true intention of sustainable business development wereable to continue to practice green marketing.

This was later, during the 2000s, developed into a third stage of green marketing which ischaracterized by moving from products to services and from linear to closed-loop supplychains, also known as CE. Similar trends as those presented by Peattie (2001) are alsofound in a study by Leonidou and Leonidou (2011) that furthermore emphasise theincreased amount of international articles in green marketing as an indication for, onceagain, growing interest in environmental issues worldwide. Consequently, it can also be

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observed that green marketing has evolved into a more complex and integrated processand has adopted a holistic approach rather than simple marketing.

In addition to the study by Leonidou and Leonidou (2011), there have been severalother studies (Chamorro, Rubio and Miranda, 2009; Kumar, Rahman and Kazmi, 2013;Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017) that review existing research on green marketing, itsdefinitions and development. The more recent study by Dangelico and Vocalelli (2017)concludes that green marketing is not just a passing trend but a key issue when designing,developing and marketing new products and services. Pickett-Baker and Ozaki (2008)do further discuss the resurgence of interest in the area among consumers, but highlightthat green marketing nonetheless keeps failing in terms of engaging consumers. Thus,they call for devised strategies that incorporate greater emotional appeal but also forproducts and services to meet both subjective and environmental needs. This statementaligns with a study conducted by Peattie and Crane (2005) that highlights the failedapproach of green marketing when consumers are required to compromise on price and/orperformance.

Rettie, Burchell and Riley (2012) do, however, argue for a social normalisation ofsustainable activities, turning it into normal rather than not normal, to be a keyin targeting consumer behaviours and thus yield competitive advantage out of greenmarketing. Ultimately, green marketing needs to simultaneously satisfy two conditionsto succeed: Improved environmental quality and Customer satisfaction (Ottman, Staffordand Hartman, 2006).

2.2.4 Opportunities Enabled through Green MarketingPractices

Previous literature shows that there are numerous reasons for organisations to implementa green marketing strategy in which opportunities can be yielded. The increasedawareness among consumers about global environmental problems is part of the corefor the advancement and success of green marketing. Despite the backlash in the 1990swhen awareness did not translate into the expected purchasing behaviour (Crane, 2000),the trend is now turning.

In a study by the consulting agency Differ (2020) on Swedish consumers, it is foundthat “greenness” has an increasing impact on decision making in the purchase process.Furthermore, 40% of consumers in the study report to exclude brands that they do notperceive as green. Even though the majority do not exclude, the percentage point ofthose who do is reported to be increasing. Thus, for companies implementing a greenmarketing strategy, the customer base can be expected to increase. Whilst consumers inthe age 20-25 seem to be most inclined to change towards a more sustainable behaviour

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(Differ, 2020), the traditional communication model by Lasswell (1948) imply that withright measures and targeted efforts it is possible to reach a wide range of consumersegments. Notably, consumer segments do not necessarily need to be based upon age asattempts to profile consumers of green marketing have proven to be complex (Peattieand Charter, 2016).

Simultaneously as demand for green marketing among consumers increases, there is anambiguity on what is actually green (Bhatia and Jain, 2013). Although 95% of therespondents in a survey by Genomatica (2019) say sustainability is a good goal, 74% ofthose committed to making a change report that it is difficult to determine whether theact or purchase is sustainable or not. In another survey from 2018 conducted amongconsumers in the UK and USA, 88% want companies to help them act sustainable(Futerra, no date). Along with this, there is an apparent opportunity for companiesto educate consumers and help them get over these hurdles.

Studies have found that green marketing efforts are positively related to increasedcustomer satisfaction (Yazdanifard and Mercy, 2011). Customer satisfaction along withthe green marketing itself is furthermore shown to trigger Word of Mouth (WoM)(Rachman, 2018; Tölkes, 2018). Taghizadeh, Khazaei and Taghipourian (2013) dohowever stress that the positive relationship is highly dependent upon the attributecausing the satisfaction. Thus, if the service or product attribute is regarded as a basicrequirement or if it adds utility beyond what is expected. Based upon a potentiallyincreased customer satisfaction and increased WoM among other outcomes of greenmarketing, some researchers argue such efforts can act as a source for competitiveadvantage (Peattie and Charter, 2016). Moreover, several researchers agree upon, whenmeeting the increased consumer demand balanced with a no trade-off on characteristics,that green marketing is expected to generate more profits than for those organisationsthat do not adopt. And Villarino and Font (2015) stress that practically all businessescould make substantial improvements in their communication.

2.2.5 Challenges Facing Green Marketing PracticesDespite the opportunities and reasons to adopt a green marketing strategy, previousstudies and literature have found it challenging to yield the expected outcomes andcustomer engagement. Credibility is a key element in green marketing but when a firmgreenwash and thus either falsely or misleadingly communicate environmental claimsto meet the competitive landscape, it contributes to diminish consumers’ level of trust(Chen and Chang, 2013). This as consumers are becoming more aware of the issue.Ross and Deck (2011) have moreover listed ways for greenwashing to be accomplished:Mislead with words, Mislead with visuals/graphics, Vagueness in claims, Exaggerationand Avoidance of helpful information.

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This could be done intentionally by either actively making false claims about theirproducts and/or services (Yadav and Pathak, 2013) or through green spinning (Dangelicoand Vocalelli, 2017). Specifically, that is a firm communicating its own versionof environmental facts only. But there are also cases where greenwashing is doneunintentionally, for example, when a firm is too attracted by an action that can improvethe environmental impact and thus, unintentionally disregard the overall impact of theproduct (Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017). However, that is still scarcely researched.

The issue with greenwashing, besides from the unethical behaviour in general, lies withinthe long term adverse effects of it on firm performance due to Consumer scepticism,Green confusion and Lack of trust (Chen and Chang, 2013). A scepticism that does notnecessarily have to be triggered by the own firm as it is an extensive issue affecting thewhole industry. Greenwashing was prevalent in the 1980s and early 1990s and clearlystill leaves consumers hesitant and sceptical. But the increased levels of media and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) scrutiny have enabled new standards and regulationswhich consequently have eased the process of consumers to identify and review a greenproduct, service or claim (Peattie and Charter, 2016). Nonetheless, there is still a lackof standardization to truly authenticate the environmental claims (Yadav and Pathak,2013). Peattie and Charter (2016) do on the other hand emphasise that media oftenstill prove to be more critical of those with a green marketing strategy than those with apolluting business. Thus, it remains a challenge to keep persuading the stakeholders ofthe credibility of the environmental claims.

In contrast, in the context of greenwashing some firms deliberately hesitate to mention thepositive environmental impact of their actions, thus only a selected amount of actions iscommunicated to the public. This practice has been called greenhushing (Font, Elgammaland Lamond, 2017) and can also occur unintentionally when a firm makes an effort inmaking an environmental claim, but fails in reaching the receiver (Moriarty, 2012). Withgreenhushing, you lose the potential benefits green marketing can yield, discussed earlier.The reasons for greenhushing is both a low mastery and self-efficacy regarding how andwhat to communicate, as well as a way to reduce any dissonance between consumers anda business regarding values of sustainability and what is actually eligible to call green(Font, Elgammal and Lamond, 2017).

There is, however, no clear consensus whether staying silent or not is most beneficial.For example, a study by Nyilasy, Gangadhabatia and Paladino (2012) found that firmswith mainly negative environmental performance would benefit from not expressingenvironmental claims. But it also holds for some positive scenarios where the attitudetowards the company was lower after seeing green claims than no advertising at all.This implies a complex decision-making process for firms deciding upon to what extent

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environmental claims should be communicated. Furthermore, Font, Elgammal andLamond (2017) argue for greenhushing, in line with greenwashing, to be an attemptto manipulate society’s values towards consumerism.

The practice of greenwashing does furthermore raise questions concerning what otherforms of discourse a firm is using to depict themselves in what could be perceived as amore favourable way (Font, Elgammal and Lamond, 2017), similarly to the phenomenonof green spinning (Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017). It is clearly a difficult balance betweenhow much to communicate to avoid the perception of greenwashing. Villarino and Font(2015) do however argue for the balance being too far in one direction with companiesengaging too much in greenhushing. Assuming that the environmental claims of a firmis neither affected by greenwashing nor greenhushing, the goal of green marketing is tofoster a more sustainable lifestyle among consumers whilst making sure they are satisfied(Ottman, Stafford and Hartman, 2006). However, measures taken with an initial intentto protect the environment often comes with unintended effects and spill-over effects, asthose mentioned in subsection 2.1.3

Another challenge for green marketing is to be consumer-focused rather than product-focused in terms of emphasising the consumer needs instead of primarily promotingsustainable or green attributes (Ottman, Stafford and Hartman, 2006). This is oftenreferred to as Green marketing myopia, closely linked to sustainability marketing myopiaand ultimately marketing myopia. The term marketing myopia was first introduced in1960 and was postulated among the main challenges for a company to succeed withtheir communication and stay competitive (Levitt, 1960). In relation to green marketingmyopia, it is argued that the process of formulating messages to be persuasive is at least ascomplicated as important. Villarino and Font (2015) map out practices of persuasivenessand found that businesses would benefit if more emphasis was put on emotions ratherthan facts as well as more focus on individual benefits rather than those for the wholesociety.

How to construct messages to reach consumers is also studied by Line, Hanks and Zhang(2016) and they found that consumers react differently to subtle distinctions in a message.It is therefore important to understand the effects of different message construals onconsumers’ responses. Ultimately, Ginsberg and Bloom (2004, p. 79) conclude uponthat “Green marketing has not fulfilled its initial promise, but companies can take a moreeffective approach if they realize that a one-size-fits-all strategy does not exist.”

2.3 Segmentation of Green ConsumersAs a result of personal and individual differences, people think and act in differentways which contributes to a uniqueness of each individual. If taking that into

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account in the context of sustainability communication, consumers do not constitutea homogenous group of people that respond similarly to green marketing content.Accordingly, to what degree green consumers are actually green will differ as theirstandpoints on green offerings and level of environmentally friendly behaviour couldbe expected to vary. This view is further supported by Nguyen, Nguyen andHoang (2019, p. 121) saying that “green consumption, with regard to green productavailability, is a choice by consumers between alternatives of different levels of eco-performance.” Therefore, understanding the underlying and influential factors forgreen consumerism, and to formulate suitable marketing strategies that take consumerdifferences regarding environmental consciousness into account, could be consideredbeneficial for companies.

When segmenting the market, the use of segmentation variables is common to identifyconsumption patterns and sensitivities to environmental matters (Finisterra do Paço,Raposo and Filho, 2009), among others. Demographic and psychographic variablesare commonly used for market segmentation and in the following subsection, these twocriteria along with other segmentation approaches will be reviewed with regard to extantliterature.

2.3.1 Approaches of SegmentationIn terms of consumer segmentation there exists a plethora of approaches that can beapplied. Roper’s (2002) approach of classifying green consumers, which has been reportedin a large number of studies (Hoffman, 2000; Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004; Staib, 2009;Okan and Yalman, 2015; Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017), includes five environmentalsegments where consumers can be anything from True Blue Greens to Basic Browns,including three less extreme segments in between, see table 2.3.1. The former refersto the most environmentally aware and the latter to the least. The segments occupiedby different consumers are identified based on environmental awareness, “and assessesnot only consumer’s knowledge about environmental issues, but also how rational andemotional his/her choice is.” (Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017, p. 1269). This providesa general description of the whole spectra of green consumers and the varying shade ofgreenness they hold.

Taking the percentages in table 2.3.11 into account, it appears that 15% to 46% of theoverall consumer market hold, less or more, green intentions (Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004).However, due to the intensified sustainability debate lately (Parker, 2020), including theglobal wave of climate strikes initiated by Greta Thunberg, it could be expected that thepercentage distribution among the segments have changed in a positive direction (Kirgiz,2016), with more consumers occupying the greener segments.

1Note, the sum of all percentages does not equal a hundred

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Segment Percentage (%)

True Blue Greens 9

Greenback Greens 6

Sprouts 31

Grousers 19

Basic Browns 33

Table 2.3.1: Percentage Distribution among Roper’s Five Environmental Segments of GreenConsumers (Ginsberg and Bloom, 2004)

Focusing on segmentation variables, demographic and psychographic criteria are, aspreviously mentioned, commonly used to determine the characterisation of greenconsumers and to identify segments based on these criteria (Finisterra do Paço, Raposoand Filho, 2009; Okan and Yalman, 2015; Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017). Demographicvariables include age, gender, income level, educational level and location, amongothers. Whilst demographics explain who the consumer is and refer to quantifiablecharacteristics, psychographic variables include, for example, activities and interests(Dangelico and Vocalelli, 2017) and do more qualitatively describe human traits andwhy the consumer behave and act in a certain way.

Finisterra do Paço, Raposo and Filho (2009) segmented the Portuguese market based ondemographic and environmental criteria, and proposed a market segmentation consistingof three segments: The uncommitted (36%), The green activist (35%) and The undefined(29%). An alternative segmentation, proposed by Banytė, Brazionienė and Gadeikienė(2010) was developed based on of the motive and needs of green consumers. The formerrefers to consumers concerned with planet environmental protection, health fanatics andanimal lovers, whilst the latter take need of information, control, change and expresstheir lifestyle into account (Banytė, Brazionienė and Gadeikienė, 2010). Similarly,Chitra (2007) segmented the market with regard to the level of eco-friendliness ofconsumers.

Despite the wide use of demographic variables when segmenting green consumers, studieshave shown that these are not always the most useful ones. For example, findings froma study conducted by Straughan and Roberts (1999) indicate psychographic criteriato be more useful than demographics when segmenting students based upon ecologicalconscious consumer behaviour. They do further put emphasis on perceived consumereffectiveness, that is “a consumer’s estimate of his or her ability to contribute tospecific sustainable development-related outcomes through specific behaviours” (Hanss

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and Doran, 2019, p. 1), and altruism for being pertinent predictors of consumer behaviourin terms of ecological consciousness (Straughan and Roberts, 1999).

2.4 The Perception of EnvironmentalSustainability

Many studies have been conducted within the field of consumer perception ofenvironmental sustainability, and how that is perceived differently with regard to certainvariables, such as those that were brought to light in the previous section 2.3. However,to what extent those variables influence consumer behaviour and perception is arguableas findings provided by different researchers sometimes deviate from each other.

2.4.1 Demographic VariablesHunter, Hatch Jonson (2004) examine how environmental behaviours and concern varydepending on the demographic variable gender, where environmental concern can bedescribed as: “to the degree to which people are aware of the problems regarding theenvironment and support efforts to solve them and/or indicate a willingness to contributepersonally to their solution.” (Dunlap and Jones, 2002, p. 485). The research findingsshow that there is a distinction between the degree to which environmental concernof females and males is displayed, with male tending to be less, and women moreenvironmentally concerned (Hunter, Hatch and Johnson, 2004). However, if studying“public” versus “private” behaviour concerning environmental issues, women are morelikely to engage in “private” and men in “public” behaviours, where the former couldbe referred to recycling activities, and the latter to protests. Moreover, they mean that“gender differences in level of private environmental behaviours tend to be more consistentwithin nations at the upper end of the wealth distribution.” (Hunter, Hatch and Johnson,2004, p. 677).

The distinction between gender regarding environmental behaviour has been furtherstudied in a more recent study by Oztekin et al (2017). They examine the genderperspective of recycling behaviour and the findings suggest females to display morefavorable attitudes and higher intentions to recycle, than males. Also, the journalhighlights that the stronger environmental values, beliefs and attitudes of females “donot translate consistently into greater engagement in public behaviour.” (Oztekin etal., 2017, p. 290), which is consistent with the research findings provided by Hunter,Hatch and Johnson (2004). As an additional supportive finding, Laroche, Bergeronand Barbaro-Forleo (2001) show that females are more likely to demonstrate a higherenvironmental concern and pro-environmental behaviour than men, and discerned themost environmentally favourable segment to be occupied by married women with atleast one child living at home.

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However, other research findings indicate something different. Mainieri et al. (1997) showthat although women hold higher potential to recycle and buy environmentally beneficialproducts than men, they do not show a greater likelihood to participate in environmentalactivities such as resource conservation. Despite this, findings from an Indian study ongreen marketing and consumers’ awareness and attitude to green products indicate nosignificant difference in attitude towards green products between men and women (Guptaand Abbas, 2013).

Moreover, in the study conducted by Gupta and Abbas (2013) the demographic variableage seems to matter, whereof the older respondents are more likely to display a lessfavorable attitude towards green marketing initiatives by companies. The negativecorrelation between age and environmental concern was also found in an older study byVan Liere and Dunlap (1981). In a more recent study Tato-Jiménez, Buenadicha-Mateosand González-López (2019) examine how companies communicate their sustainabilityvalues, and how this content attracts the new generations, namely Millennials andGeneration Z, in relation to their sustainability preferences and values. They highlightthat younger people put higher pressure on organisations in terms of demanding them tothink beyond profits and act “to solve the world’s problems” (Tato-Jiménez, Buenadicha-Mateos and González-López, 2019, p. 6). Overall, the new generations seem to prefercompanies that incorporate environmental standards. If putting numbers to it, 90%of Millennials claim it to be important to work on a sustainable company, whilst thatpercentage is 84% and 77% for Generation X and Baby Boomers, respectively (Tato-Jiménez, Buenadicha-Mateos and González-López, 2019).

Conclusively, it can be said that the content which companies provide does matter, wherethe new generations have higher demands regarding sustainability. Accordingly, whencommunicating sustainability, the generational attitude towards it could be assumed tovary. On the other hand, older studies on the subject argue for the opposite where ageis positively correlated to pro-environmental behaviour (Roberts, 1996; Liu et al., 2009).Nevertheless, if comparing the studies conducted by Liu et al. (2009) and Tato-Jiménez,Buenadicha-Mateos and González-López (2019) the former is not only older, but do onlyanalyse one country whilst the latter highlight a wider range of countries and continents,thus strengthening the legitimacy of the more recent study.

With regard to educational and income level, Gupta and Abbas (2013) found a positivecorrelation between level of education and environmental attitude, and the same but forincome level. Specifically, an individual holding a higher educational level is more likely todisplay a higher level of environmentally consciousness, whilst those with higher incomedisplay a favorable attitude towards green marketing initiatives by companies. Thisis, as previously mentioned, consistent with the findings and segmentation developed

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by Finisterra do Paço, Raposo and Filho (2009). The positive influence of incomeand educational variables on consumers’ environmental and green purchasing behaviouris further supported by Boztepe (2012) and Rezai et al. (2013). Furthermore, ina Turkish study on university students with regard to their environmental sensitivityand pro-environmental consumption behaviour, findings indicate that these are not onlyinfluenced by the education level held by the students themselves, but also their parents(Yılmaz and Arslan, 2011). This study also suggests a relationship between place ofdomicile and environmental attitude.

However, findings from Gupta and Abbas’ (2013) analysis of city wise differentialsindicate no significant difference in consumer attitude towards companies’ greenmarketing initiatives when comparing consumers from a bigger (Delhi-National CapitalRegion) and smaller (Gorakhpur) region. This is also supported by Huddart-Kennedyet al. (2009) who emphasise that even though residents in more rural areas tend toshow a higher level of environmental responsibility, this is rather due to the availabilityof services and facilities than due to place of socialisation. Berenguer, Corraliza andMartín (2005) do, however, find that there are differences, whereof residents in urbanareas express responsibility but do not act upon it while there is a greater consistencybetween values and behavior in rural areas. Further, Gupta and Abbas’ (2013) analysisof the income factor indicates that high-income consumers on the one hand have a lessfavorable attitude towards green products, but on the other hand are positive to greenmarketing initiatives by companies (Gupta and Abbas, 2013).

2.4.2 Psychographic VariablesRegarding psychographic variables, Finisterra do Paço, Raposo and Filho (2009) suggesta positive correlation between the involvement in activities, such as community and/orsocially responsible activities, and pro-environmental behaviour. Pitman, Danielsand Sutton (2018) also examine the role of psychographic variables on environmentalknowledge and understanding. Their results reflect a strong relationship between timespent in nature (independent activity and place), volunteer environmental activities,involvement in outdoor activities and environmental knowledge and understanding,among others. Accordingly, those variables are identified as important contributors inthe creation of environmental awareness.

Furthermore, research on consumer response to green products show that regardlesstype of appeal, consumers who are involved with the environment, namely takingresponsibility for the environment, to a great extent may be more predisposed to purchasegreen products (Schuhwerk and Lefkoff-Hagius, 1995). However, it is also found thatless environmentally involved consumers are more likely to be persuaded and respondpositively to green advertising appeal (Schuhwerk and Lefkoff-Hagius, 1995). Thus, to

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not only get highly involved consumers but also low involved consumers for whom greenadvertising appeal possibly plays a more important role, encoding the right type of appealin marketing strategies seems important. Darnall, Ponting and Vazquez-Brust (2012)endorse the view that consumers highly involved with the environment are more likelyto buy green. They found that consumers with greater knowledge about, and personalaffect related to, environmental concerns are positively related with green consumption(Darnall, Ponting and Vazquez-Brust, 2012).

As a supporting finding, an Indian study shows a significant and positive relationbetween consumers’ environmental awareness and concern, environmental attitude andtheir purchase behaviour for green products (Sharma, Sonwalkar and Kapse, 2013).Nevertheless, other research shows non-concurring results. For example, Johnstoneand Tan (2015) explore the reason why environmentally conscious consumers do notbuy green products and found that consumers use different neutralisation techniquesto justify their (non) green consumption decisions such as Denial of responsibility andDenial of injury (benefit). The former imply, for example, consumers who believe it is“too hard” to be green due to hindrances such as time, effort and lack of governmentalregulations (Johnstone and Tan, 2015). The latter refers to consumers believing thattheir participation in green consumption behaviour will not make a difference on theenvironment (Johnstone and Tan, 2015).

2.5 Customer LoyaltyIn order to improve brand image and enhance business growth, there is a need to havecustomers that consistently choose your business and share positive experiences thatcan, in turn, reinforce customer loyalty. In the context of online marketplace platforms,customer loyalty can be referred to members who intend to repeatedly do business onConsumer to Consumer (C2C) platforms and recommend it to others (Chen, Zhang andXu, 2009). To earn customer loyalty on offline as well as online marketplaces, thereare three fundamental concepts that are commonly mentioned: Trust, Satisfaction andPerceived Value (e.g. Zheng, Lee and Cheung, 2017; Clauss, Harengel and Hock, 2019;Luo and Ye, 2019). Hence, to successfully gain customer loyalty it could be considered asbeneficial to simultaneously consider trust, satisfaction and perceived value in businessefforts. In this context, business efforts in terms of sustainability communication andCSR practices will be taken into consideration.

With regard to CSR, research has shown that consumers’ purchasing decisionsare influenced by the perceptual corporate sustainability dimensions, whereof theenvironmental sustainability dimension is the most important regarding customer loyaltyenhancement (Moisescu, 2018). Consequently, this emphasises why sustainabilitymarketing communication could be considered necessary to attract consumers and retain

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customers. Even though CSR practices and sustainability communication are not thesame, they both demonstrate sustainability actions undertaken by a company that affectconsumers’ perception of the company and might influence customer loyalty alike.

2.5.1 Fostering Customer LoyaltyThe research on customer loyalty, what it is and underlying factors, is substantial andcontinues to be a subject where much effort is invested. Even though the majority ofscholars agree upon the main characteristics of customer loyalty, there is no definitiveconsensus on the underlying factors. The work conducted by Oliver (1999) has gainedwide acceptance and is frequently referred to in studies. Oliver (1999, p. 34) definedcustomer loyalty as “a deeply held commitment to rebuy or reptranoize a preferredproduct/service consistently in the future, thereby causing repetitive same-brand orsame brand-set purchase, despite situational influences and marketing efforts having thepotential to cause switching behaviour.” The context in which Oliver developed it assumesthat customer loyalty is strictly about the brand rather than about the provider of theproduct or service. Thus, in the context of online platforms, Chen, Zhang and Xu (2009,p. 149) presented a modified definition: “Loyalty to a C2C platform provider is definedas a member’s intention to do more business on a C2C platform and to recommend it toother people.”

Besides the differences of the verbal definition both of the definitions assume that arepetitive purchasing behaviour equals customer loyalty even though Oliver to someextent considers external factors. However, Jacoby and Kyner (1973) did early onemphasise that attention should not only be focused on the actual behaviour, but alsoconsider the reasons for such behaviour. Thus, they suggest that loyalty consists of bothattitudinal and behavioural components and expressed that “before one can speak ofbeing loyal, one must have the opportunity for being disloyal; there must be choice.”(Jacoby and Kyner, 1973, p. 2).

Oliver (1999) suggests a framework of four phases of loyalty and its vulnerabilities:Cognitive, Affective, Conative and Action. Cognitive loyalty is based upon a consumer’sown brand belief and the consumer state is of shallow nature. Thus, the transactionis more about routine than actual satisfaction. If satisfaction is processed it turns intoaffective loyalty where an initial attitude toward the brand is developed. Consumersare, however, similar to the cognitive phase, still able to switch brands and they lacka true commitment. Next phase, conative loyalty, illustrates a developed commitmentinfluenced by repeated episodes of positive experience. The higher degree of commitmentimplies a higher motivation to rebuy, the intention is however not necessarily translatedinto action. The fourth phase is called action loyalty, the previous intentions expressed inthe conative loyalty phase are here turned into actual action. Consumers are within this

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phase believed to have a desire to overcome possible obstacles in order to follow out withthe action to a greater extent than earlier. This framework is further corroborated byHarris and Goode (2004) where trust is positioned as a pivotal driver of loyalty. Moreover,perceived value, satisfaction and service quality among others are additional componentsthat are suggested to, directly and indirectly, affect loyalty.

Trust is suggested by several researchers as a fundamental aspect to earn customer loyaltyon both offline and online marketplaces (Gefen, 2002; Harris and Goode, 2004; Dabholkar,van Dolen and de Ruyter, 2009; Zheng, Lee and Cheung, 2017). Reichheld and Schefter(2000) do however believe it is even more important for web-based businesses to gain trustthan for offline businesses. Despite the urgency of trust, which furthermore is consideredto outrule price as a determinant for loyalty, they also stress the opportunities the webyields in terms of earning trust from a wider range of consumers as well as obtaininga more committed loyalty. Trust, in a seller and buyer relationship, can be definedas the confidence in the credibility and benevolence of the seller (Doney and Cannon,1997).

On the one hand, many researchers do argue for satisfaction to influence loyalty, buton the other hand, many acknowledge that the relationship is asymmetric and thatsatisfaction does not necessarily have to translate into loyalty (Oliver, 1999). In thecontext of online platforms, Jiang and Rosenbloom (2005, p. 159) discuss satisfactionaccordingly: “satisfaction is an indication of how well customers like their experience atthe site, and it is probably the best indication of their willingness to return to the siteagain if they are to make another purchase in the category”.

Satisfaction is simultaneously influenced by the perceived value of different actions andattributes. In a recent paper by Luo and Ye (2019), the role of perceived value inrelation to loyalty on online platforms is studied, with a focus on utilitarian and hedonicvalue. Utilitarian reflects the rational reason for using a product or service whilst hedonicvalue, on the other hand, is the emotive aspect of consumption. Moreover, earlier workon perceived value have for example focused on concepts incorporating price and effort(Luarn and Lin, 2003) as well as user-friendliness, security, transaction processes andproduct variety (Rauniar et al., 2009). These have later been further corroboratedon and extended where Clauss, Harengel and Hock (2019) developed a framework ofemotional, social and quality value. Whereof perceived emotional value in terms ofderiving positive feelings from the platform was found to be the strongest indicator ofloyalty. The expression “Value is always uniquely and phenomenologically determinedby the beneficiary” (Vargo and Lusch, 2008, p. 7) can nevertheless be seen as a commondenominator among research on perceived value.

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2.5.2 Corporate Social Responsibility Practices with regard toCustomer Loyalty

Much research has been done on a corporate level and stakeholder engagements that aimto contribute to societal goals by integrating economic, social and environmental concernsin business operations, also called CSR (UNIDO, no date; Belz and Peattie, 2014;Sarvaiya and Wu, 2014). Moreover, the concept is often recognized as a strategic toolwith the potential to create value on different dimensions in the context of corporations(Isaksson, Kiessling and Harvey, 2014). According to Isaksson, Kiessling and Harvey(2014) corporations engaging in, and having a strategic CSR, do so to gain a competitiveadvantage in terms of attracting and retaining customers, among others.

Moisescu (2018) also investigates the impact of customer-based perceptual corporatesustainability on customer loyalty among multiple industries. He argues that thecreation and maintenance of long-term customer relationships is more likely to occur in“companies which adopt, implement and communicate adequate sustainability policiesand, inherently, improve their actual and perceived corporate sustainability” (p. 56).What is more, some consumers’ purchasing decisions are influenced by the perceptualcorporate sustainability dimensions, which refers to what degree consumers believethat the company adopts sustainability principles in their operations and stakeholderinteractions (Moisescu, 2018). Moisescu also found that customers’ perception of theenvironmental sustainability dimension was shown as the most important regardingcustomer loyalty enhancement. Consequently, this emphasises why sustainabilitymarketing communication could be considered necessary in order to attract and retaincustomers.

Furthermore, Dutot, Lacalle Galvez and Versailles (2016) investigate the influence ofCSR communication strategies on e-reputation with regard to different industries. Morespecifically, they explore “how companies’ actions on social media can change the waythey are perceived by their customers” (p. 363) and found that there is an overallpositive link between CSR communication presented in social media and a company’se-reputation. The results do further allow the hypothesis that the quality of the CSRcommunication is more important than the quantity, that is, the number of social mediachannels used to present CSR messages, to achieve a CSR effect. In turn, this underpinsthe need of targeting and adapting the content of the CSR communication to the differentsocial media channels and their users to attract customers’ attention and ensure socialmedia effectiveness (Dutot, Lacalle Galvez and Versailles, 2016).

In agreement with what Moisescu (2018) investigates, Martínez and Rodríguez del Bosque(2013), as well as Park and Kim (2019), also examine how CSR influences customer loyaltyin the service industry. The results show that consumers’ attitudes and trust towards

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the service provider increase when CSR activities of the company can be perceived byconsumers, which in turn positively influence customer loyalty.

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3 Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for this master thesis is based upon findings from the literaturereview of sustainability communication and the factors that may influence customerloyalty. The framework is developed to ease the process of designing a proper questionnaireand conducting the analysis. Approaches to sustainability communication are includedas well as theory on customer loyalty, along with personal attributes that are believed topossibly have an impact on preferences and loyalty intentions

3.1 Findings from LiteratureFor all marketing efforts, the media in which it is communicated as well as the content ofit are acknowledged as components that influence the efficiency of the message (Lasswell,1948), which is also considered a key issue for green marketing (Dangelico and Vocalelli,2017). Maintaining credibility in environmental claims is simultaneously a challengeand is found to be influenced by, for example, amount and frequency, the message itself(Ross and Deck, 2011) and purpose of the underlying business (Nyilasy, Gangadharbatlaand Paladino, 2012). Environmental claims with an emotional appeal with a focus onindividual benefits rather than social are further suggested to benefit the persuasivenessof the message (Pickett‐Baker and Ozaki, 2008; Villarino and Font, 2015). Moreover,it is widely recognized that green marketing efforts need to balance the subjectiveand environmental needs in order to not lose customers due to trade-offs (Ottman,Stafford and Hartman, 2006; Pickett‐Baker and Ozaki, 2008). Thus, in the contextof sustainability communication it can be assumed that the outcome is highly dependenton the way it is executed.

The widespread increased commitment and interest for environmental issues could also beexpected to influence the content and demand for green marketing content (Pickett‐Bakerand Ozaki, 2008; Leonidou and Leonidou, 2011). Thus, it is eligible to study if thisdevelopment is followed by an increased demand for more extensive communication.Moreover, within this study, the way a message is formulated and framed as well as factorsinfluencing credibility will be further analysed as they in traditional communicationare regarded as crucial aspects to ensure that a message is interpreted as intended bythe sender. By Shannon (1948) as well as by West and Turner (2010), referred to asnoise.

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Regarding customer loyalty, it is encompassed by a commitment to a brand or provideralong with a repetitive repurchase behaviour (Chen, Zhang and Xu, 2009). Thepsychological dimension does however also play an important role when understandingthe reasons behind the behavioural aspects (Jacoby and Kyner, 1973). Thus, loyaltycould be regarded as a dual construct of attitudinal and behavioural components. Theunderlying factors of customer loyalty are widely researched, and even though there is noclear consensus some factors are more recurrent than others. Trust and satisfaction areoften recurrent in studies, either independently or together and are found to be positivelyrelated to customer loyalty (e.g. Harris and Goode, 2004; Zheng, Lee and Cheung, 2017;Clauss, Harengel and Hock, 2019; Luo and Ye, 2019). Those factors can thus be arguedto be relevant in the context of studying the impact of green marketing practices oncustomer loyalty.

Previous studies do also show that intentions of being loyal are not necessarily translatedinto actions (Harris and Goode, 2004) which need to be taken into account before makingany conclusions on the drivers behind. Furthermore, extant literature on Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) practices in relation to customer loyalty show, for example, thatconsumers’ perception of environmental related CSR practices is important regardingcustomer loyalty enhancement (Moisescu, 2018). Given the existence of a positive relationbetween green CSR practices and customer loyalty, it is deemed appropriate to furtherstudy the relationship, however, between green marketing actions and customer loyalty.Thus, CSR per se will not be included in the framework, but it rather motivates why itis eligible to study whether similar relationships exist for other sustainability practices,in terms of green communication.

Further, due to the intensified sustainability debate consumers have been increasinglyconcerned about environmental issues (Weng, Chen and Chen, 2015). Nevertheless,consumers hold different characteristics and levels of environmental awareness, indicatingthe need of segmenting consumers based upon their shade of greenness (e.g. Chitra,2007; Finisterra do Paço, Raposo and Filho, 2009; Nguyen, Nguyen and Hoang, 2019).In order to segment the market, several variables can be applied. Demographic andpsychographic segmentation variables are commonly used in the extant literature. Interms of demographics, gender, age, degree of urbanisation and educational level havebeen chosen to be included in the analysis of this study. Regarding gender, many studiesshow that females tend to be more environmentally concerned and engaged in recyclingactivities than males (e.g. Hunter, Hatch and Johnson, 2004; Oztekin et al., 2017), whilstothers find no difference between genders (Gupta and Abbas, 2013).

Furthermore, many studies have found that younger people seem to show a higherenvironmental concern than older people do (Gupta and Abbas, 2013; Tato-Jiménez,

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Buenadicha-Mateos and González-López, 2019). Studies on degree of urbanisation dohowever not show the same consensus, whereof some find residents in larger areas tobe more environmentally concerned but will lower levels of pro-environmental behavior(Berenguer, Corraliza and Martín, 2005). Others claim that place of residence is lessof a factor and instead, emphasises that opportunities are more important, such asthe availability of facilities and services (Huddart-Kennedy et al., 2009). In terms ofeducational level, individuals with higher education are often considered to be moreenvironmentally conscious (Finisterra do Paço, Raposo and Filho, 2009; Boztepe, 2012;Gupta and Abbas, 2013; Rezai et al., 2013). Additionally, the psychographic variablelifestyle is included as it can give a deeper insight into the consumer. Individuals whoare more involved with the environment, are often found to display pro-environmentalbehaviours and attitudes to a greater extent (e.g. Finisterra do Paço, Raposo andFilho, 2009; Darnall, Ponting and Vazquez-Brust, 2012; Pitman, Daniels and Sutton,2018).

Based upon those insights, the framework illustrated in figure 3.1.1 creates a base for thequestionnaire and helps to examine how gender, age, degree of urbanisation, educationallevel and lifestyle influence the receptiveness of green communication and customerloyalty. Specifically, how the respondents’ environmental attitudes vary depending onpersonal attributes, how the design of messages affect their receptiveness of them and howloyalty intentions and actions based on the green communication messages are influencedby personal attributes. Also, if there is any consistency between the questionnaireresponses regarding preferences for a certain green message, and drivers for a customer’sloyalty intentions and/or actions.

Figure 3.1.1: Theoretical Framework

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4 Methodology

This chapter describes the methodology utilized to answer the research questions of thisstudy. Initially, a description of the research design will be provided. Moreover, theprocess for data collection including the development of the survey is explained andsubsequently, how the data was compiled and analysed.

4.1 Research DesignThis study intends to explore the relationship between sustainability communicationand customer loyalty. Specifically, this research project follows a quantitative researchdesign with a survey research strategy and the nature of it is exploratory. Throughthat methodological choice, it aims to develop a better understanding of the integrationof sustainability in Peer to Peer (P2P) marketplace platforms, and to answer theresearch questions. As the research project sets out to answer how the perceptionof sustainability communication differs between consumers, and how it can influencecustomer loyalty, a quantitative research design is found suitable. That is because itallows for relationships between variables to be examined (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill,2015). The quantitative data collection is conducted through a single online questionnairethat reaches a large number of consumers. The application of a survey research strategy,through the use of a questionnaire, intends to generate research data that will be analysedfor patterns and relationships and to examine “how a population thinks or behaves inrelation to a particular issue” (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2015, p. 181).

According to Hair et al. (2011) an exploratory research is useful in highly innovativeindustries to discover new ideas. As this study focuses on online marketplaces,this indicates an innovative environment. That could be explained by the fact thatsustainability issues have become increasingly prevalent, leading to more environmentallyconscious consumers with changing consumer preferences. In turn, that underlines a needfor online platforms to consistently develop innovative strategies and ideas to meet thesechanging preferences. Through the use of an exploratory research design, the study aimsto gather insights about consumer perception, behaviour and needs. By understandingconsumers to a greater extent, Hair et al. (2011) claim that new ideas can be discoveredand decision making more effective. Following their argument, the development of newcommunication strategies could be expected to become more effective when learning more

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about the consumers that are aimed to be targeted. In turn, this emphasises why anexploratory nature of the research design is suitable in the context of this master thesisstudy and to answer its research questions.

4.2 Data CollectionA quantitative data collection approach was selected as it was deemed to answer theresearch questions. Moreover, a survey to collect the quantitative data was developed(Collis and Hussey, 2013). The choice of a survey was based on the fact that thetarget group is relatively big, namely, the majority of the Swedish population, makingit impractical to collect data from everyone included. In order to draw any conclusionsfor a larger population, small samples, for example a survey, can thus be utilized forstatistical analysis and subsequent generalization applicable to a population (Collis andHussey, 2013).

The design of the questionnaire was based on the theoretical framework presented infigure 4.2.1 and aimed at determining potential relationships between variables presentedin the framework for analysis through the collected data. To obtain reliability and validityof the data, Collis and Hussey (2013) state that there are several objectives to considerwhen a questionnaire is designed. In order to be clear and ease the process for therespondent, the questionnaire was divided into three sections with specific subjects andaims, illustrated in figure 4.2.1. Closed-ended questions were asked to keep it quantitativewhere a five or six-point scale was utilized along with predefined alternatives.

Admittedly, one exception was made as respondents were asked to describe theirperception of an online marketplace using one single word. Subsequently, the answers tothat specific question were numerically coded either as sustainable (1) or non-sustainable(0). The answers were only coded as (1) if an online marketplace was described with wordssuch as Recycling, Environmental friendly, Climate smart, Sustainable, Resource efficientand Circularity. The order of questions is another aspect that was taken into account asit could have a great impact on the answers provided by the respondents (Scheaffer etal., 2012). For example, more general questions and/or options were presented first andthen followed by more specific ones as it is shown that the previous questions very oftenimpact the attitude toward following questions (Scheaffer et al., 2012).

Figure 4.2.1: Sections of Questionnaire

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The questionnaire was furthermore designed with the target group in consideration andthe questions were written in Swedish as it was presumed to be understood by themajority of the respondents representing the Swedish population. The rationale for thischoice could, of course, be discussed. The alternative of conducting it in English werehowever deemed to result in misinterpretation due to language barriers. Moreover, as thesurvey was distributed by a third-party player, namely the opinion and market researchcompany YouGov, with a pre-recruited panel it could be assumed that people signingup for such tasks are aware of the language requirements that many surveys hold. AnEnglish version of the questionnaire can be found in appendix A.

As mentioned above, the questionnaire consisted of three sections based upon thestructure of the theoretical framework. In addition, the way the research questions wereformulated did also impact the questionnaire structure and aim of each section. Thefirst section included questions with demographic variables (age, gender, educationallevel, degree of urbanisation) and psychographic aspects (lifestyle), which were found tobe frequently referred to in extant literature. With regard to demographic questionsYouGov automatically asked those to the survey participants, and accordingly onlythe psychographic questions were needed to be developed for the first section of thesurvey.

In the second section, the aim was to get a deeper understanding of the perception ofsustainability communication and more specifically the green aspects. Respondents wereasked to reflect upon a wide range of statements to understand underlying attitudes andfactors affecting consumers’ purchase patterns. In the last section questions regardingcustomer loyalty and sustainability communication were asked in a more general contextthan in the previous sections. As previous studies on customer loyalty have found thatpurchase intention not always translates into action and loyalty, that aspect was includedas well. The aims of these sections are described more detailed in section 4.3

Scheaffer et al. (2012) state that it is crucial to pre-test the questionnaire in orderto identify potential modifications before the full-scale sampling. Otherwise there is arisk that the questions and subsequent answers are not interpreted as intended by theresearchers (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). For this survey, friends and familymembers were asked to play the role as respondents. The feedback obtained from thepre-test mainly concerned the order in which some options were presented, as well assome clarifications. Thus, more effort on the wording of questions was required thaninitially believed in order to ensure that the questions are understood in the same way byeach participant (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). The questionnaire was finalizedthrough an iterative process enabled through a dialogue, either oral or written, with therespondents of the pre-test. Subsequently, the questionnaire was distributed by YouGov.

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For the selection of participants quota sampling, a non-probability technique, was used.Specifically, the sample had the same proportions of individuals as the entire Swedishpopulation with regard to gender, age and region.

4.3 Data AnalysisAs presented in section 4.2 the questionnaire was divided into three sections, these arepresented further below. In order to process, analyze and interpret the raw data collectedfrom the questionnaire, quantitative analysis techniques were applied. Specifically, byusing an online tool for survey data analysis, namely Crunch, provided by YouGov whodistributed the questionnaire and compiled the results, the raw data could be madeuse of and turned into information (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2015). Also, usingthis tool allowed the authors of this study to explore and examine relationships betweenindependent and dependent variables within the derived research data, and subsequently,answer the research questions based upon the analysis findings.

4.3.1 Questionnaire SectionsThe first section of the questionnaire aimed at determining personal information aboutthe respondent. As YouGov distributed the survey there was no need to ask demographicquestions as they had access to personal information in terms of age, gender, degree ofurbanisation and educational level beforehand. In terms of psychographics, there weretwo questions asked about the respondents’ lifestyle and activities whereof one of thesewas on matrix format. For the analysis, these questions were merged and constitutedone single variable, namely lifestyle. As proposed by Lavrakas (2008, p. 185) thesedemographic and psychographic measures were included to identify “characteristics thatmight influence opinion” and thus, “understand the nature of public opinion and possiblyhow it might be formed and modified”.

The second section aimed at identifying trends with regard to environmental attitudesand preferences of message design. In terms of attitude, the respondents were asked todescribe their perception of marketplaces for pre-owned items using one word, and toagree or disagree with a series of statements regarding their consumption of clothes,interior and other items. Specifically, the questions sought to identify whether therespondents were aware of the environmental consequences of their consumption andwhether they were interested or not to learn more about it. Also, the respondents wereasked to state to what level they planned to reduce their consumption level due to theclimate debate. This was to identify whether the climate crisis motivated the respondentsto engage in eco-friendly behaviours or not.

Lastly, there were questions asked about their preferences with regard to the content of

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sustainability communication. This to identify what arguments should be included, andhow the message should be constructed to make it trustworthy and make the respondentsconsume more sustainably. The data derived from this section was analysed togetherwith answers from the attribute section to explain whether there existed relationshipsbetween these two data sets. In other words, the data was analysed to understand whatcommunication content and message design consumers preferred, and how it differedacross the group of people asked on the basis of personal attributes.

The third and final section aimed at investigating and identifying the potential impactof demographics and psychographics on customer loyalty. Firstly, the respondentswere faced with three statements regarding company communication actions that wouldmake them return to that company and asked to rate the level of importance of thesestatements. In the fourth question the respondents were asked to choose minimum one,and maximum two reasons in terms of company communication actions that would makethem recommend a company to others. The aim of asking these questions was to assesswhat is the most important for their loyalty intentions. Subsequently, the respondentswere asked to state how often they buy pre-owned items due to the inherent environmentalbenefits of shopping pre-owned items, and whether they make buying decisions based onlogic or emotional reasons. The data from this section was used to understand whenconsumers have intentions to act in a certain way on the basis of what is communicatedto them, and when they are actually taking actions and “walk the walk” instead of only“talk the talk”.

4.3.2 Variable Construction and Tool for AnalysisAs mentioned in the introduction to this section 4.3, the survey data analysis tool Crunchwas used for the quantitative data analysis of the raw data derived from the questionnaire.More specifically, significance levels were used in order to explore and examinepotential relationships between personal attributes (independent variables) and greencommunication (dependent variable). Specifically, to explore the impact of demographicsand psychographics on respondents’ environmental attitude and preferences of messagedesign. Furthermore, significance levels were used to determine the impact of personalattributes (independent variables) on customer loyalty (dependent variable), namelycustomer loyalty intentions and actions. With regard to the psychographic variablelifestyle, it was created by merging the questions about the respondent’s everyday life interms of activities and routines related to sustainability.

Specifically, the lifestyle variable was divided into two categories: sustainable or non-sustainable. To be considered as sustainable, the respondent was required to recycleonce a week and buy clothes/shoes or interior once a week, once a month or once aquarter. The latter alternative was included as it could be expected that people buy new

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4. Methodology

clothes and items when a new season arrives.

The significance differences between the interviewed groups was determined through at-test, conducted by the third-party player. A relationship was considered as significantand truthful for the population if the probability (p) ≤ 0,05. In other words, therelationship was considered as systematic, rather than temporary and unsystematic, ifthe requirement was fulfilled. In order to further investigate a potential relationship,a minimum of 100 responses from each examined group was set as a requirement. Forexample, if analysing how different respondents answered on the basis of their age therewas a need of having at least 100 answers from each age group. That requirementwas applied to make the results more trustworthy and reduce the margin of error. Toclarify, the analysis aimed to solely investigate relationships between variables and notcorrelations. Moreover, if any relationships were found these were not considered ascausal relationships as the relationships could not be assumed to be true for all cases.Thus, instead of considering them as deterministic they were treated as probabilisticrelationships (Lavrakas, 2008).

The analysis of the significance levels were presented as empirical results in chapter 5,and the results were further analysed in chapter 6 with support from the theoreticalframework, presented in figure 4.3.1, and extant literature. Also, based on the empiricalresults the analysis and discussion in chapter 6 aimed to explore whether the respondentswere consequent or not in how they answered, to determine if green communication couldbe considered to influence customer loyalty. In chapter 6 the analysis of the results weremade for each attribute (Gender, Age, Degree of urbanisation, Educational level andLifestyle), in five separate sections. Thus, the analysis was conducted in continuous text,meaning that Attitude, Message design, Customer loyalty intentions and Actions, as wellas the potential connection between Green communication and Customer loyalty, werediscussed back and forth, rather than in a specific order and in isolation.

Figure 4.3.1: Theoretical Framework including Questionnaire Questions

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4. Methodology

4.4 Quality of DataTo ensure quality and rigorousness of the collected data reliability and validity arecommonly used to measure that (Gibbert, Ruigrok and Wicki, 2008; Heale and Twycross,2015; Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2015). Reliability refers to consistency; if the studycan generate consistent findings independent time and conditions (Saunders, Lewis andThornhill, 2015). In a quantitative study, validity refers to the accuracy of the measuredconcept (Heale and Twycross, 2015) and that a test measures what is intended to bemeasured (Bolarinwa, 2015). As mentioned in section 4.2 Collis and Hussey (2013)emphasise the need of a structured questionnaire design to obtain reliability and validityof the data which is further emphasised by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2015).Whereof the ordering of questions, design of questions and specific sections for questionswith different aims were thoroughly thought through in the designing process.

Furthermore, Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2015) state that reliability and validity canincrease through high response rate and pilot testing. The importance of high responserate is further corroborated with Collins and Hussey (2013), claiming that validity canbe undermined by minimizing research errors such as small samples. Also, Litwin (1995)emphasises the need of lowering the amount of random errors to provide a more accuratereflection of the reality. In this study, the large sample of 1 010 survey participants canbe considered to decrease the risk of random errors and enhance the rigourness of thedata. Regarding pilot testing as a way to increase reliability and validity, the trial runof this study’s questionnaire to friends and family was essential. Also, the questionnairewas reviewed and discussed together with a provider of a P2P marketplace platform tomake sure the questions were relevant and could be made of use. By doing such pre-tests, uneasy questions to answer as well as unclear and ambiguous questions could beidentified and revised, which in turn help to increase data rigourness.

Moreover, the questionnaire was distributed by the third-party player YouGov whichis a member of the branch organisations European Society for Opinion and MarketingResearch (ESOMAR) and Swedish Market Research Association (SMIF) meaning thatthey abide by their rules (YouGov, no date a). SMIF actively supports and promotesquality work (SMIF, no date b), and YouGov (no date b) ensures consistency andplausibility checks as well as quality monitoring, among others, which helps to enhancereliability and validity of the survey results. Additionally, ESOMAR ensures to protectthe respondents which is done, for example, through ethical regulations, voluntarysurvey participation, guaranteed anonymity if nothing else is agreed upon, and dutyof confidentiality (SMIF, no date a).

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5 Empirical Results

This chapter aims to provide the empirical results derived from the questionnaire. Firstly,it presents the demographic and psychographic characteristics of the survey participants.Secondly, results regarding green communication in relation to personal attributes arepresented. Lastly, the results obtained from the questions regarding customer loyalty, inrelation to personal attributes, are exhibited. The chapter ends with a table that providesa brief overview of the empirical results.

The survey was conducted between 6-8 of April 2020 in Sweden with 1 010 participantscomposed of men and women, in the ages 18 and above.1 Figure 5.0.1 illustrates thedemographic and psychographic characteristics of the survey participants.

Figure 5.0.1: Demographic and Psychographic Characteristics of the Survey Participants

As illustrated in figure 5.0.1, the top-left diagram implies an equal distribution of femalesand males that participated in the survey. Regarding age, the largest share of respondentsare 60 years or older, however, the distribution among the four other age groups is fairlyeven. The degree of urbanisation indicates that a greater part of the respondents lives inmedium-sized cities, which refers to an area with a population size between 50 000 to 200

1The survey was conducted by the opinion and market research company YouGov. During the period6-8 of April 2020 and, a total of 1 010 online interviews via the internet were conducted with men andwomen 18+ years in Sweden.

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5. Empirical Results

000. Beyond respondents living in a medium-sized city, the shares of respondents living ina capital region, metropolitan area (population > 200 000, but not capital region), smallercity (20 000 < population < 49 999), small town (population < 20 000) or rural areaare roughly equal. Moreover, the demographic information about the survey participantsshows that most of them either hold a higher level of education (45%) or have completedelementary/upper secondary education (39%). 16% hold a post-secondary education anda small minority do not want to disclose their educational level. With regard to lifestyle,the bottom right diagram in figure 5.0.1 illustrates a heavier distribution towards a non-sustainable lifestyle (70%), and accordingly implies that there is a minority (30%) of therespondents who recycle and buy pre-owned items more frequent (once a week, once amonth or once a quarter).

5.1 Green Communication

Figure 5.1.1: B1: How much do you agree with the following statement? “I am aware of theenvironmental consequences of my consumption of clothing, interior and/or items.”

Results in figure 5.1.12 are in relation to age, degree of urbanisation and educational level.Looking at individuals’ perception of their awareness of environmental consequences dueto consumption, 64% say they are either completely or mostly aware of their actions.However, looking closer at differences between age groups there is a significant differencebetween younger and older age groups. Where older age groups to a higher degree answereither completely or mostly in comparison to the total, and lower age groups choose the

2The answering alternatives are presented in shades of grey where the darkest shade of grey representsthe darkest colors in the figure. Correspondingly, the lightest shade of grey represents the lightest colorsin the figure.

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same answers but to a lower degree. Moreover, the degree of urbanisation, specificallythose living in a capital region seem to be more aware of the consequences. There arealso signs of a relationship between awareness and educational level where 70% of thosewith a higher education answered completely or mostly, compared to 58% of those witha lower educational level.

Figure 5.1.2: B2: How much do you agree with the following statement? ”I would like to learn moreabout the consequences of my consumption of clothing, interior and/or items.”

Results in figure 5.1.2 are in relation to age, degree of urbanisation and lifestyle. Theinterest in learning more about the environmental consequences from consumption couldbe regarded as low as only 26% of the respondents show a true interest, more specificallythose that answered completely or mostly. Even though there are no clear significancelevels in the differences between age groups, there is a linear trend illustrating thatincreased age tends to translate into increased resistance to learn more. Drawing uponthe findings from figure 5.1.1, it can be seen that those that perceive themselves as awarealso tend to be less interested in learning more. Furthermore, the results in relation to thedegree of urbanisation illustrates a relationship between increased interest and increasedsize of an area. Where 34% of residents in a capital region and only 19% of those inrural areas show a true interest to learn more. Thus, an opposite trend compared to theage groups. Lastly, if you compare the attitude between those segmented as sustainableand non-sustainable there is a significant difference of those that showed interest, 39%to 21%.

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Figure 5.1.3: B3: Imagine that you are going to buy a bicycle for the upcoming season. What kind ofargument is the most important for you to consider buying a pre-owned bicycle instead of a brand new?

Results in figure 5.1.33 are in relation to age and degree of urbanisation. Given thehigh number of respondents that answered not sure it can be assumed that people ingeneral either do not care or that they do but are not aware of which one that affectsthem the most. Nonetheless, in general, there is an even distribution of answers betweenarguments that emphasise social impact and personal impact. Among age groups, thereis no linear or significant trend depending on age. However, the youngest age group18-29 is an exception where respondents to a higher degree compared to the total saidthat arguments that emphasise the personal impact will make them consider buying apre-owned item instead of a brand new. On the contrary, residents in a capital regionbelieve to a higher degree that more general arguments that emphasise social impactwould make them consider a pre-owned item. The opposite behaviour is observed amongresidents in rural areas, which choose social impact to a significantly lower degree. Notethat this does not necessarily state a relationship between the degree of urbanisation andtype of argument as segments in between do not follow a linear trend. Moreover, theretends to be a relationship between the number of respondents that answer not sure andthe attributes presented. The higher degree of urbanisation as well as decreased age bothresult in a lower number of responses on not sure.

3Number 2-4 are intentionally left blank. Number 3 indicates arguments that emphasise social andpersonal impact equally, whilst number 2 and 4 refer to arguments that mostly emphasise social andpersonal impact, respectively.

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Figure 5.1.4: B4-A: How likely is it that you will reduce your consumption of clothes, interior and/oritems due to the climate debate for the 12 upcoming months?

Results in figure 5.1.4 are in relation to age, educational level and lifestyle. Of allrespondents who were asked about their likelihood to reduce their consumption of clothes,interior and/or items within the near future as a result of the climate debate, a little lessthan half (41%) expressed a positive attitude towards a change in their consumptionpatterns. Specifically, this 41%, corresponding 422 individuals, are constituted byrespondents answering extremely, very and somewhat likely. However, between thegenders it can be found that 51% of the females, to a significantly higher degree, planto reduce their consumption for the benefit of the climate consequences, meanwhile thecorresponding share for males is only 32%. That is significantly lower than the totalexpressing them to be extremely, very or somewhat likely to change their consumption.Among the age groups, aside from 60+, there is a declining linear trend in responsesshowing that younger respondents are significantly more likely to respond to climatechange by reducing their consumption, compared to respondents between 50 to 59 years.On the contrary, figure 5.1.4 shows an increasing linear trend for educational level whererespondents holding a higher level of education are significantly more likely to reducetheir consumption for the 12 upcoming months, compared to respondents with a lowereducational degree. Even though 37% of those with an elementary/upper secondarydegree, and 34% of those with a post-secondary degree answer extremely, very andsomewhat likely, they answer these alternatives significantly lower than the total. Lastly,if comparing the results between respondents based on their lifestyle there is a significantdifference between respondents adopting a sustainable lifestyle and those who are not,

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whereof 57% and 35%, respectively, are either extremely, very and somewhat likely toreduce their consumption due to the climate debate.

Figure 5.1.5: B4-B: What kind of message, if any, about the climate makes/has made you change yourconsumption pattern? Maximum two answers. “If the message is...”

Results in figure 5.1.5 are in relation to gender and educational level. The results fromquestion B4-B are based on the 422 respondents who answered extremely, very andsomewhat likely in the previous question B4-A. In other words, a filter was applied for theB4-B results to only display answers from the respondents who answered extremely, veryand somewhat likely in B4-A. As seen in figure 5.1.5, the majority (64%) of those claimthat logic and rational messages have been the primary reason for them to change theirconsumption pattern. Comparing the results between females and males, they are quitealike and as stated above, most of the answers are concentrated in the logic and rationalalternative. Nonetheless, there is a significant difference between females and males whoclaim that emotionally engaging massages have contributed to a change in consumptionpattern, where females chose that alternative to a significantly higher degree. If thenlooking at the results from an educational point of view, the largest difference ofopinion occurs for the pedagogically explained alternative. More specifically, 39% of therespondents with a higher educational level believe, to a significantly higher degree,that pedagogically explained messages have made/make them change their consumptionpattern. The corresponding percentage for respondents with an elementary/secondarydegree is 21%, which is significantly lower than the total choosing that alternative.

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Figure 5.1.6: B5: What factors are, according to you, the most important to trust sustainabilitycommunication provided by a company? Maximum two answers. “Sustainability communication that

is:”

Results in figure 5.1.6 are in relation to age and degree of urbanisation. When respondentswere asked to state what factors that make them trust sustainability communication,the results show that transparent (27%), meaningful and relevant (33%) and free fromexcessive claims (31%) were the most important factors for trustworthiness. Although,when studying the result from B5 with regard to age group and respondents who answeredI am not affected by sustainability communication, the youngest respondents chose thatalternative to a significantly lower degree (3%). The opposite occurs for the oldestrespondents (20%). In alignment with the most common answers from all respondents,respondents living in a capital region state transparent (35%) and meaningful and relevant(44%) as the primary factors for trusting sustainability communication to a significantlyhigher degree than the total. On the contrary, residents in rural areas believe thesealternatives to be the most important to a significantly lower degree. Instead, it can beobserved that the majority of rural area respondents value sustainability communicationthat is free from excessive claims (34%).

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Figure 5.1.7: B6: How would you describe an online marketplace for pre-owned items with one wordonly?

Results in figure 5.1.7 are in relation to gender and age. When respondents were askedto describe an online marketplace for pre-owned items with one single word, no cleardistinction within the examined segments were found. The results illustrate an evendistribution of sustainable words between men and women as well as among age groups.However, this does not necessarily state that for example women and men to the sameextent perceive online marketplaces for pre-owned items as sustainable, as only one wordwas allowed.

5.2 Customer Loyalty

Figure 5.2.1: C1: To buy from a company again, what significance does it have that the companycontributes to an increased level of knowledge about sustainability?

Results in figure 5.2.1 are in relation to gender, degree of urbanisation and lifestyle.Regarding the impact of an increased level of knowledge about sustainability on customer

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loyalty, 37% say that it has either very strong or strong significance. In terms of differencesbetween gender, the majority of men (57%) do to a significantly higher degree say that it isnot important, which is constituted by those that answered moderate or low significance.The corresponding share for women is 42%. There does not seem to be a linear trendthat depends upon the degree of urbanisation, but residents in a capital region do,however, believe that an increased level of knowledge to a higher degree is more importantthan residents do in other parts of Sweden. The same belief goes for those respondentscategorized as sustainable where 50%, composed of answers on very strong and strongsignificance, said that it is significant to buy from a company again. That is significantlyhigher than the number of responses for those with a so-called non-sustainable lifestyle(32%).

Figure 5.2.2: C2: To buy from a company again, what significance does it have that the companymakes you emotionally engaged in sustainability questions?

Results in figure 5.2.2 are in relation to gender and lifestyle. Looking at the resultson whether emotionally engaging messages impact the choice of repurchasing froma company, a majority of the total (59%), say that it has either moderate or lowsignificance. Comparing the responses for men and women there is no clear distinction inthe distribution of answers. Despite the somewhat small differences in percentage points,as also found in figure 5.1.5, women seem to a higher degree than men (30% amongwomen and 23% among men) prefer messages that cause emotional engagement eventhough that the majority seem to neglect it. A clearer distinction can on the other handbe illustrated when comparing lifestyles. 40% of those with a sustainable lifestyle, whichis a significantly higher number than the total, believe that emotional engagement has astrong or very strong significance in terms of buying from a company again. Inevitably,a majority (53%) do still choose moderate or low but the distribution is more even andconsequently not as clear compared to those with a non-sustainable lifestyle. Thus, forthose with a non-sustainable lifestyle 21% (very strong and strong significance) believeit is significant whilst almost three times as many (61%) say that it has moderate or lowsignificance.

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Figure 5.2.3: C3: By purchasing pre-owned items instead of something new you can reduce yourpersonal carbon footprint. To buy from a company again, what significance does it have that thecompany provides you with personal feedback of your purchases and how these have reduced your

carbon footprint?

The results in figure 5.2.3 are in relation to age and lifestyle. Furthermore, it illustratesthe significance of personal feedback on customer loyalty and more specifically if thatwould make him/her buy from a company again. 59% say that it has low or moderatesignificance. Even though that stands for a majority it does not necessarily mean thatpersonal feedback is an inefficient way of communicating. Similar to what was shown infigure 5.1.3 younger age groups tend to believe that feedback on your own actions is moreimportant than what other age groups believe. 33% among 18-29 compared to 23% among60+ chose very strong or strong significance. Furthermore, there also tends to be a lineartrend, including the age groups in between, that supports a relationship where decliningage results in personal feedback on actions being valued as more significant. If lookingat those with a sustainable lifestyle, more specifically those that already are makingindividual actions that support the environment, they do also believe that personalfeedback is important to a higher degree. 42% of those, compared to 20% of those with anon-sustainable lifestyle answered very strong or strong significance. As also stated abovein connection to figure 5.2.2, the distribution is more distinctive among non-sustainablerespondents than for those with a sustainable lifestyle.

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Figure 5.2.4: C4: What are the main reasons that would make you recommend a company to others?Maximum two answers

Results in figure 5.2.4 are in relation to gender, age and lifestyle. When the respondentswere asked about what reasons would make them recommend a company to others, mostof them would make that recommendation if the company could help them reduce theirpersonal carbon footprint (29%) or help them contribute to something bigger for theenvironment (28%). Although, 28% of the respondents’ further state that none of thealternatives would make them recommend a company to others. If comparing the resultsbetween men and women, they answer slightly alike if only studying the percentages foreach alternative. However, what can be noticed is that women to a significantly higherdegree would recommend a company if she can reduce her carbon footprint (33%). Formen, the results show that most of them claim that none of the alternatives (34%) wouldmake them recommend a company which is significantly higher than women choosing thesame alternative. Same as for men, respondents over the age of 50 also state that noneof the alternatives would make them do a company recommendation to a significantlyhigher degree. The opposite occurs for respondents in ages 18 to 39, who chose thatalternative to a significantly lower degree. However, the high significance level for theolder does not imply that the other reasons do not matter as the majority of them havechosen one or two of the listed alternatives.

In terms of lifestyle, respondents who have a sustainable such and already doenvironmental favourable practices, would also recommend a company to others ifthey can do something good for the environment through the use of the company’sproducts/services. 39% state that reducing personal impact is the most important reason,

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and 40% want to feel that they can contribute with something bigger for the benefit ofthe environment. On the contrary, respondents with a non-sustainable lifestyle display alower interest in recommending a company based on environmental benefits. The largestshare (33%) choose none of the alternatives as a reason for recommending a company toothers, which is significantly lower than the total choosing the same alternative.

Figure 5.2.5: C5: How often is the positive effect of recycling the primary reason when buying apre-owned item? (Before cost savings, for example)

Results in figure 5.2.5 are in relation to gender and lifestyle. Looking at the results 34%of the respondents either choose always or often when being asked how often they buypre-owned items primarily because of the positive effect of recycling. When comparingthe results based on gender, women answer often (36%) to a significantly higher degreethan men. At the same time, men answer never (28%) to a significantly higher degree.This does further align with the results in figure 5.2.4 for men and women, and drawingupon these findings women tend to express greater concern for the environment thanmen. Following the reasoning for men and women, the results in figure 5.2.5 also showthat the majority of the respondents with a sustainable lifestyle answer always (6%) oroften (46%) to a significantly higher degree. The opposite occurs for respondents with anon-sustainable lifestyle as the majority answer seldom (28%) or never (26%), whereofthe latter is to a significantly higher degree.

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Figure 5.2.6: C6: Where would you place yourself on the following scale regarding buying decisions?

Results in figure 5.2.64 are in relation to gender, age and educational level. When studyingthe results regarding buying decisions, it is found that the largest share (30%) of theanswers is concentrated in the middle (alternative three), indicating that most of therespondents seem to an equal extent make buying decisions based on logic and objectivityand emotions. However, there is a larger share that say that they often make buyingdecisions based on logic and objectivity (21%), compared to those saying that they makebuying decisions based on emotions (9%). When taking a gender perspective, the resultsshow that the majority of men (51%) answer alternative one or two to a significantlyhigher degree, whilst women answer four or five (31%) to a significantly higher degree.In turn, these results show that men score higher on logic and objectivity than women.With regard to age, there is a linear trend showing that older respondents, like men,make buying decisions based on logic and objectivity to a greater extent than youngerrespondents. Respondents over the age of 50 chose alternative one or two to a significantlyhigher degree than the total (49%). The same reasoning can be applied when looking atdifferences between respondents on the basis of their educational level. Even though thelargest share for each educational level is concentrated to logic and objectivity, there isan increasing linear trend showing that the respondents with a higher degree choose thatalternative to a significantly higher degree (49%).

4Number 2-4 are intentionally left blank. Number 3 indicates buying decisions that are based on logicand objectivity and emotions equally, whilst number 2 and 4 refer to buying decisions that mostly arebased on logic and objectivity and emotions, respectively.

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Table 5.2.1 provides a brief overview of the empirical results, showing what theme eachquestionnaire question belongs to, and what personal attributes that are discussed forthat specific question.

Green Communication Customer LoyaltyAttitude Design Intention Action

B1 B2 B4-A B6 B3 B4-B B5 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6

Gender X X X X X X X X

Age X X X X X X X X X

Degree ofUrbanisation

X X X X X

EducationalLevel

X X X X

Lifestyle X X X X X X X

Table 5.2.1: Overview of Empirical Results

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6 Analysis and Discussion

In this chapter, the empirical results are analysed with support from the theoreticalframework, and in relation to extant literature. The demographic and psychographicvariables will be analysed and discussed in relation to the findings regarding environmentalattitudes and preferences of message design, along with customer loyalty intentions andactions. It is further discussed how Peer to Peer (P2P) marketplace platforms can play arole in the transition towards a Circular Economy (CE) based upon the findings presentedin chapter 5.

6.1 GenderIn the analysis of the results on the basis of gender, there is a trend showing that femalesconsistently display environmental concern to a higher degree than males. The results,therefore, confirm findings provided by Hunter, Hatch Jonson (2004) as well as Oztekinet al. (2017), showing that females display a more favourable attitude towards theenvironment, whilst men tend to be less environmentally concerned.

Even though there are almost as many men as women that recognize an online platform assustainable, only a majority of the female respondents plan to reduce their consumptiondue to the climate debate. The pro-environmental attitude and intentions demonstratedby females are further confirmed when they, to a greater extent than males, wouldrepeat business with a company if the company can contribute with an increased levelof knowledge about sustainability. And recommend a company if they (the women)can reduce their personal carbon footprint or contribute with something bigger forthe environment. Thus, if following Jiang and Rosenbloom’s (2005) argument thatsatisfaction is an indicator of a consumer’s willingness to return to a company, womenshow a greater likelihood of being loyal as the findings reveal them to be more satisfiedwith communication about sustainability. Green communication received by women can,therefore, be considered to positively influence their customer loyalty intentions.

In addition, the positive effect of recycling is often considered as the primary reasonfor women when buying pre-owned items. This does further align with what was foundby Oztekin et al. (2017), namely that females are keener to recycle than men. Also,it indicates that women do not only plan to reduce their consumption for the benefitof the environment, but also act upon it. Putting consumption patterns in relation

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to environmental impact, women can due to their higher level of pro-environmentalbehaviour be recognized as key participants in circular processes enabled by, for example,online marketplaces, which consequently supports the transition to a CE (Ghisellini,Cialani and Ulgiati, 2016). With regard to the male respondents, a majority of themstated that logic and rational messages have made/make them change their consumptionpattern. Consequently, by understanding what kind of message design motivates changesin customer behaviour and allude to this in tailored and aspirational sustainabilitycommunication messages as emphasised by Camacho-Otero, Boks and Pettersen (2018)as well as White, Hardisty and Habib (2019), could possibly increase the share ofenvironmental conscious men and foster the pathway for a CE.

What was additionally found with regard to changes in consumption pattern, was thatwomen showed higher tendencies than men to change consumption patterns if theyreceived emotionally engaging messages. Beyond showing intentions to do so, they didalso show higher tendencies to actually act on emotions when making buying decisionsand buy from a company again if she became emotionally engaged in the sustainabilityquestion. That is what Oliver (1999) refers to as action loyalty. Note, however, thatthe majority of women, like men, still claimed logic and rational messages as theprimary reason for changing consumption patterns. Also, the largest share makes buyingdecisions, to an equal extent, on the basis of logic and objectivity as well as emotions.Hence, the results should not trigger the gender stereotypes of emotions and the beliefof women being less rational and objective than men (Brescoll, 2016). Instead, theresults indicate that effective messages could rely on a balance between logical andemotional appeals. More emphasis put on emotions is further suggested as beneficialby Villarino and Font (2015). Additionally, messages that cover a spectrum of appealscould potentially attract both male and female consumers to a greater extent, and thus,hold potential to reduce the risk of endangering the loyalty of either males or femalesdue to a message being “too emotional” or “too logic and rational”.

In total, companies that include sustainability aspects in their communication can beassumed to more easily yield loyalty from female consumers given their overall higherlevel of environmental consciousness and favourable attitude towards sustainability.Nonetheless, this does not imply that males should be neglected. This is furtherstrengthened by Tunn et al. (2019) who claim it beneficial to address everyone, includingless engaged consumers, and by Schuhwerk and Lefkoff-Hagius (1995) who emphasise thepositive impact of green messages on consumers that are less environmentally involved.Accordingly, there is a need for further investigation of how sustainability should be(re)framed to help more males to adopt sustainable products and/or services, for example,by using the power of social influence as suggested by White, Hardisty and Habib(2019).

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6.2 AgeWhat can be found when analysing the results in relation to age groups is that youngerpeople, in general, seem to have a more favourable and engaging attitude towardssustainability communication. On the other hand, the awareness about the consequencesfrom consumption seems to be higher among older respondents, which aligns with thestudy by Roberts (1996) as well as the one by Liu et al. (2009). Worth notingthough is that the results regarding awareness are based upon the respondent’s ownperception. Thus, whether it actually means that age translates into awareness is hardto determine. Previous findings such as those provided by Tato-Jiménez, Buenadicha-Mateos and González-López (2019) indicate that younger generations are more aware ofsustainability issues. Therefore, it could possibly be assumed that the younger and olderrespondents of the questionnaire underestimated and overestimated, respectively, theircurrent knowledge.

There was also an increasing linear trend illustrating an increased resistance to learn moreabout different aspects of sustainability along with increased age. In other words, theolder the respondent was, the more resistant attitude he/she had. To further understandthe origin of this resistance a deeper understanding of the prior knowledge will berequired. This resistance could be expected to originate either from a true disinterest insustainability issues or the fact that you already know what you believe is enough.

Furthermore, the youngest age group 18-29 seem to pay more attention to their personalimpact on climate change than others. However, in terms of buying pre-owned itemsrather than brand new, it is also a question of economical prerequisites which can beassumed to differ among age groups and consequently impact the environmental attitude(Gupta and Abbas, 2013). Thus, arguments that emphasise personal impact shouldnot be discussed in isolation as a reason, but nonetheless, it indicates an ambition tomake a personal contribution. On the other hand, the results also indicate that many ofthe consumers are unsure of their preferences regarding a certain message design. Thisimplies a challenge for companies to understand if consumers actually have a preferencebut are unaware of it. It is also a possibility that the type of content possibly doesnot matter or that the content could be developed in collaboration with consumers, andfrom this process understand what is received as intended and not, as the content is a keyfactor in order to produce efficient green marketing messages (Lasswell, 1948; Dangelicoand Vocalelli, 2017).

Findings showing that younger respondents demonstrate higher ambitions andconsequently intentions to reduce their consumption for the benefit of the environmentis no surprise (Gupta and Abbas, 2013). However, something to take into considerationwhen discussing ambitions is the relation to action (Oliver, 1999). It can be assumed that

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experience comes with age, thus, one reason besides disinterest to change behaviour couldbe a more realistic point of view where younger are more optimistic in themselves. Theimpact of experience and vocabulary does also become evident when respondents wereasked to describe online marketplaces for pre-owned items with one word and where thenumber of words coded as sustainable was evenly distributed between ages. The observedhigher ambition among younger people is most likely balanced out by the perceived higherawareness among elders.

Messages designed to include feedback on personal impact on climate change reappearsas an aspect that affects customer loyalty intentions among younger people, thus, animportant aspect to consider as personal involvement is believed to be positively relatedto green consumption (Darnall, Ponting and Vazquez-Brust, 2012). Thus, making aneffort to increase the amount of green marketing and target the younger generations willpossibly yield satisfaction and potentially loyalty according to the results of this studyalong with the findings by Jiang and Rosenbloom (2005) as well as those by Leonidouand Leonidou (2011) suggesting that increased commitment among consumers will resultin increased demand on green marketing content. This is further strengthened by theempirical results whereof younger to a higher degree than older people say that thetrustworthiness of a company depends upon how they choose to communicate regardingsustainability issues.

Thus, the previously expressed demand from young people on organisationsand companies (Tato-Jiménez, Buenadicha-Mateos and González-López, 2019) isconsequently believed to translate into customer loyalty if companies choose to integratesustainability aspects while making sure they are neither greenwashing nor greenhushing.Like the preferences among men discussed in section 6.1, older people claim that logicand rational messages is the main reason for buying decisions, so do younger but to alower percentage. In combination with the uncertainty among elders, this ought to bean aspect to take into consideration in order to clarify rather than complicate the issue.And consequently, make the consumer in a logical way, need, sustainable products orservices. Because if the service or products are not framed as something as essential asfor example price or quality, there is a risk of green marketing myopia to backlash asdiscussed by Ottman, Stafford and Hartman (2006).

Altogether, companies integrating sustainability aspects in their marketing can benefitfrom considering the ambitions spoken by younger people. Older people, however, shouldnot necessarily be neglected when developing green communication strategies due to theslight disinterest as well as ambiguity regarding sustainability communication shown inthe results. The reasons behind this needs to be further examined. Thus, the potentialfor green communication to yield loyalty among all ages could be expected as actual

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exposure to the sustainability debate along with the availability of facilities and servicesthat ease pro-environmental behaviour seem to be key factors (Huddart-Kennedy et al.,2009; Tato-Jiménez, Buenadicha-Mateos and González-López, 2019). This is becauseyoung people to a greater extent could be expected to face that kind of information dueto the higher degree of involvement and demands on society to take action on climatechange (Parker, 2020).

6.3 Degree of UrbanisationWhilst the study by Gupta and Abbas (2013) did not find any differences betweendifferent sizes of cities in terms of attitudes towards green communication, the resultspresented in chapter 5 do. The spoken awareness, which tends to be higher in acapital region, seems to act as a basis for the attitude towards different kinds ofgreen communication methods. Compared to what was discussed in section 6.2 onthe relationship between awareness and interest to learn more, an increased degree ofurbanisation translates into an increased interest. Thus, residents in a capital region notonly say they are aware, but they also want to learn more which aligns with the surveyfindings presented by Futerra(no date). The higher awareness can to some extent beexplained by the greater exposure of, for example, social initiatives, concept stores anddifferent approaches to pre-owned items and the sharing economy (Huddart-Kennedy etal., 2009) which enhances the possibilities of repeated episodes of positive experiences.Something which can be related to the conative loyalty, triggering repurchase intentions,studied by Oliver (1999), that consequently affects customer loyalty (Weng, Chen andChen, 2015).

What seems to be, a general higher level of both awareness and engagement in a capitalregion could be an underlying reason why residents in such an area to a higher degreeprefer messages that emphasise social benefits rather than personal impact. On the otherhand, in section 6.2, the younger respondents that showed higher ambitions preferredmessages that emphasise personal impact, which imply that it is hard to determinewhether such preference is based upon ambition or perceived awareness. Consequently,a combination of aspects can be expected to influence the final preference where forexample both age and degree of urbanisation need to be considered in order to developan appropriate approach. Nonetheless, the amount of answers is relatively evenlydistributed. Thus, until the different preferences are further clarified the results rathersupport it could be beneficial to adopt an approach that considers both social benefits andpersonal impact than choosing one of them. This as doing either too much or too littleof green communication could easily be misinterpreted as untrustworthy if not balancedproperly (Villarino and Font, 2015).

In order to successfully carry out green communication and yield customer loyalty, trust is

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an important aspect (Harris and Goode, 2004; Zheng, Lee and Cheung, 2017), but couldbe hampered if the receivers of the communicated message perceive it as greenwashing(Chen and Chang, 2013). Whilst respondents from a capital region state transparencyas well as meaningful and relevant messages as the most crucial aspects in order totrust what is communicated, residents in rural areas believe it is most important for themessages to not be excessive. This could partly be based upon past negative experiencesof green communication. For example, that it has seemed too far-fetched and/or notaccurately put into the context of residents in rural areas. For example, “take the bicycleinstead of the car to benefit the environment” is not as applicable to rural areas withgreater distances as it is to capital and metropolitan areas. Thus, these experiencesaffecting one’s perception could be classified as noise interrupting the meaning of themessage (Shannon, 1948; West and Turner, 2010).

Subsequently, this could possibly have resulted in a dissatisfaction that ultimatelyresulted in a slight scepticism towards such green messages as experience plays animportant role (Jiang and Rosenbloom, 2005). In such a case, a well-conceived strategythat incorporates incremental improvements will be required in order to overcome andnot enhance the believed scepticism and related trust issues (Chen and Chang, 2013).That knowledge plays a greater role to respondents from a capital region, in order forthem to return, is also an aspect to consider which furthermore can be expected to actas a guide when developing approaches to green communication.

What is to be noted is that the demand for knowledge in order to repurchase is basedupon expressed intentions rather than a proved behaviour. However, despite that theexpressed demand on knowledge in order to repurchase is supported by an interest tolearn more there is an uncertainty whether this translates into actions among residents inurbanised areas (Harris and Goode, 2004). This due to that attitude not always translatesinto an equal behaviour (Jacoby and Kyner, 1973) along with the research by Berenguer,Corraliza and Martín (2005) who found that pro-environmental attitudes in urbanisedareas not necessarily translated into actions. Thus, this uncertainty needs to be furtherexamined and can be regarded as valuable due to the strong preference, which ultimatelycould result in green communication activities to translate into customer loyalty.

6.4 Educational LevelWhen analysing the results with regard to educational level it is found that respondentswith a higher educational level, like younger people in section 6.2, in general, demonstratea more favourable and engaging attitude towards the environment and sustainabilitycommunication. A positive relation between educational level and environmental attitudeis also shown in previous literature on the topic (Finisterra do Paço, Raposo and Filho,2009; Boztepe, 2012; Gupta and Abbas, 2013; Rezai et al., 2013), whereof the results

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from this study confirm what previously has been found.

A linear trend in the results previously presented in figure 5.1.1 illustrates that theawareness of the environmental consequences of consumerism is increasing along withthe level of education. In other words, respondents with higher educational degreesare more aware of the environmental consequences of their consumption compared tothose with lower educational degrees. The high level of awareness could further be anunderlying reason why a similar linear trendline occurs for the intention to reduce the levelof consumption due to the climate debate. Specifically, the level to which messages aboutclimate change influences consumption habits is higher among high educated respondents,meaning that respondents holding a higher degree are also more prone to reduce theirconsumption and thus, the negative climate impact inherent in consumption.

Putting this in relation to what was discussed in section 6.3, that capital region residentsexpressed a pro-environmental attitude and higher level of environmental awareness, itcould be expected that people with higher educational degrees live in bigger cities. Thatcould to some extent be explained by the higher access to academic institutions andjob opportunities in capital and metropolitan areas (SCB, 2017). Moreover, given ahigher educational level, it could be expected that the respondent has been exposedto sustainability education to a greater extent and followingly gained more knowledgeabout it and the challenges we face. Whereof respondents with higher education degreesexpress higher receptiveness towards sustainability communication and commitment tomake changes for the benefit of the environment. Following Oliver’s (1999) framework forloyalty in terms of conative loyalty, the higher degree of commitment displayed by highlyeducated individuals implies a higher motivation to rebuy and accordingly intentions tobe loyal.

Furthermore, the relation between intentions to reduce consumption, and what kindof message design the respondents say would change their consumption habits, showsthat sustainability communication with logic and rational messages is considered as theprimary driver for making that change. That is independent of educational level. Thisdoes somewhat contradict the research by Pickett‐Baker and Ozaki (Pickett‐Baker andOzaki, 2008), who found that emotional appeal would increase the persuasiveness of greenmessages. Moreover, of those with higher intentions to reduce their consumption, namelyrespondents with higher education, do also state pedagogically explained sustainabilitymessages as important for making a change. Following the reasoning from section 6.1,the preference for different message appeals indicates the importance for sustainabilitycommunicators to find a delicate balance between these to successfully carry outsustainability communication aligning with consumer preferences, and in turn satisfythem and yield their loyalty (Jiang and Rosenbloom, 2005).

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Nonetheless, the phrases “plan to reduce” and “would make me change” includeuncertainties as intentions to do something, do not necessarily translate into actions(Harris and Goode, 2004). Thus, if comparing the results regarding what kind ofmessages designs that would make respondents change consumption and on what basisthey actually make buying decisions, it is found that high educated respondents aremore consistent in their answers. That is, their high preference for logic and rationalmessages align with how they make buying decisions. This further implies highlyeducated individuals to be motivated by utilitarian values, and thus, by appealing tostated preferences companies can improve consumers’ perceived value (Luo and Ye, 2019);their intention to return to a company, which ultimately can foster customer loyalty(Jiang and Rosenbloom, 2005; Zheng, Lee and Cheung, 2017; Luo and Ye, 2019).

On the contrary, of respondents with lower educational degrees, but who also expressa high preference for logic and rational messages, there is a more even distributionbetween those saying that they make buying decisions on the basis of logic and objectivityversus emotions. In turn, this somewhat inconsistent behaviour implies a challengefor companies to close the talked-about attitude-behaviour gap (Nguyen, Nguyen andHoang, 2019; Tölkes, 2020); the space between intention and actions, for those with lowereducational degrees. However, this does not imply that this group should be neglected,but rather further examined and understood in terms of why they may not act accordingto their stated pro-environmental attitude (Johnstone and Tan, 2015). Collectively,companies incorporating sustainability aspects in their communication can expect toprimarily benefit from the ambitions and pro-environmental attitude demonstrated notonly by younger people as mentioned in section 6.2, but by those with higher educationaldegrees.

6.5 LifestyleWhen analysing the results with regard to lifestyle it is shown that respondents with asustainable lifestyle consistently demonstrate a pro-environmental attitude. They have apositive attitude towards green communication initiatives and the environmental factorsare critical for them to be loyal. The results are not very surprising, but rather intuitive asit could be expected that those who already do environmentally favourable actions valuegreen communication to a greater extent. Thus, receiving such messages can generate apositive experience and feeling of satisfaction, influencing their intentions of being loyal(Jiang and Rosenbloom, 2005).

Also, the results from this study confirm previous findings showing that there isa positive relationship between the involvement in environmental activities and thelevel of environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviour (Finisterra do Paço,Raposo and Filho, 2009; Pitman, Daniels and Sutton, 2018). However, this study

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puts an additional dimension to it by studying a sustainable lifestyle with regard tothe receptiveness of green communication and loyalty intentions. As stated above,consumers with a sustainable lifestyle do not only value communication that incorporatessustainability aspects, but display intentions of being loyal, as well as act, on the basisof environmental factors.

To illustrate this, they plan to reduce their consumption for the benefit of theclimate, and simultaneously express a greater interest in learning (more) of theenvironmental consequences inherent in their consumption. Also, acquiring knowledgeabout sustainability through the company is recognized as an essential factor to return tothe company. Becoming emotionally engaged in sustainability questions, and receivingfeedback on personal carbon footprint are additional important factors for repeatingbusiness with a company. The majority also recognize messages that emphasise how to“reduce my personal carbon footprint” and “contribute with something bigger for theenvironment” as the most important drivers for recommending a company to others,namely intentions to be loyal. Lastly, they buy pre-owned items for the benefit ofthe environment, rather than for potential cost savings. The sustainable-lifestyle-participants’ answers reveal that they not only hold intentions for being loyal as a resultof receiving sustainability messages, but act upon it. On that basis, the sustainablelifestyle consumers could be considered as those who not only “talk the talk”, but “walkthe walk” which aligns with Oliver’s (1999) fourth phase action loyalty.

Although, the results do not imply how often they buy or sell pre-owned items in absoluteterms. Interpreting the phenomenon of indulgent consumption identified by Parguel,Lunardob and Benoit-Moreau (2017), the environmental engagement demonstrated byindividuals with a sustainable lifestyle could potentially lead to an external behaviourthat induces a too sustainable consumption, namely overconsumption of pre-owneditems.

Altogether, the results imply that companies could create an even better understandingof their consumers when incorporating the lifestyle dimension when segmenting theirmarket. As those with a sustainable lifestyle seem more likely to use companies thatclearly communicate sustainability aspects, these could to a greater extent be “countwith”. Hence, an idea could be to start building marketing strategies to target thenon-sustainable-lifestyle individuals with the aim to increase the share of sustainableconsumers and thus, support the shift into a CE (Ghisellini, Cialani and Ulgiati, 2016;EESC, 2018). Nonetheless, to not offset the potential benefits that nurture a CE, therisk of indulgent consumption should not be underestimated as well as other reboundeffects (Darnall, Ponting and Vazquez-Brust, 2012).

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6.6 Peer to Peer Marketplace Platforms andCircular Economy

Finally, even though the results presented in chapter 5 do not show an overwhelmingenthusiasm for green communication neither in general nor for specific segments, potentialcan be discerned. Moreover, the distribution of answers was no surprise as it to a greatextent aligns with the results of current methods of market segmentation with regardto environmental awareness and concern (Roper, 2002; Finisterra do Paço, Raposo andFilho, 2009). Nonetheless, if appropriate measures are incorporated there are tendenciesindicating that businesses could yield opportunities, both in terms of gaining customerloyalty and on a higher level support the transition to a CE as consumers become moreinvolved (Ghisellini, Cialani and Ulgiati, 2016).

In comparison to physical stores, where customer and staff interaction is enabled, onlineplatforms represent a new, yet challenging form of communication. The increaseduse of for example social media platforms in recent years requires organisations tounderstand also online consumer behaviour (Schivinski and Dabrowski, 2016), andneeded adaptations reflecting the characteristics of social media (Sasser, Kilgour andHollebeek, 2014). Even though social media enables greater reach and more direct accessto consumers (Thackeray et al., 2008) than traditional media, the importance of theactual content in terms of appropriateness and originality is enhanced (Sasser, Kilgourand Hollebeek, 2014). A need that also can be observed through the varied preferencesbetween segments, shown in chapter 5. Consequently, this puts further emphasis onadapted content in order to both reach the consumers as intended as well as to diminishuncertainty and maintain trust (Camacho-Otero, Boks and Pettersen, 2018).

In the analysis of sustainability communication and social media, the interface is anadditional dimension to consider as a provider of P2P marketplace platforms. Auser-friendly, intuitive and accessible platform with simple interface can increase theconvenience, thereby increasing the likelihood of, for example, attracting the consumerswho express resistance towards sustainable consumption and messages by helping themto overcome barriers of traditional behaviour and instead, go circular (EIT Climate-KIC,2018; Tunn et al., 2019).

Furthermore, despite that some results in chapter 5 indicate either negligence or negativeattitude towards sustainability, it is important to acknowledge that these groups alsoneed to be addressed (Tunn et al., 2019). The reasons behind different perceptionsof sustainability which ultimately affect one’s attitude and behaviour is thoroughlydescribed in section 2.4. The surroundings people are exposed to could be believedto play an important role in terms of ability to perceive sustainability communication

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as intended in conformity with what West and Turner (2010) describe as noise in thecommunication process. This because of that there are clear distinctions in the resultswithin for example age groups and degree of urbanisation. The possibilities enabled bydigitalisation in terms of transparency and efficiency (Antikainen, Uusitalo and Kivikytö-Reponen, 2018, p. 45) will thus be ruling in order for online marketplaces to manage thisnoise and to fulfil the expectations as enablers for CE (EIT Climate-KIC, 2018; Cristobal-Fransi et al., 2019). The importance of this is further strengthened by the results in figure5.1.6 where transparency, no excessive claims and meaningful and relevant informationare valued the highest in order to maintain trust. If not taken into consideration properly,there is an evident risk of perceived greenwashing (Ross and Deck, 2011) which couldimply for long term effects in terms of lack of trust which directly affect customer loyalty(Zheng, Lee and Cheung, 2017).

Meanwhile, online marketplaces for pre-owned items in comparison to other industrieswith less distinctive environmental benefits or even polluting effects (Nyilasy,Gangadharbatla and Paladino, 2012), if disregarding any indulgent consumption(Parguel, Lunardo and Benoit-Moreau, 2017), would most likely benefit fromcommunicating more than initially believed (Villarino and Font, 2015). Because ifcommunicating too little it could instead be regarded as manipulating the society’svalues (Font, Elgammal and Lamond, 2017) which can be expected to negatively impacttrust, and consequently customer loyalty. Despite the ambiguity regarding preferencesabout sustainability communication, 83% of the respondents say that it does affect theirconfidence in a company. The high percentage can to a great extent be believed to derivefrom the well-established adoption of environmental Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) practices (Moisescu, 2018), which in many aspects resemble those of sustainabilitycommunication but without the consumer perspective (Belz and Peattie, 2014).

Balancing the right amount of messages and adaptation along with transparency canfurthermore be regarded as a key to gain customer loyalty, in terms of satisfaction(Jiang and Rosenbloom, 2005). Thus, this implies a multidimensional challenge foronline marketplaces where satisfaction and trust among customers need to be balancedwith efficiency in sustainability communication and simultaneously enable the transitiontowards circular behaviours through customer attraction and retention. Whilst thisprocess can be regarded as complex, the continuously increased attention towardssustainability implies a greater share of consumers to occupy the greener segments(Kirgiz, 2016). Thus, the market is believed to mature and preferences to consolidatefurther due to increased exposure from different senders. Simultaneously, based upon thepossibilities for digital platforms to reach a great number of consumers in all demographicaspects, there is a further opportunity for these to contribute in the equalisation of theobserved unbalanced exposure within segments.

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7 Conclusion

The overall aim of this thesis was to increase the understanding of how consumersperceive and react to sustainability communication from providers of Peer to Peer (P2P)marketplace platforms, and how this might influence customer loyalty intentions andactions. In this final chapter, answers to the research questions, limitations, contributionsof this study, and lastly, managerial and future research implications are outlined.

7.1 ConclusionsGiven the increased attention to sustainability and environmental concerns, theconventional wisdom is that consumer preferences are changing. In the same token,companies offering has come to be characterized with a focus on sustainability ladenconcepts such as the Circular Economy (CE). How sustainability is communicated has,therefore, become a vital part of companies’ marketing strategies. This thesis hasempirically studied an online platform which is a key player in the shift towards a CEas it enables reduced resource consumption through reuse and redistribution of pre-owned items in terms of clothes, interior, electronics etcetera. Therefore, the number ofconsumers trading pre-owned items on such marketplaces could play a role in acceleratingthe transition towards a CE. In turn, this emphasises the need of attracting new customersas well as retaining existing ones which can be done by targeting them through efficientmarketing strategies.

However, sustainability is a wide and complex topic that possesses many inherentdefinitions and interpretations. Thus, it could be questioned if everyone irrespective of,for instance, gender, age, education and other personal attributes perceive sustainabilitysimilarly. Given dissimilarities among individuals, the receptiveness of what iscommunicated and what drives the intentions of being loyal could also be assumed todiffer. To bring clarity to this issue an exploratory research study was conducted basedon a quantitative approach. Specifically, an online survey along with an analysis of theempirical results aimed to examine the impact of personal attributes on sustainabilitycommunication and customer loyalty, with focus on environmental attitude, messagedesign, customer loyalty intentions and actions. And subsequently discern whethersustainability communication can influence customer loyalty.

Based upon the results it can be concluded that personal attributes do affect

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environmental attitudes and the receptiveness of sustainability communication andloyalty intentions. This became evident for all of the examined demographic andpsychographic variables, however, in different ways and to different degrees. The resultsof the study reveal that females and individuals with a sustainable lifestyle consistentlydisplay a more favourable attitude towards communication messages that allude tosustainability. Survey findings suggest that their higher willingness to learn moreabout environmental consequences of consumption and to embrace companies enablingthem to reduce environmental impact, increase their receptiveness of sustainabilitycommunication and intentions of being loyal. Also, they show a higher tendency to actaccording to their intentions. With regard to age variations, the high number of climateprotests with young people at the forefront (Parker, 2020) becomes evident in the findings.The younger generation of today display a more engaging attitude toward sustainabilitycommunication, and higher intentions of being loyal when feedback on personal impacton climate change is conveyed. With regard to the degree of urbanisation, an intriguingassociation between size of urban area and variations in environmental attitude wasfound, with individuals living in more crowded areas to be more aware and keener to learnmore about the environmental impact of consumption. Also, more receptive and willingto trust sustainability communication highlighting the societal impact of consumingsustainably. The varying exposure and access to sustainability initiatives are consideredto be an underlying factor influencing that outcome. Taken together, the results foreducational level provide evidence for a similar association. The survey results suggesta higher environmental awareness, pro-environmental behaviour and attitude, as well ashigher receptiveness and loyalty intentions when receiving logic and rational messagesemphasising climate change among individuals with higher educational degrees.

In terms of how sustainability communication influences customer loyalty the results,taken together, provide evidence for a positive relationship between the two variables.Thus, sustainability communication can, in similarity with environmental-relatedCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices, positively influence customer loyalty.To increase the likelihood of obtaining the positive effect of sustainability on customerloyalty, the findings indicate that it is favourable if the receiver demonstratesenvironmental engagement. The link between individuals who acknowledge messagesincorporating sustainability aspects, and their intention to recommend a companyenabling them to become more environmentally engaged, implies that sustainabilitycommunication positively affects customer loyalty. This was particularly evident withinthe cohort of women, young individuals and those with a sustainable lifestyle. Moreover,the association between the preference of a certain message appeal, and making buyingdecisions based on the same preference, also indicates a way of how customer loyalty canbe yielded through sustainability communication. This was especially apparent for highlyeducated individuals displaying a preferential attitude toward logic and objectivity. The

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7. Conclusion

findings also reveal that the general external pressure from consumers on sustainabilitydoes not only require sustainability aspects to be incorporated in communication, butfor it to be reliable. However, the interpretation of what is reliable differs where anindividual’s experience and exposure of sustainability appears to matter, as was evidentin the analysis of age and degree of urbanisation. Ultimately, this makes it sufficient todraw the conclusion that trustworthiness is an essential key in response to the externalpressure and ensure that customer loyalty can be yielded.

Drawing on the above reasoning sustainability communication can play a positive role inthe transition towards a CE. The findings indicate that purchase decisions and intentionsto use a certain company can be influenced, or even conditioned, by the existenceof sustainability aspects in communication. Nonetheless, the receptiveness of what iscommunicated, and the practical implications vary among consumers on the basis ofpersonal attributes. Whereof evidence suggests females and those with a sustainablelifestyle to display the highest receptiveness and intentions to be loyal. With regard to themessage design, logic appeals are found to be the primary preference among consumers,independent of personal attributes and environmental engagement. This suggests apotential for sustainability messages with logic appeals to be used as a means to reach awider range of consumers and subsequently secure their loyalty. All in all, sustainabilitymessages communicated by P2P marketplace platform providers can contribute to acustomer base growth on their platforms. This consequently implies for a larger shareof people to participate in activities enabling resource efficiency, which fosters a CE.However, there are challenges to overcome in terms of how to successfully adapt thecontent to consumer preferences in order to increase environmental engagement.

7.2 LimitationsIn terms of the methodology and data collection, some limitations can be identified due tothe chosen approach. As the recipients of the survey voluntarily signed up to be part of thepanel there is a risk of participation bias (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2015), meaningthat the results to some extent are biased as those could be regarded as slightly moreengaged in general in telling their opinion. Even though there are built-in mechanisms toprevent people from just choosing random answers it is likely some of the answers are notthought through by the respondent. Thus, a control question with only a few realisticanswers could have been included in order to detect and remove any outliers. However,due to the built-in mechanism used by YouGov that is actively observing members, therisk of randomised answers can be regarded as relatively low.

Another aspect that might have influenced how the respondents answered is the currentsituation in terms of the global pandemic COVID-19. Given the circumstances, theway individuals behave and how they consume might deviate from what they usually

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7. Conclusion

do (Yttergren, 2020). Although, the majority of the questions are of historical orgeneral character, and thus, the current situation is not believed to heavily impact theresults.

Furthermore, it became evident that many of the respondents displayed some sort ofuncertainty when answering certain questions. Thus, another design of the questionnairecould possibly have countered that. The way it was designed did to a great extent relyon that people are aware of their preferences and actions. Evidently, this was not true.The limitation of the number of questions, due to the third-party administrator, didalso constrain the width and depth of the study. At the same time, a more extensivequestionnaire also entails risks as respondents could lose focus throughout the survey.Instead, more examples put into different contexts could have eased the decision makingfor the respondents.

Lastly, the categorization of the attribute lifestyle is not necessarily accurate as it was onlybased on two questions, which implies some uncertainty. Posing a series of questions thatwould have included both actions and beliefs could have been done in order to ultimatelythrough either an average or weighting accomplish a more comprehensive and truthfulcategorization. Nonetheless, when the results of the questionnaire were put into relationto lifestyle there were clear distinctions between the two groups. Hence, in spite of thelimitations caused by the categorization method, the impact on the results and analysisis believed to be limited.

7.3 Contributions and ImplicationsThere are few literature and studies that explore the relationship between sustainabilitycommunication and customer loyalty in the context of P2P marketplace platforms.Significant attention has been devoted to the topics independently, however, researchoverlapping the two areas is scarce indicating a research gap. Not at least whilst alsoconsidering the impact of individual differences among consumers instead of generalizingbetween different consumer segments. The research that does exist and regards greenmarketing and customer loyalty mainly focuses on the tourism industry where ecotourismhas gained attention. Further, consumers are expressing a larger preference for pre-owned items and the subject sustainability, in general, has gained grown interest overthe last couple of years. Thus, it is an important aspect affecting the context in whichthe study has been conducted. This study, therefore, minimises the above-mentionedgap by contributing with an increased understanding of how consumers perceive andreact to different methods of sustainability communication in the context of messagescommunicated by providers of P2P marketplace platforms.

In terms of managerial implications, this study allows providers of online platforms

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7. Conclusion

to evaluate and improve sustainability marketing strategies. The study contributeswith insights that somewhat clarify how consumers perceive and react to differentmethods of sustainability communication and ultimately how this affects customerloyalty. Nonetheless, the results from the study emphasise that this is no easy taskas there are evident differences between the studied personal attributes that need to beconsidered. However, as some approaches of marketing demonstrate greater reach thanothers, these could be utilized by managers as something to rely on in initial stages.In addition, insights about the drawbacks inherent in greenwashing and greenhushingallow marketers to prioritise what to focus on in the shaping of sustainability-relatedmessages to make them trustworthy. Also, the use of demographic variables along withpsychographics implies that managers can get a deeper and broader understanding oftheir consumers. Thus, for managers to consider existing, or implement new approachesof segmentation could be beneficial in the field of sustainability communication.

Furthermore, targeted sustainability communication can today be perceived as slightlyoverwhelming due to the ambiguity displayed within segments, but the future holdspotential. As attention to the climate debate continuously increases it could beexpected that the social stigma around sustainability can possibly dispel as time passes.Thus, consumer preferences regarding sustainability may converge and in consequence,marketers could more easily target their audience. Given these future prospects incombination with the insight that sustainability communication and customer loyaltyare interrelated, sustainability communication should be further applied and developed,particularly for platform providers wishing to contribute to a CE.

Finally, this study provides an arena for future research on sustainability communications.The ramping use of digitalisation and digital platforms such as online P2P marketplaces isnot only a phenomenon in Sweden, but globally. It could, therefore, be assumed that thereis a broad interest in developing efficient marketing strategies to get more sustainableand loyal customers that subsequently can foster a sustainable pathway. However,this study is delimited to the Swedish market and Swedish consumers. To include abroader perspective future research could, therefore, conduct, for example, a form ofcomparative study on participants from different countries. Beyond analysing the impactof demographics and psychographic, such study could reveal how the receptiveness ofgreen communication and loyalty intentions might change depending on surrounding andcultural differences including values, beliefs and attitudes. For international companieswith a global customer base, sustainability marketing strategies can thus be consideredto change as a function of culture, where findings from the proposed future comparisonstudy could be expected to be helpful when targeting their consumers.

Following another research design than the quantitative and survey-based one of this

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7. Conclusion

study, is an additional implication that future research could address. Applying aqualitative research approach could enrich the quantitative one performed in this studyand be helpful in enhancing the richness of the data by providing new and deeperinsights into the understanding of the unsureness and ambiguity that were revealed insome answers. Conducting qualitative research as for example, interviews and focusgroups, could allow issues to come more alive and help future researchers to gain adeeper understanding of the human condition and reasoning. Thus, close the uncertaintygap by detecting the why behind issues that arise.

Further, as this study is delimited to the environmental dimension of sustainability futureresearch could consider the other two dimensions; the economic and social. As the threedimensions overlap, interlink and reinforce each other, future research that is coveringthe whole sustainability spectrum could contribute to a more holistic understanding ofthe role of sustainability communication in societies. Lastly, future studies can follow thesame theme as this study, to contribute with more research within this research field inan attempt to more deeply understand how customer loyalty intentions can be translatedinto actions in the context of sustainability communication.

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AppendixA Questionnaire

Section 1A1: How often do you recycle?

• At least once a week• At least once a month• At least once a quarter• At least once every half-year• At least once a year• Less often• Never• Not sure

A2: How often do you buy pre-owned clothes, interior and/or items?

At leastonce aweek

At leastonce amonth

At leastonce aquarter

At leastonceeveryhalf-year

At leastonce ayear

Lessoften

Never Notsure

Clothes andshoesFurnitureand homeinteriorVehicles andaccessoriesElectronics

89

Appendix A. Questionnaire

Section 2B1: How much do you agree with the following statement: I am aware of theenvironmental consequences of my consumption of clothing, interior and/oritems

• Completely agree• Mostly agree• Slightly agree• Completely disagree• Not sure

B2: How much do you agree with the following statement: I would like tolearn more about the consequences of my consumption of clothing, interiorand/or items

• Completely agree• Mostly agree• Slightly agree• Completely disagree• Not sure

B3: Imagine that you are going to buy a bicycle for the upcoming season.What kind of argument is the most important for you to consider buying apre-owned bicycle instead of a brand new?

1. Arguments that emphasise the climate impact to society at large2. …3. …4. …5. Arguments that emphasise my personal impact on climate change• Not sure

B4-A: How likely is it that you will reduce your consumption of clothes,interior and/or items due to the climate debate for the 12 upcomingmonths?

• Extremely likely• Very likely• Somewhat likely• Slightly likely• Not at all likely• Not sure

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B4-B: What kind of message, if any, about the climate makes/have made youchange your consumption pattern? Maximum two answers. If the messageis…

• … emotionally engaging• … logic and rational• … pedagogically explained• … extensive• Nothing makes/has made me change my behavior• Not sure

B5: What factors are, according to you, the most important to trustsustainability communication provided by a company? Maximum twoanswers. Sustainability communication that is:

• Transparent• Meaningful and relevant• Free from misleading graphics• Free from misleading words• Free from excessive claims• I am not affected by sustainability• communication• Not sure

B6: How would you describe an online marketplace for pre-owned items withone word only?

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Section 3C1: To buy from a company again, what significance does it havethat the company contributes to an increased level of knowledge aboutsustainability?•

• Very strong significance• Strong significance• Moderate significance• Low significance• Not sure

C2: To buy from a company again, what significance does it have that thecompany makes you emotionally engaged in sustainability questions?•


C3: By purchasing pre-owned items instead of something new you canreduce your personal carbon footprint. To buy from a company again,what significance does it have that the company provides you with personalfeedback of your purchases and how these have reduced your carbonfootprint?


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C4: What are the main reasons that would make you recommend a companyto others? Maximum two answers.

• If the company helps me to increase my understanding about the climate debate• If I become emotionally engaged in the sustainability question through the

company’s activities• If I can reduce my personal carbon footprint through the use of the company’s

products/services• If I can contribute to something bigger (for the environment) through the use of

the company’s products/services• If the company provides me with personal feedback regarding the climate

consequences of my purchases• Non of the alternatives would make me recommend a company to others• Not sure

C5: How often is the positive effect of recycling the primary reason whenbuying a pre-owned item? (Before cost savings, for example).

• Always• Often• Seldom• Never• Not sure

C6: Where would you place yourself on the following scale regarding buyingdecisions?

1. often make buying decisions on the basis of logic and objectivity2. …3. …4. …5. I often make buying decisions on the basis of emotions• Not sure

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