title: Who needs cream and sugar when there is eco-labeling? Taste and willingness to pay for "eco-friendly" coffee.
abstract: Participants tasted two cups of coffee, decided which they preferred, and then rated each coffee. They were told (in lure) that one of the cups contained "eco-friendly" coffee while the other did not, although the two cups contained identical coffee. In Experiments 1 and 3, but not in Experiment 2, the participants were also told which cup contained which type of coffee before they tasted. The participants preferred the taste of, and were willing to pay more for, the "eco-friendly" coffee, at least those who scored high on a questionnaire on attitudes toward sustainable consumer behavior (Experiment 1). High sustainability consumers were also willing to pay more for "eco-friendly" coffee, even when they were told, after their decision, that they preferred the non-labeled alternative (Experiment 2). Moreover, the eco-label effect does not appear to be a consequence of social desirability, as participants were just as biased when reporting the taste estimates and willingness to pay anonymously (Experiment 3). Eco labels not only promote a willingness to pay more for the product but also lead to a more favorable perceptual experience of it.
authors: Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden ; Linnaeus Centre for Research on Hearing and Deafness, Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors: Patrik
authors: P
authors: Sörqvist
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Hedblom
authors: Mattias
authors: M
authors: Holmgren
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Haga
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: Langeborg
authors: Anatole
authors: A
authors: Nöstl
authors: Jonas
authors: J
authors: Kågström
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003069:Coffee; D005260:Female; D005515:Food Labeling; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003069:Coffee