Document Type

Theses, Ph.D

Disciplines

2.9 INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, Bioproducts, Biomaterials, Bioplastics, Biomaterials, 5.2 ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS, Business and Management.

Publication Details

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Supervised by: Dr Lorraine Sweeney & Prof Maeve Henchion Technological University Dublin School of Business February 2025

Abstract

Consumers play a critical role in transitioning towards bioeconomy. However, their positive attitudes and interest in biobased products often do not lead to actual usage because of the complexity of the decision-making process. Despite the bioeconomy’s importance, research on consumer behaviour regarding biobased products remains limited. This study bridged gaps by examining consumer perspectives on biobased products. It sought to identify factors influencing consumer perspectives and develop an integrative model where acceptance preceded actual use. Focusing on consumers from the Republic of Ireland, a test market with strong government commitment to the bioeconomy, private sector and research centre investments and interest, and abundant natural resources, the study explored the decision-making process for biobased apparel and packaging, highlighting the key drivers of preferences and behavioural differences. These applications were selected due to varying international findings, the importance of bioplastics in policy and research initiatives, and the urgent issue of plastic waste. This study used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to compare the power of the extended integrative model with established models and to evaluate its applicability to biobased apparel and packaging. PLS-SEM was chosen to analyse the data because of its ability to manage complex models with multiple variables. Mediation, moderation, and multi-group analysis, as advanced techniques, were utilised to investigate consumer decision-making in more detail. Quota sampling was conducted on a panel of 525 consumers, ensuring demographic representation across age, gender, region, and social class.

The research findings showed that consumers progress sequentially in their behavioural factors related to biobased apparel and packaging, moving from interest to intention, willingness to pay, and ultimately to use behaviour. As this transition occurs, the influence of self-interest, moral values, and trust, as well as perception, awareness of consequences, and sense of 4 responsibility diminished. In contrast, ethical values became increasingly significant in shaping their decisions. However, these effects and influences were moderated by different contextual factors at various levels of behaviour. Further analysis suggested that the level of involvement likely explained differences in consumer decision-making. For biobased apparel, values such as personal interest, social identity, and emotional factors played a superior role in shaping intention. In contrast, for biobased packaging, beliefs, particularly awareness of the consequences of conventional plastics, tended to be more influential, as the decision-making process was less emotionally driven and more focused on functionality and practicality.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/b8f8-7996

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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