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Research on the Influence Mechanism of Plastic Restriction Policy Implementation Modes on Brand Image — A Multi-case Analysis Based on the Retail Industry
Original title: Research on the Influence Mechanism of Plastic Restriction Policy Implementation Modes on Brand Image — A Multi-case Analysis Based on the Retail Industry
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A study of Chinese retail companies found that stores genuinely committed to reducing plastic bags and packaging over the long term build more trust and a better reputation with customers, while stores that fake it (or only cut back briefly) risk serious, lasting damage to their brand once shoppers catch on. The takeaway for consumers: it pays to notice whether a company's plastic-reduction promises match its actual practices — since less plastic waste overall also means less plastic breaking down into the environment (and potentially into our food and water) as microplastics.
Plastic pollution has become a core issue of global ecological governance. China has continuously introduced and upgraded policies and regulations to govern the entire industrial chain of plastic production, circulation, and consumption. Against the backdrop of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals and the prevailing trend of green consumption, the Plastic Restriction Policy (PRP) has become a critical variable affecting brand image. In particular, the catering and retail sectors, as two major consumer-facing industries, have seen rising public attention toward their enforcement of the PRP. Focusing on the retail industry, this study adopted a comparative multi-case research method and categorized corporate PRP implementation into three types: long-term sustained implementation, short-term perfunctory implementation, and environmental greenwashing, based on implementation sustainability and the congruence between promotion and practice, and selected three representative retail enterprises for comparative analysis. The findings show that the sustainability of implementation of PRP and the consistency between promotion and practice directly affect brand reputation, consumer trust, and social responsibility image. Retail brands with long-term and stable PRP implementation have a better brand image than those with perfunctory implementation or greenwashing behaviors. Irreversible reputation risks can be brought by environmental greenwashing. According to this research, authentic and long-term adherence to the PRP can positively empower brand image, while perfunctory and fraudulent implementation will hurt the credibility of retail brands.
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