Environmental Attitudes and Consumer Preference for Environmentally-friendly Beverage Packaging: the Role of Information Provision and Identity Labeling in Influencing Consumer Behavior

● Consumer preference for environmentally-friendly beverage packaging was investigated. ● Consumers are willing to pay a premium for post-consumer recycled materials. ● Environmental information and green identity labels have synergistic effect on consumer willingness to pay. ● Product unit size seems irrelevant in most consumer decisions. This study examined whether urban Chinese consumers with stronger environmental values have higher valuations for plastic beverage bottles that are made of post-consumer recycled material (rPET) or that come in large sizes that use plastic more efficiently. It also assesses the effectiveness of environmental information provision and green identity labeling in increasing consumer willingness to pay for environmentally-friendly packaging. The results suggest that urban Chinese consumers are willing to pay a premium for rPET bottles, indicating that there is a potential market for rPET food and beverage packaging in China that calls for manufacturing guidelines, safety standards, or regulations. Providing environmental information and attaching green identity labels increases consumer valuations of rPET bottles, with their joint use exerting the largest effect. Pro-environmental consumers are more responsive to environmental information and green identity labeling and thus are willing to pay a higher premium for rPET bottles. However, in terms of choosing large bottles as a means to reduce plastic use in product packaging, consumers were found to be indifferent about plastic bottle sizes even after receiving environmental information. It is suggested that the inconvenience of carrying or storing large bottles might have offset their perceived environmental benefits.