Alexandra Serban

Alexandra Serban, a recent graduate of her second Master of Science in Global Business and Sustainability pursued research on the effect of animal welfare and carbon footprint labelling on consumer preference. 

In recent years there has been growing consumer interest in eco-friendly products and sustainable production practices. Consequently, many new certifications and labels communicating sustainable attributes have been adopted by commodity manufactures, including meat producers. The effectiveness of sustainability labels is hindered by the diversity of topics covered, such as carbon footprint and animal welfare, and the lack of a universal reference frame. An innovative approach of traffic light labelling aims to enhance comprehensibility by categorising product performance. The traffic light labelling system has the additional application of allowing standardised comparison between environmental sustainability topics. This research explores to what extent does traffic light animal welfare vs. carbon footprint labelling impact consumer preference for meat products?

The research strategy involves an experimental survey that simulates real-life grocery purchasing scenarios by presenting participants with different choices of the same product with varying attributes. The study employs choice-based conjoint analysis, which allows for the identification of consumer preferences towards individual product attributes and their levels. In addition, the moderation effect of sustainability orientation on consumer preference is tested with the inclusion of environmental concern and animal attitude measures. Furthermore, the moderating effect of price on the effect of sustainability orientations is included through a regression analysis with three-way interaction.  

The study indicated consumer preference for more sustainable options and for animal welfare over carbon footprint labels in meat products. This aligns with previous research on traffic light labels and the research comparing the two sustainability areas. The findings do not support the investigated moderation effect of sustainability orientations, contrary to expectations. Regarding the effect of price, the interaction is modest but indicates that the effect of price importance was greater for consumers with high environmental concern. The findings contribute to the academic literature by providing insights into the complexities of consumer preferences and the role of sustainability orientations and price in shaping those preferences.