Anais
Resumo do trabalho
Marketing · Comportamento do Consumidor
Título
Sustainability from Day One: Perceived Value and Ethical Consumption of Eco-Friendly Baby Diapers
Palavras-chave
ethical consumption
eco-diapers
perceived value
Agradecimento:
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), whose contributions were essential to the development and execution of this research. Their continued commitment to fostering scientific excellence in Brazil is deeply appreciated.
Autores
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Agatha de Sousa MouraUNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE PERNAMBUCO (UFPE)
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Paulo Magalhães Cavalcanti da RochaUNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE PERNAMBUCO (UFPE)
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Letícia Linhares Saraiva de AlencarUNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE PERNAMBUCO (UFPE)
Resumo
Introdução
The global diaper market exceeds 20 billion units annually, generating over 2 million tonnes of landfill waste and releasing methane as they decompose. While reusable and plant-based diapers offer significant environmental benefits, parental concerns about leakage, fit, convenience, and hygiene limit adoption. This research explores how different dimensions of perceived value influence parents’ willingness to embrace sustainable diapering solutions from birth, addressing a critical gap in green perinatal consumption studies.
Problema de Pesquisa e Objetivo
Despite clear ecological advantages, eco-friendly diaper uptake remains below 5% of total diaper sales. The core problem is identifying which perceived value dimensions (functional, social, emotional) most powerfully drive parents’ ethical purchase intentions and subsequent behavior. This study’s objective is to empirically test the relative impact of these value dimensions on intention formation and to examine how intention translates into actual eco-diaper purchasing.
Fundamentação Teórica
Building on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (1991) and Sweeney & Soutar’s PERVAL model (2001), perceived value is conceptualized in three dimensions: functional (practical performance, cost savings), emotional (affective attachment, brand storytelling), and social (peer approval, normative pressure). Ethical consumption literature highlights an intention–behavior gap; we posit that high perceived value mitigates barriers, strengthening the intention–action link in sustainable product adoption.
Metodologia
A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was administered online from June to August 2024 using snowball sampling among new-parent forums (n = 101 valid responses). Measurement scales included adapted PERVAL items and ethical consumption intention and behavior items on a 7-point Likert scale. Data analysis employed Structural Equation Modeling in AMOS 26®, with checks for reliability (Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.70), convergent validity (AVE > 0.50), discriminant validity, and path significance (p < 0.05).
Análise dos Resultados
Model fit indices were acceptable (CFI = 0.934; RMSEA = 0.101). Ethical consumption intention significantly predicted actual eco-diaper purchase behavior (β = 0.68, p < 0.001). Among value dimensions, emotional value exerted the strongest effect on intention (β = 0.60, p = 0.021), while functional (β = 0.12, p = 0.46) and social values (β = 0.08, p = 0.58) did not reach significance. These findings suggest that affective and identity-based appeals are critical for engaging sustainable parenting practices.
Conclusão
Emotional engagement with eco-friendly diapers fostered through compelling design narratives, sensory appeal, and brand ethos, emerges as the pivotal driver of ethical consumption intention and behavior. Functional benefits and social norms alone fail to motivate significant adoption. To close the intention behavior gap in green infant care, stakeholders must craft emotionally resonant marketing and educational interventions that cultivate parental affinity for sustainable diapering from day one.
Contribuição / Impacto
This study advances sustainable consumption theory by empirically validating the primacy of emotional value in eco-product adoption within a perinatal context. For manufacturers, marketers, and policymakers, the findings offer actionable guidance: invest in storytelling, brand authenticity, and sensory branding to elevate parents’ emotional connection. Such strategies can meaningfully increase eco-diaper market share, reduce neonatal waste streams, and foster lifelong sustainable habits.
Referências Bibliográficas
Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.
Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2001). Consumer Perceived Value: Development of a Multiple Item Scale. Journal of Retailing, 77(2), 203–220.
Carrington, M. J., Neville, B. A., & Whitwell, G. J. (2010). Why Ethical Consumers Don’t Walk Their Talk: Towards a Framework for Understanding the Gap Between the Ethical Purchase Intent and Actual Buying Behaviour of Ethically Minded Consumers. Journal of Business Ethics, 97(1), 139–158.
Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2001). Consumer Perceived Value: Development of a Multiple Item Scale. Journal of Retailing, 77(2), 203–220.
Carrington, M. J., Neville, B. A., & Whitwell, G. J. (2010). Why Ethical Consumers Don’t Walk Their Talk: Towards a Framework for Understanding the Gap Between the Ethical Purchase Intent and Actual Buying Behaviour of Ethically Minded Consumers. Journal of Business Ethics, 97(1), 139–158.