From Green Awareness to Green Behavior: The Impact of Information Disclosure Scenarios on Greener Shopping Channel Choices

Abstract

Addressing climate change necessitates reducing carbon emissions, with green behavior adoption being crucial. This study examines how green consumption awareness (GCA) and carbon emission disclosures influence consumer shopping channel choices, offering a practical approach to converting awareness into actionable behavior. Using stated preference (SP) data, we investigate the impact of green awareness and information disclosure on consumers’ choices between online and offline shopping channels. The key findings include the following: (1) GCA affects shopping channel choices in certain scenarios, though not always significantly. (2) Detailed carbon information disclosure steers consumers towards lower-emission channels, especially when specific carbon data are provided. (3) The type of goods significantly influences shopping channel decisions, serving as a variable across scenarios. (4) Effective scenarios, such as a 3 km shopping trip for categories like tissue and trash bags, where the difference in channel choice under varying levels of information disclosure is statistically significant, have been identified. These insights inform recommendations for information disclosure strategies that not only enhance GCA but also drive behavioral change, thereby fostering environmentally friendly consumption behaviors that contribute to a reduction in consumers’ carbon footprint.