Carbon labeling on meals in a ferry canteen

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted to explore in what ways CO₂ labeling impacts customers' product selection. The objective of this study is the connection between eco-labeling and the number of sales (customers' purchasing choices) made regardless of the price determinant. We performed a controlled investigation within 2 weeks, adding a CO₂ label to the meals during the second week. The labeling icon showed the lifecycle emissions as a number and had a three-level, high-medium-low graphical signal. The difference in sales between the 2 weeks was analyzed via chi-squared and student t-tests. There was a significant shift from meals associated with high CO₂ emissions toward meals associated with lower CO₂ quantity (chi-square test, p = 0.001). There was likewise a significant 6% decrease in CO₂ equivalent emissions per weight unit of purchased meals. As the shares of plant, meat, and fish-based meals were similar for Week 1 and 2, the label was not potent enough to convince customers to change their diet styles. The reduction of CO₂ emissions was achieved mainly through shifts in the direction of lower-emitting meat and fish dishes. The obtained results depict that consumers pay attention to labeling while making purchasing choices, which has implications for marketing practice. The study implies that customers tend to select products with a lower environmental impact over others.