“Recycle Me!” Product Anthropomorphism Can Increase Recycling Behavior

Abstract

This article tests a novel intervention for increasing consumer recycling by anthropomorphizing product characteristics. Across five studies, including lab and online studies and a field experiment, we find that consumers are more likely to recycle an anthropomorphized (vs. nonanthropomorphized) product. We argue that anthropomorphism elicits affective (empathy) and cognitive reactions (an abstract construal level), making consumers empathize with the humanlike product as well as focus on the desirable end (vs. undesirable, effortful means) of recycling and therefore increases their likelihood of recycling. We provide evidence for the mediating roles of both affective and cognitive psychological mechanisms and further pin down the role of construal level by manipulating focus on the means (vs. end) of recycling. We discuss the practical implications of these findings for sustainable consumption and addressing climate change.